Wolves Rout Rockford
November 23, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Chicago Wolves News Release
Eleven players registered at least one point to help lift the Wolves over Rockford, 7-2, on Friday night in Illinois Lottery Cup action at the BMO Harris Bank Center.
Leading 4-2 midway through the second period, the Wolves (10-5-1-1) exploded for three unanswered goals and took sole possession of third place in the Central Division from Rockford (8-8-1-3) with the victory.
Forwards Curtis McKenzie, Brandon Pirri, Tomas Hyka and Keegan Kolesar and defensemen Zach Whitecloud, Nic Hague and Zac Leslie scored for Chicago. McKenzie and Whitecloud finished with three points apiece.
McKenzie opened up the scoring 4:39 into the game after forward Reid Duke raced down the right side of the ice and threw a shot on net. IceHogs goaltender Anton Forsberg made the save but dropped the rebound to his skates and McKenzie beat the defender to the loose puck and deposited it for a 1-0 lead.
Whitecloud scored his first professional goal at the 17:07 mark, beating Forsberg after a backhand dish from Hyka to regain the lead after a Rockford goal.
Just 38 seconds later, Pirri went coast-to-coast and beat all five Rockford players to give the Wolves a 3-1 lead and record a point in his fifth straight game.
Hague put one past Forsberg at the 3:42 mark of the second, receiving a pass from Reid Duke in the high slot and using a diving defenseman as a screen.
Shortly after the IceHogs scored to come within 4-2, Zac Leslie tipped a shot from Whitecloud to regain a three-goal advantage.
A few minutes later the Wolves put the game out of reach, scoring twice in an 18-second span. Pirri passed cross-ice to the top of the left circle for Hyka, who one-timed it through for his first score since rejoining the Wolves on loan from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Kolesar put the finishing touches on the win, burying a pass through the slot from T.J. Tynan on an odd-man rush at 12:29 of the second.
Max Lagace (4-2-1) posted 33 saves for the win while Forsberg (3-2-0) had 18 saves before leaving at second intermission for Collin Delia (13 saves).
The Wolves return to Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday for Star Wars Night against the Grand Rapids Griffins. To join the 501st Legion at Allstate Arena, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES for tickets.
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