AHL Rockford IceHogs

Hogs Come Back to Rockford After Comeback Win

Published on January 28, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release


Rockford, Ill.- The IceHogs lapped the Checkers on "Race Night" in Charlotte on Friday behind Peter LeBlanc's second straight two-goal game. Tonight Rockford looks to continue their roll through the month of January as they welcome the Milwaukee Admirals to the sold out B MO Harris Bank Center at 7:05 p.m. for the third annual Pink in the Rink Night.

It marks the fifth meeting between the Midwest Division rivals and second in the past seven days. The first 5,000 fans into the building tonight will get an IceHogs pink rally towel courtesy of Rasmussen College, Dickerson and Nieman Realtors, and Metropolitan Title Agency.

Today's game can be heard on 100.5 NTA FM, AM 1330 WNTA, or through icehogs.com beginning at 6:35 p.m. with the U.S. Cellular Pre-game Show. The contest can also be viewed in Rockford on Comcast Cable Channel-57. It's also another Hockey Night on Rockford's My Network TV digital sub-channel 17.2 or Comcast and Charter Cable Channel-16.

Rockford topped the Admirals last Sunday at the BMO Harris Bank Center on Blackhawks Night to earn a season-high fourth straight victory. Brandon Pirri had two power play snipes and Carter Hutton made 33 saves en route to the win.

In four previous games against Milwaukee this season, the IceHogs are 2-1-0-1, with both wins coming at the BMO Harris Bank Center.

Next Home Game: Wednesday, Feb. 8 vs. Lake Erie Monsters. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The IceHogs return to the BMO Harris Bank Center for the first time since the All Star break to play their first home game in the month of February. It's a Taco Bell Dollar Day. Fans can purchase beers, hot dogs, soft drinks and companion tickets for just one dollar a piece.

Don't forget to follow the IceHogs on Twitter (@goicehogs) and Facebook.

Rockford Milwaukee

Team Record 19-21-1-4 22-17-1-1

Past 10 Games 7-2-0-1 2-7-0-1

Streak 5-0-0-1 0-3-0-0

PP (Overall) 16.0% 21.0%

PK (Overall) 76.3% 76.7%

Leading Scorers Pirri (43) Mueller (30)

Closing The Book On"ˆConnelly: IceHogs defenseman Brian Connelly was traded last night during Rockford's game in"ˆCharlotte to the Calagary Flames in exchange for Brendan Morrison. Connelly ranked second on the IceHogs and among all AHL"ˆdefensemen with 36 points in 43 games. His 31 helpers are most on Rockford and also ranked him second in the league. Last week, Connelly was named to his second-straight AHL"ˆAll-Star game and would have been the first IceHogs player to play in two AHL"ˆgalas. Connelly finishes fourth on Rockford's all-time games played list (211), fifth in points (126) and first in assists (105). He was a late scratch last night and the game was the first missed this season by Connelly.

Comeback Style: For the fifth time since Jan. 8, the IceHogs found themselves trailing after 40-minutes of hockey last night. And for the fifth time, the IceHogs skated away with a point. Rockford is 4-0-0-1 when trailing after the second period since Jan. 8. Overall this season, Rockford is 4-16-1-1 when behind entering the final frame in regulation.

Sweet Six"ˆPack: The comeback win for Rockford pushed the team's season-best point streak to six straight games (5-0-0-1) dating back to Monday, Jan. 16. During the six game stretch, five of the contests have finished in one-goal games with the only game with a winning margin greater than a goal falling on Jan. 16 against Texas, a 2-0 Rockford win. All five of the IceHogs wins have come in regulation.

Pirri Picks A Streak: Coincidentally during that six-game streak, team-leading point producer Brandon Pirri has registered a point in each contest. Pirri's point streak is a team season-high, breaking the previous high-water mark of five set four times prior, including two of his own. During his six-game stretch, Pirri has 3g-3a-6pts and now leads the IceHogs with 19 goals and 43 points on the campaign.

A Lot of Heroes To Choose From: Over Rockford's last five wins dating back to Jan. 16, all in regulation, the game-winning goal has been registered by five different players. Dylan Olsen recorded his first career game-winning tally last night for the IceHogs in Charlotte. Other cluctch contributors include Pirri, Byron Froese, Rostilsav Olesz and Brandon Svendsen.

Can We File For An Extension?: Rockford enters tonight's game against Milwaukee with an 8-3-0-1 record in the month on January, more wins than the team had in November and December combined (7). All eight of Rockford's victories have come in either regulation or overtime. Last season the IceHogs won eight or more games in a month once, coming during the month of March when the club went 9-4-1-1.

LeBlanc Lighting Lamps: After being held without a point in nine straight games, Peter LeBlanc tallied multi-point (2g) nights in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday in Charlotte. LeBlanc now has four multi-goal games, giving him the most on the team.

It Starts From The Net Out: A big part of Rockford's success in the month of January comes from the stellar play between the pipes by Carter Hutton and Alec Richards. The goaltending duo has combined for a goals against average of 2.17 and a save percentage of .918.

Check out the Rockford IceHogs Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 28, 2012


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