Rockford Ends Road Trip in Grand Rapids Tonight
March 2, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
Rockford, Ill. - The Rockford IceHogs (30-14-6-4) take on the Grand Rapids Griffins (33-20-1-1) tonight at 6 p.m. in Michigan.
The contest marks the seventh time the Central Division rivals have faced off, and the last time the IceHogs will play at Van Andel Arena during the 2015-16 regular season. Grand Rapids will arrive in Rockford on Saturday, April 15 for their eighth and final meeting with the IceHogs to cap off the series.
The game will be broadcast on WIFR's "Justice Network" on 23.3, as well as Comcast Cable channel 434, Charter Cable channel 194 or Mediacom Channel 102 in the Rockford market, and online through AHLLive.com. Fans can also listen for free online at WXRX.com or by using the IceHogs mobile app. Follow along on Twitter (@goIceHogs) for live updates throughout the game.
Rockford has struggled with Grand Rapids this season, dropping all but their very first meeting with the Griffins back on Nov. 6. The month of February proved to be difficult for Rockford, finishing a month with a losing record (3-4-3-0) for the first time since last December (5-6-2-0) and the second month of 2016 marked the club's worst since April 2014 when the IceHogs earned just one win in seven outings (1-6-0-0). Within the month, Rockford fell in all three outings against Grand Rapids, which included the worst home loss (9-1) in franchise history.
The IceHogs are coming in to tonight's contest after dropping a weekend series against Lake Erie, whereas the Griffins are in the midst of a five-game win streak.
Despite the downfalls, Rockford has a strong punch to bring to the table tonight. Both losses to the Monsters were only decided by a single goal, one of which required overtime. Rookies Tanner Kero and Vinnie Hinostroza have been on fire recently, accounting for a combined three of the seven goals against Lake Erie this past weekend, including one assist each. On Friday, Kero recorded his third two-goal game of the season. Similarly, Hinostroza had his second two-goal game this season when the IceHogs faced the Admirals in Milwaukee on Wed., Feb. 24. Their similar success doesn't end there; Kero is in the midst of a three-game point streak (3g-3a) and leads the team in goals (16), while Hinostroza is on a career-high four-game point streak dating back to Feb. 12, while leading the IceHogs in points (32pts).
Next Home Game: Tickets for Saturday, March 5 vs. Lake Erie Monsters at 7 p.m are SOLD OUT. Tickets still remain for the game on March 6 versus the Monsters at 4 p.m. March 6 is Autism Awareness Night and after the game, the team will host a "Skate with the Hogs" event where fans will be welcome to skate on the ice with their favorite IceHogs players.
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