SVEDBERG SHOOTOUT SORCERY STRETCHES HOGS� WIN STREAK

CEDAR PARK, Texas – Viktor Svedberg and Cody Franson lit the lamp in the shootout to help the Rockford IceHogs to a 3-2 win over the Texas Stars at H-E-B Center in the front end of a weekend doubleheader on Friday night. The Hogs have now won six consecutive contests, and boast victories in 14 of their last 19 outings.

Franson first struck for Rockford with a wrist shot wired into the top corner to extend the shootout to a fourth round after Travis Morin put Texas ahead in round three. Two rounds later, Svedberg skated slowly to the hash marks before winding up and unleashing a cannon shot past netminder Landon Bow to snag two crucial points for the IceHogs. With the win, Rockford now carries a seven-point cushion above fifth-place Milwaukee, and their magic number to clinch a playoff position is down to three.

After falling behind in the opening period when Texas’ Brent Regner put his team ahead just over three minutes before the break, Rockford responded on a power play midway through the middle frame. Tyler Sikura deflected Adam Clendening’s shot from the blue line past Bow to level the score and notch his 20th tally of the campaign. The IceHogs now feature two rookies with at least 20 goals in Sikura and teammate Matthew Highmore (23 goals).

Early in the third period, the IceHogs’ power play nabbed another marker to earn their first lead of the night. Chris DiDomenico extended his point streak to a whopping 10 games as he blasted a slapshot over Bow’s shoulder 4:11 into the final stanza to nudge the Hogs ahead 2-1. The forward has now produced 5g-9a-14pts through that 10-game stretch, and owns the longest point streak for an IceHogs player since Jeremy Morin found the scoresheet in 13 straight games in a Rockford sweater in 2013-14.

Gavin Bayreuther then knotted the score once again with just over a minute to play, forcing overtime between the two teams, but neither team was able to find the back of the net in extra time until the shootout. Rockford’s Collin Delia held off 22 of 24 pucks, while Bow stopped 24 of 26 for the Stars. The teams will drop the puck on a rematch at H-E-B Center on Saturday night.

Next Home Game: Friday, April 13 vs. Chicago
The IceHogs host their final home game of the 2017-18 regular season with an Illinois Lottery Cup series matchup against the Chicago Wolves. Friday is Fan Appreciation Night and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a free copy of this season’s team photo, courtesy of American Solutions for Business. Tickets can be purchased at IceHogs.com, by calling (815) 968-5222 or in-person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office.