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Rockford IceHogs

IceHogs Square off with First-Place Admirals

March 1, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release


MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Tonight, the IceHogs battle the division's best by visiting Milwaukee for a Friday night tilt against the Admirals. Milwaukee had the second-longest win streak in history snapped at 19 games last Sunday when they fell to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Despite the loss, the Admirals still lead the Central Division by a wide margin and rank second in the AHL with 73 points.

Rockford has won three in a row after picking up a pair of home victories last Friday and Saturday at the BMO Center. The Hogs have also won six of their last eight contests and have held the opposition to three or fewer goals in 11 straight games.

The season series between these two clubs has been a tightly contested one. The first five encounters between Rockford and Milwaukee were all decided by one goal, and the first four needed overtime. The Hogs are 2-1-2-1 against the top-seeded Admirals this season and have recorded more points (7) against Milwaukee than any of the other 10 opponents the Ads have faced.

2023-24 Season Records

Rockford: 22-21-5-2, 51 points (4th, Central Division)

Milwaukee: 36-11-1-0, 73 points (1st, Central Division)

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Last Game: 6-3 Win vs. Iowa (Feb. 24)

Saturday's 6-3 win over the Iowa Wild marked three straight wins for Rockford and also gave the Hogs six wins in their last eight. After a back-and-forth first period, the home side pulled away with four goals in the second period at the BMO Center. The four goals in the second for Rockford tied a season high for scores in a period.

The Hogs started the game perfect on special teams. Rockford scored on its first two power-play attempts, and the Hogs were also flawless in their first four shorthanded chances. It was only after a puck bounced off Iowa's Adam Beckman into the net the Hogs received their first blemish on special teams. It was the first power-play goal surrendered by Rockford in eight games.

Last Game vs. Milwaukee: 5-2 Loss (Jan. 26)

The IceHogs fell to the Admirals 5-2 at Panther Arena on Jan. 26 in the last meeting between the two sides. Rockford trailed 2-1 heading into the third, but three goals in the final frame by Milwaukee sealed the final. Egor Afanasyev potted two goals for the Ads, and Milwaukee outshot Rockford 28-13 in the final two periods.

Back-to-Back (3x)

Anders Bjork, Cole Guttman, and Rem Pitlick all scored in both Friday's 5-3 win over Texas and Saturday's 6-3 victory over Iowa, marking the first time this season that three IceHogs have scored in back-to-back games. The last time that three players for Rockford scored in back-to-back games was last season on Nov. 23, 2022 against Texas (7-2 win) and Nov. 25, 2022 against Milwaukee (6-4 win) when Lukas Reichel, Brett Seney, and Guttman all found the back of the net in both games. Those dates also marked the latest instance that Rockford scored five or more goals in a game until last weekend.

Penalty Kill

Rockford's PK has been outstanding over the last month of games. The Hogs have allowed only four power-play goals in their last 17 games and have successfully killed of 45 of 49 shorthanded chances (91.8%) in that span. Last Saturday against Iowa, Rockford gave up its first power-play goal against in 24 shorthanded chances when a puck bounced off of Adam Beckman and into the net. The Hogs posted seven straight clean sheets on the penalty kill and were 4-for-4 in their eighth game on Saturday before the Beckman goal. Rockford's penalty kill ranks 11th in the AHL at 83.4% for the season.

Return to Milwaukee for Pitlick

Since being sent down to the IceHogs from the Blackhawks on Feb. 15, Rem Pitlick already has five points (3G, 2A) in six games with Rockford. The forward's first full professional season came in 2019-20 with the Milwaukee Admirals and resulted in 36 points (20G, 16A) in 63 games for Pitlick. His goal, point, and games played totals with Milwaukee that season all still rank as single-season professional highs for Pitlick with one team (mostly due to trades and the fact that he split time between the AHL and NHL in three seasons). In 2021-22 with Minnesota and Montreal, he posted 37 points (15G, 22A) in 66 combined games. Tonight is Pitlick's first game playing against Milwaukee.

Tune In LIVE on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO

Watch and listen to every game this season on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO! Listen from your favorite device, at home, or on the road at IceHogs.com and on the IceHogs app and watch LIVE on AHLTV and selected games in High Definition on 19.2 The365! Fans can also tune in on all of Mid-West Family's local stations including 104.9 The X, B103, 95.3 The Bull, and Rockford Greatest Hits 100.5 and featured on Rock River Current, the Stateline's premiere source for local events, news and culture.

2023-24 Head-to-Head Schedule (All Times Central)

Fri., Nov. 17 vs. Milwaukee - OTL 4-5 - Recap, Highlights

Fri., Nov. 24 vs. Milwaukee - OTW 2-1 - Recap, Highlights

Sat., Nov. 25 at Milwaukee - OTL 2-3 - Recap, Highlights

Sat., Dec. 30 at Milwaukee - SOL 4-5 - Recap, Highlights

Sun., Dec. 31 vs. Milwaukee - W 4-3 - Recap, Highlights

Fri., Jan. 26 at Milwaukee - L 5-2 - Recap, Highlights

Fri., Mar. 1 at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 29 at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Tues., Apr. 2 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Sat., Apr. 13 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Sun., Apr. 14 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Sat., Apr. 20 at Milwaukee, 6 p.m.

IceHogs vs Admirals, All Time

75-72-11-13

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