AHL Rockford IceHogs

Early Wake-Up Call in Store for Lottery Cup Rematch

Published on January 18, 2015 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release


Rockford, Ill. - It's an old cliché that hockey players are creatures of habit. If that is true, the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs (23-12-4-2) will have to scrap their usual game day routine when they take the ice at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon to finish an Illinois Lottery Cup doubleheader against the Chicago Wolves (19-15-4-1), from the BMO Harris Bank Center.

Kids tickets for Rockford's annual Martin Luther King Day game are just five dollars, and are available in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office or at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 815-968-5222, or by logging on to IceHogs.com

The first 1,000 kids through the gates (14-and-under) will leave with a free IceHogs drawstring bag, courtesy of Pepsi. The family fun doesn't end with the final buzzer, as fans are invited to take the ice with their favorite players after the game in another "Skate With The Hogs". Participants must provide their own skates.

Those unable to make it to the BMO can catch all of action locally on 23.2 Antenna TV or online with AHL Live (ahllive.com). Television coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the IceHogs Warm Up pre-game show.

The in-state rivals are set to finish a home-and-home series that began on Saturday night at Allstate Arena, a hotly-contested game which the IceHogs emerged 3-2 victors in a shootout. T.J. Brennan scored the only goal in the skills competition, and goaltender Michael Leighton added three shootout saves to the 44 he made through the previous 67 minutes to snag the win for Rockford.

Leighton has continued to deliver standout performances in net for the IceHogs, who - along with Scott Darling - sport one of the strongest goaltending duos in the AHL. In his last six appearances, Leighton shows a 3-0-2 record with one shutout, a .965 save percentage and a 1.21 goals against average.

Rockford was outshot 40-18 through regulation time on Saturday, but used goals from Ryan Hartman and Mark McNeill to help the visitors push the game past regulation time. The goal was Hartman's second in his last three outings and McNeill's sixth point in four games played against Chicago this season. McNeill, who is one goal short of Garret Ross' team-leading 13, has found the net in each of his last three encounters with the Wolves.

It was the third win in four visits to Rosemont for the IceHogs, who have taken a stranglehold in the race for the 2014-15 Illinois Lottery Cup. With a record of 5-1-1-0 against Chicago over the first seven games of the season series, Rockford just needs three points over the remaining five contests to clinch their second Lottery Cup title.

In Monday's rematch the IceHogs can expect to face a hungry Wolves team, that is looking to climb out of a current slump that has them with only two wins over their last eight games. The day trip to the BMO represents the first leg of a five-game road trip for Chicago, who finds themselves in third place in the Midwest Division, only one point in front of the Grand Rapids Griffins.

On the other hand Rockford, which stumbled their way into 2015 now finds itself on a little bit of a roll, picking up points in six of their last seven games. The IceHogs still hold their perch atop the Midwest, but have only three points of cushion over a red-hot Milwaukee Admirals squad who has won seven straight games.

Next Home Game: Saturday, January 24 vs. Utica Comets. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Two of the West's best collide when the IceHogs host the Comets for the sixth-annual Pink In The Rink night presented by Swedish American Hospital. The IceHogs will skate on pink ice wearing special pink jerseys which will be auctioned off throughout the night with proceeds benefitting the Mary Kay and Swedish American Foundations. Additionally the first 2,500 fans will receive a set of pink foam LED glow sticks.

Check out the Rockford IceHogs Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2015


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