West-Leading Oklahoma City Comes to Town
February 14, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
Rockford, Ill. - After knocking off the first-place team in their division last night, the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs (27-16-4-2) now take aim at one of the best in the entire circuit. Rockford continues their three-game weekend when they host the Oklahoma City Barons (30-12-3-3) Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bank Center.
The first 1,500 fans to the Valentine's Day showdown, slated for a 7 p.m. face-off, will leave with a limited edition IceHogs goalie poster, courtesy of Hub Printing. Tickets are still available either in person at the BMO Harris Box Office or at any Ticketmaster location, by phone at 815-968-5222, or online at IceHogs.com.
Saturday's clash of two of the West's best will also be broadcast live locally on 23.2 Antenna TV, or online at AHLLive.com. Television coverage kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with the IceHogs Warm Up pre-game show. For instant updates throughout the game, follow the IceHogs on Twitter (@goicehogs).
Rockford began their three-in-three set with a gritty 2-1 victory in Milwaukee Friday night, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Midwest Division rival. Newly reassigned Joakim Nordstrom accounted for the go-ahead goal early in the third period in his first game with the IceHogs since Dec. 13. The Rockford captain capped off a sequence of beautiful power play passing, burying a feed from Teuvo Teravainen, who also made his return from the Chicago Blackhawks this week.
Additionally, Phillip Danault scored his second shorthanded goal in two games, and goaltender Scott Darling made 23 saves to help push the IceHogs back within three points of the Midwest Division leading Admirals.
The road does not get any easier, however, as Rockford is now tasked with hosting the top two teams in the AHL's West Division, beginning with the Barons who sit tied for the league's point lead with the Manchester Monarchs (66 points). Saturday marks the third of four meetings between the two clubs in 2014-15, with the Barons winning the first two during a weekend sweep in Oklahoma City on Dec. 20-21.
The Edmonton Oilers affiliate is in the middle of its own three-game swing through the Midwest, which began with a 1-0 shutout loss at Allstate Arena on Friday to the Chicago Wolves. After Saturday's game in Rockford, Oklahoma City finishes the weekend in Iowa with a Sunday meeting with the Wild.
Sitting on a three-point lead over everyone else in the Western Conference, the Barons have found success this year with impressive offensive balance and depth. Nine players have tallied at least 20 points so far for Oklahoma City, with four different players scoring at least 15 goals. The duo of right wing Andrew Miller (16g-20a) and center Jason Williams (15g-21a) have led the way with 36 points each, while winger Matthew Ford (13g-20a) and defenseman Brad Hunt (11g-20a) follow close behind.
In net, the Barons will have to go without the services of All-Star netminder Richard Bachman, who was recalled to Edmonton earlier in the week. Still, Bachman's creasemate Laurent Brossoit has proven to be a more-than-capable option, holding a 14-8-2 record with a 2.51 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. The rookie goalie also has two wins against Rockford in his possession, stopping 60 of 63 shots during the doubleheader back in late December.
Next Home Game: Sunday, February 15 vs. San Antonio Rampage. Game starts at 4 p.m. The IceHogs meet up with the Rampage for the first time since Halloween weekend as their West Division foe makes its first visit to the BMO this season. The first 2,500 fans to the matinee game will receive an IceHogs water bottle courtesy of Rock Valley Culligan. Also guests are invited to bring their own skates and join the players after the game for the last "Skate With The Hogs" of the season.
American Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2015
- Barons Fall to Rockford 3-1 - Oklahoma City Barons
- Sanguinetti Plays Role of Heartbreaker in OT - Utica Comets
- Rampage Turned Away by Griffins 4-2 - San Antonio Rampage
- Leier's Shootout Winner Lifts Phantoms over Penguins - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Griffins' Point Streak at Five After 4-2 Win over Rampage - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Penguins Suffer Shootout Loss to Phantoms - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Admirals Secure 2-1 Overtime Win vs. Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Wolf Pack Explode Late to Beat Albany 5-2 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Stars Sweep Weekend Set as Rynnas Shuts Out Iowa, 2-0 - Texas Stars
- Admirals Sweep Crunch with 2-1 Overtime Victory - Norfolk Admirals
- Over 9,000 Sees Texas Blank Iowa 2-0 - Iowa Wild
- Amerks Gain Point in 2-1 Overtime Loss to Comets - Rochester Americans
- Devils Fall Late to Wolf Pack - Albany Devils
- Falcons Break Bruins' Hearts with 2-1 Overtime Win - Springfield Falcons
- Tyrell's OT-Winner Snaps Providence Win Streak - Providence Bruins
- Bears Blitz Pirates, Extend Point Streak to Twelve Games - Hershey Bears
- No Love from Worcester - St. John's IceCaps
- Sharks Continue Winning Ways on the Rock - Worcester Sharks
- Backman, Monarchs Beat Bridgeport, 5-2 - Manchester Monarchs
- Persson and Mouillierat Score in Loss - Bridgeport Islanders
- Join the Amerks for "Hockey Weekend Across America" - Rochester Americans
- Scott Laughton Returned to Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wings Assign Kindl to Griffins for Conditioning - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Amerks Reassign Allan McPherson to Elmira - Rochester Americans
- Florida Panthers Recall D Shane O'Brien from San Antonio - San Antonio Rampage
- West-Leading Oklahoma City Comes to Town - Rockford IceHogs
- Springfield Falcons Sign Defenseman Steven Shamanski to PTO - Springfield Falcons
- Coyotes Assign Shinnimin to Portland - Portland Pirates
- Dallas Stars Recall Ritchie and Morin - Texas Stars
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
