SPLIT 'EM
Rockford takes one of two home tilts during Week 21
Week 21 Results
Friday, March 1: Peoria 1 vs. Rockford 4
Saturday, March 2: Milwaukee 3 vs. Rockford 2
Week 22 Schedule
Friday, March 8 at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 9 at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 10 at Chicago, 4 p.m.
Week 21 Recap:
Entering Week 21, the Rockford IceHogs were riding a season-long five-game winning streak. Friday night they extended that streak to six games by defeating the Peoria Rivermen, which tied the team’s AHL-era record for most consecutive games without losing. However, the Hogs had their streak snapped by the Milwaukee Admirals the following night in front of a soldout BMO Harris Bank Center. Rockford will look to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race during Week 22, when they travel to Oklahoma City and then return to Illinois with a stop at the Allstate Arena.
Bacon Bits:
- Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee ended Rockford’s six game winning streak, tying an AHL era team record
- The six game stretch marks the third time the Hogs have won six in a row since joining the AHL in 2007-08, including 1/11/08-1/19/08 and 10/12/08-10/26/08
- Goaltender Carter Hutton turned away 23 of Peoria’s 24 attempts to win his season-best fifth straight game
- During his hot stretch, Hutton has a 1.38 goals against average, .953 save percentage and one shutout
- Forwards Jeremy Morin and Ben Smith each netted two goals to carry Rockford to a 4-1 win over Peoria on Friday
- Both Morin and Smith have now tallied three multi-goal games on the season
- The IceHogs have five skaters closing in on 20 goals on the campaign, and six with 14 or more
- Forwards Jimmy Hayes, Jeremy Morin and Martin St. Pierre are each one goal away from 20, while Brandon Pirri and Ben Smith need three more each to reach the mark
- Hayes chipped in his 19th goal of the season on Saturday against Milwaukee and has now accumulated 13 goals and six assists in his last 20 contests
- With four assists in Rockford’s two tilts over the weekend, Brandon Pirri extended his point streak to eight games
- Pirri shows four goals and seven assists in his last eight contests, dating back to 2/13/13
- Jeremy Morin saw his point streak end at seven games as he was held scoreless in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee
- Morin chipped in 10 points (3g-7a) during his seven game point streak
- Rockford’s penalty kill unit completed a perfect weekend, denying the opponent on 12 power play chances
- Over their last five tilts, the Hogs PK has squandered just one goal in 27 shorthanded situations (96%)
- Before Saturday, the IceHogs recorded a power-play strike in seven straight tilts, converting on 11 of their 36 attempts (30.5%) and now rank 2nd in AHL (21.9%).
- A crowd of 6,170 packed into the BMO Harris Bank Center on Saturday, marking the fourth sellout of the season
Hot Hog: Week 21
Brandon Pirri Center
Center Brandon Pirri extended his point streak to eight games by dishing out four assists in Rockford’s two games during Week 21. Pirri opened the week assisting on three of the IceHogs four goals against Peoria on Friday. It marked his eighth multi-point game of the season and second three-point output. The forward followed it up with another helper in Rockford’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. Pirri now shows four goals and seven assists over his last eight games, dating back to 2/13/13.
Upcoming Games:
Friday, March 8 at Oklahoma City Barons: Puck drops at 7 p.m. as the IceHogs travel to Oklahoma City for the first time this season, and for the first of a pair of weekend matchups. The two squads met once this season in Rockford, with the Barons edging out the Hogs 4-3 on Jan. 26.
Saturday, March 9 at Oklahoma City Barons: Game time is set for 7 p.m. as Rockford and Oklahoma City rematch at the Cox Convention Center. It marks the third of four contests between the two teams this season with the final matchup set for March 30 in Rockford.
Sunday, March 10 at Chicago Wolves: A 4 p.m. start, the IceHogs return to Illinois with a stop at the Allstate Arena for a matinee affair with the Wolves. The Illinois Lottery Cup matchup will be the ninth meeting this season between the in-state rivals.
Bud Light Hog Talk Returns Tonight:
Bud Light Hog Talk returns tonight to District Bar and Grill from 6-7 p.m. District is located at 205 West State St., one block north of the BMO Harris Bank Center. Fans can join Mike Peck and Slavko Bekovic from 6-7 p.m. most Mondays as they chat with IceHogs players, coaches and front office members. This week’s guests include forward Jimmy Hayes, goaltender Henrik Karlsson and assistant coach Ben Simon. Take advantage of food and Bud Light specials at District. The show will be re-aired on Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. on 23.2 Antenna TV.
The IceHogs Broadcasting Network:
Catch every IceHogs game, home and road, in 2012-13 on 23.2 Antenna TV. The games can also be viewed on Comcast cable channel-436, Charter cable channel-970 or Mediacom-101 in the Rockford market and online through AHLlive.com. Every game will be streamed through IceHogs.com as well and inside the BMO Harris Bank Center on 104.3 FM. For a complete listing of TV stations carrying IceHogs games, visit IceHogs.com. Every broadcast will start with the U.S. Cellular Pregame before Mike Peck calls the action.
Tickets On Sale for 2012-2013!
IceHogs individual game tickets are on sale! Call (815) 968-5222 to reserve your seats for any IceHogs regular season game during the 2012-13 season. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office in downtown Rockford, any Ticketmaster outlet or on the web at www.IceHogs.com. Tickets start at just $7.
lllinois Lottery Cup Series Standings
Teams Record Points
Chicago 9-7-1-0 19
Peoria 8-7-2-0 18
Rockford 8-7-0-1 17
Rockford vs. Chicago 3-4-0-1
Rockford vs. Peoria 5-3-0-0
Upcoming Illinois Lottery Cup Games:
March 10: Rockford at Chicago, 4 p.m.
March 15: Chicago vs. Rockford, 7:05 p.m.
March 16: Peoria vs. Rockford, 7:05 p.m.