Week 14 Report: Dominant Victory Snaps Hogs' Skid
January 7, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
BACON BITS
The Rockford IceHogs snapped a season high-tying six-game winless skid with a 6-2 win over the Iowa Wild in the finale of last week's schedule. The skid is tied for the second-longest winless streak in the AHL this season behind only San Antonio (eight games). The IceHogs are now 16-15-3-4 and five points in back of a potential playoff berth.
Rockford has limited opponents to two or fewer goals in half of its 38 games this season. That feat includes holding the opposition to two or fewer goals in 10 of 18 home games and nine of 20 road games. Rockford is sixth in the league with an average of just 2.82 goals allowed per game, which is just .21 off the league's best total by San Jose.
Jacob Nilsson netted his first pro hat trick during Sunday's win against the Wild. The hat trick was the first for the IceHogs this season and first overall since William Pelletier on Jan. 10, 2018 at Ontario. Nilsson has now logged six goals over his last eight games to rank tied for fifth in the AHL in goals during that stretch.
Anthony Louis notched his first three-point game of his AHL career with a goal and two helpers Sunday against Iowa. Louis led the team in scoring last season and currently boasts a team-high 24 points (9g, 15a) in 2018-19. Since making his AHL debut on March 17, 2017, Louis leads all IceHogs skaters with 76 points (24g, 52a) in 130 games.
Kevin Lankinen has held opponents to two or fewer goals in each of his last three appearances with the IceHogs. Lankinen stopped a season-high 41 shots on Dec. 29 at Chicago, 26 of 28 pucks on Dec. 31 at Grand Rapids and 31 of 33 shots on Sunday vs. Iowa. The netminder has a 1.99 GAA and .942 save percentage over those last three contests.
Dylan Sikura returned to the IceHogs lineup from Chicago on Sunday and picked up a helper in Rockford's win. Despite appearing in just 27 of the Hogs' 38 games, Sikura leads the team with 91 shots on goal and shares the team lead with five multi-point games. The forward has yet to go more than two straight games without registering a point.
Andreas Martinsen made his team debut on Sunday after beginning the 2018-19 campaign with the Blackhawks. The forward won Rockford's Heavy Hitter award last season and paced all Blackhawks skaters in hits this year prior to being reassigned from Chicago. His 3.5 hits per game this year were tied for ninth among all NHL skaters.
UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Jan. 11 | Rockford at Texas (7 p.m.) The IceHogs open their Texas swing with a Friday matchup against the Texas Stars. Rockford has points in two of three games thus far in the series with a record of 1-1-1-0.
Saturday, Jan. 12 | Rockford at San Antonio (7 p.m.) The Hogs travel to San Antonio for the first of two straight games at the Rampage. The home team has won each of the first four matchups of this season's series.
BUD LIGHT MONTHLY MONDAY HOG TALK AT VINTAGE 501:
Bud Light Hog Talk returns to Vintage 501 TONIGHT. Vintage 501 is located in downtown Rockford at 501 E. State St. Fans can join broadcaster Joseph Zakrzewski from 6-7 p.m. on the first Monday of every month throughout the season as the duo chats with IceHogs players, coaches and front office members. For those unable to attend the show in-person, Monday's show will be streaming live on IceHogs.com. "Bud Light Hog Talk" will also be available on www.icehogs.com following the live show. Fans can access the podcast through the "Audio Highlights" link in the "Multimedia" menu. Tonight's expected guests are goaltender Kevin Lankinen and forward Nathan Noel.
ICEHOGS BROADCASTING NETWORK:
Catch the IceHogs this season on WIFR's 23.2 Antenna TV. The games can also be viewed on Comcast Cable channel 434, Charter Cable channel 194, Dish Network channel 252 or Mediacom 102 in the Rockford market and online through watchtheAHL.com. Each TV broadcast will start with "IceHogs Warm Up" 30 minutes prior to puck drop. Fans can also listen to the action for free at sportsfanradio1330.com, facebook.com/rockfordicehogs and IceHogs.com. For a complete listing of TV stations carrying IceHogs games, visit IceHogs.com, and for the complete schedule of radio broadcasts, visit sportsfanradio1330.com.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2018-19!
IceHogs individual game tickets can be purchased by calling (815) 968-5222 to reserve your seats for any regular season home game during the 2018-19 season. Tickets can also be purchased online at IceHogs.com, in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office in downtown Rockford or at any Ticketmaster outlet, including Walmart.
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