Rockford and Grand Rapids Meet Tonight at BMO
February 22, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
Rockford, Ill.-There are plenty of story lines for tonight's Rockford IceHogs-Grand Rapids Griffins matchup at the BMO Harris Bank Center at 7:05 p.m. The only one that the IceHogs care about, however, is that they need a win.
The first 2,500 fans to the game tonight will pick up an IceHogs water bottle courtesy of RockValley Culligan. For tickets, visit IceHogs.com, call (815) 968-5222 or in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office or at any Ticketmaster outlet.
Tonight's head-to-head season finale against Grand Rapids can be seen on 23.2 Antenna TV, Comcast Cable channel-436, Charter Cable channel-970 and Mediacom channel-101. To watch online or for the free audio web stream, visit AHLlive.com.
Rockford has won three-straight games and sits 10 points behind the division leading Griffins. But it's the final playoff spot in which the IceHogs have their sights set on as they are five points behind the eighth position in the Western Conference.
In their last meeting on Jan. 19, Rockford and Grand Rapids combined for 230 penalty minutes, including 139 by the IceHogs, both franchise records. In the 12 games since, Rockford has been called for just 167 minutes of penalty time, 13.92 PIMs per contest.
Penalties aren't just exclusive to the Jan. 19 game between these Midwest Division rivals. In the seven prior meetings, Rockford and Grand Rapids have combined for 642 minutes of penalty time, an average of 91.7 per game.
Tonight's game is the eighth meeting in 2012-13 and for just the second time in Rockford's AHL era, they won't win the season series. Through seven games, Rockford is 2-5-0-0. The IceHogs went 1-2-0-1 against the Griffs in 2008-09.
Carter Hutton has been hot for Rockford, earning the win in all of the Hogs last three outings. Hutton hasn't allowed a goal since the 10:16 mark of the first period on Sunday against Lake Erie. The Thunder Bay, Ont. native has gone 114:17 without allowing a marker, 13:41 shy of his team AHL record set last season and 19:04 short of Michel Robinson's franchise mark.
Next Home Game: Friday, March 1 vs. Peoria Rivermen. Game time is slated for 7:05 p.m. Rockford and Peoria meet for an eighth time this season. The first 1,500 fans to the game will pick up a Hogs Nation T-shirt courtesy of Anderson Toyota.
American Hockey League Stories from February 22, 2013
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- Karlsson Reassigned to Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
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- History of Large Crowds in Big Philly Games - Adirondack Phantoms
- Sound Tigers Announce Team Captains - Bridgeport Islanders
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