He started this season in Indianapolis but was shuttled to Rockford during the week.  Once Corey Crawford and Berube were hurt, in December, Delia was called up to play full-time in Rockford and never returned to Indy.

Early in March, the 23 year old former Merrimack College rookie goaltender was named the AHL player of the week after a 2-0 record, 0.50 GAA, and a shutout for the Icehogs.

Delia has been a well documented favorite of mine for two years and was rewarded with a two year deal last summer, following a great week at prospect camp.  Join me in welcoming #HostileLegendCollinDelia to the NHL.

In other news, JF Berube was sent down for the Icehogs playoff push.

Here is an article I wrote, including a breakdown of Delia, from last summer:
https://www.the-rink.com/revisiting-blackhawks-goaltending/

The post Blackhawks Recall Collin Delia, Re-Assign Berube appeared first on The Rink.

With eight games remaining this season, four of which are against Divisional opponents, the IceHogs find themselves on the cusp of locking down a Calder Cup Playoff spot. But, will the ever-changing roster that Rockford is experiencing hinder their chances?

Central Division Standings

Heading into Wednesday night’s action, here are the Central Division standings (Games remaining):

1. Manitoba Moose – 39-21-8, 86 pts, .632 pts% (8)
2. Chicago Wolves – 37-21-9, 83 pts, .619 pts% (9)
3. Grand Rapids Griffins – 36-24-8, 80 pts, .588 pts% (8)
4. Rockford IceHogs – 35-25-8, 78 pts, .574 pts% (8)
5. Iowa Wild – 30-22-15, 75 pts, .560 pts% (9)
6. Milwaukee Admirals – 34-28-5, 73 pts, .545 pts% (9)
7. Cleveland Monsters – 21-35-10, 52 pts, .394 pts% (10)

IceHogs Playoff Push Coming To Fruition

As Rockford stared down the barrel of the AHL Central Division heading into a 10-game stretch against inter-Division opponents, they were teetering on the brink of falling out of the playoff race, sitting in sixth-place behind the Milwaukee Admirals, Iowa Wild, and Grand Rapids Griffins. Through nine of those games, Rockford has a 6-1-2 record and has jumped from sixth to fourth-place in the Division and currently holds a three-point lead over the Wild for the final Calder Cup Playoff spot, with Iowa having played just one fewer game than Rockford.

There are a few players who have factored majorly in the playoff push that the IceHogs have put together. In net, Collin Delia and Jeff Glass have been a solid one-two punch that is able to give Rockford a chance to win every night. Since January 6, Delia has a sizzling 13-2-4 record after starting the season 1-4-0 in the AHL. As for Glass, since he returned from his stint with the Blackhawks in February, he has gone 3-4-0 with a 1.99 GAA over his last four games (3-1-0). Both goalies give the IceHogs a shot to win moving into the final two and a half weeks of the season.

Collin Delia makes a save against the Chicago Wolves. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

On the blue-line, there is no telling where this Rockford squad would be down the stretch without the contributions of Cody Franson and Adam Clendening. Both joining the team later in the season (Franson by assignment, Clendening by trade), they have provided a huge amount of experience to a young IceHogs locker room and have been driving the production from the blue-line as of late. Clendening has 29 points (3G, 26A) this season, 24 of which have come in his 30 games with Rockford this year. For Franson, although he imagined himself as a full-time Chicago Blackhawk this season, he has taken the leadership role with Rockford and provided a big boost on defense. 20 points (6G, 14A) in 30 games played with Rockford this season, Franson ranks third on the current roster for point per game (.67) and is fourth on the active roster in points for defensemen, having played a fraction of the games.

Finally, up front for the IceHogs has been a mixture of  full-season efforts and a few mid-season finds that have pushed Rockford offensively. Anthony Louis and Tyler Sikura have been major drivers of the IceHogs offense with Louis leading the team with 38 points (12G, 26A), and Sikura not far behind in third on the active roster with 32 points (18G, 14A) and second in goals behind Matthew Highmore’s 21. Add in Lance Bouma and Chris DiDomenico, two players who joined the IceHogs around the NHL trade deadline, and Rockford’s offense has been buzzing over their last ten games, averaging 3.1 goals per contest. Bouma has nine points in his 12 games with Rockford this year and since joining the IceHogs in late February, DiDomenico has 16 points (5G, 11A) in 14 games this year.

For a team that has endured a myriad of changes this season, having those players involved in the changes be able to produce at the levels they have has been a key to the successful run that Rockford has put together.

Roster Moves

Speaking of roster changes, there have been quite a few to catch-up on over the last two weeks. Here are a few of note since the 10-game stretch against the Central Division began:

• March 10 – Matheson Iacopelli returned from assignment to the Indy Fuel (ECHL)
• March 10 – John Hayden recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks
• March 20 – Andreas Martinsen recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks
• March 21 – Victor Ejdsell assigned to Rockford IceHogs from HV71 (SHL)
• March 23 – Joni Tuulola signed PTO
• March 25 – Victor Ejdsell recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks
• March 26 – Matthew Highmore returned from recall to the Chicago Blackhawks
• March 27 – Matt Tomkins recalled from the Indy Fuel (ECHL)

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

The final roster move coming in response to the Blackhawks also placed goaltender J.F. Berube on waivers on Tuesday morning. The loses of Martinsen, Hayden, and the newly acquired Ejdsell would have potentially crippled a lesser squad. But this is not the old IceHogs. Rockford has been able to answer the bell all season, and with the Blackhawks season in flux for most of the time, Rockford has been able to keep pace and now find the right time to get hot and make their moves in the Calder Cup Playoff race.

The re-addition of Matthew Highmore from his 13-game stint with the Blackhawks may be the biggest return they could have at this point in the season. Highmore leads the team in goals with 21, a rookie record for the IceHogs as an AHL organization, and was the team-leader in points when he was recalled with 35 points (21G, 14A) in 56 games.

What’s Next?

The IceHogs return to action tomorrow night (Wednesday, March 28) when they take on the Manitoba Moose for the second of tow games between the teams in Manitoba. On MOnday, Rockford defeated the Moose, 4-2 with a 32-save performance from Delia and multi-point games from Clendening, DiDomenico, and Sikura. Wednesday’s puck drop is scheduled for 7pm Central Time. After Wednesday’s game, the IceHogs return home to close the month of March with a Saturday night contest against the San Jose Barracuda. The second of two meetings between the teams this season, Rockford defeated the Barracuda earlier this year on the road with a 4-2 win in January. Puck drop for Saturday night’s game at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford is set for 6pm Central Time.

The post IceHogs Holding On To Last Playoff Spot In Central Division appeared first on The Rink.

Glass Era Ends, Berube Getting A Look

After allowing four goals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, Jeff Glass was placed on waivers yesterday and will be re-joining the IceHogs ahead of their home weekend action. In his time with the Blackhawks, Glass had a 3-6-3 record in 12 starts with a 3.31 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Although Glass started hot when he first joined the Blackhawks in late December, going 3-1-1 in his first five NHL appearances, Glass gave up 27 total goals over his final nine appearances with an 0-5-2 record. A fantastic story of a player persevering, and at 32 years old, finally making it to the NHL, Glass’ luster wore off quickly and his true worth to the team as an AHL option, rather than an NHL one has been realized.

On the flip-side, Chicago will be giving J.F. Berube a second look in the NHL this year, just two games after returning from a lower-body injury that forced him to miss two months of the season with the IceHogs. Berube only had one chance in December to make an impression on the Blackhawks in relief of Anton Forsberg against the Washington Capitals. Berube made 12 saves on 14 shots faced as the Blackhawks fell to the Capitals that night, 6-2.

This season with the Rockford IceHogs, Berube has a record of 7-8-0 with a 2.37 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 15 appearances. While Berube is 0-2-0 in his two starts since returning from injury, both games saw him make 27 saves on 29 shots (2.06 GAA, .931 save percentage).

With the Blackhawks recalling Berube and already having Anton Forsberg in the mix with Corey Crawford still being far enough away from a return from his own injury woes, the future considerations for the Blackhawks backup and maybe even a starting role could be on display over the next few games. Forsberg this season has been only adequate as an NHL backup with a 5-10-3 record, 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage. While his record is unflattering, goal support from the Blackhawks skaters has not been there for him or for Glass this season.

If the Blackhawks shut down Crawford with the season inching closer and closer to the edge of the abyss, Berube and Forsberg find themselves playing for their futures with Chicago over the next two months.

What’s Next?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night, taking on the Anaheim Ducks in Chicago. Puck drop at the United Center is set for 7:30pm Central time. The IceHogs get back at it on Saturday night against the Cleveland Monsters in Rockford. Puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for 6pm Central Time.

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Tuesday: Cleveland Monsters def. Rockford IceHogs, 3-1

Making his second start since returning from a lower-body injury, J.F. Berube would be between the pipes for Rockford as they faced the bottom of the Central Division Monsters. His 27-save effort would be squandered by the IceHogs, though as the Monsters were able to get on the board first  with a short-handed goal from Terry Broadhurst just under five minutes into the opening period. The eight short-handed goal allowed by the IceHogs this season put them in a hole early, but they would be able to rebound. With just over three minutes to play in the first period, newly signed Henrik Samuelsson finished a nice feed from Matthew Highmore to tie the game 1-1 after the opening 20 minutes. Samuelsson, who signed a PTO agreement with Rockford on Monday, scored his first AHL goal of the season after playing 49 games with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL.

After out-shooting the Monsters 13-6 in the opening period, Cleveland responded with a 16-7 second period shot-advantage that culminated in a late period goal from Carter Camper to give the Monsters a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. While the IceHogs made several pushes in the final period to find an equalizing goal, their efforts would go empty. J.F. Berube made 27 saves on 29 shots faced as the Monsters added an empty-net goal with under a minute to play to seal the 3-1 victory.

With the loss the IceHogs now sit in sixth-place in the AHL Central Division with a 25-21-6 record, 56 points, and a .538 points-percentage. Rockford trails the second-place Iowa Wild by .062 percentage points, but with Iowa on a three-game win streak, the Milwaukee Admirals on a four-game win streak, and the Grand Rapids Griffins with points in their last nine games (7-0-2), the IceHogs need to find a win-streak or a point-streak of their own to avoid falling out of Calder Cup Playoff contention.

What’s Next?

The IceHogs and Monsters will do it all over again on Saturday night in Rockford. Puck drop on Saturday night is scheduled for 6pm Central Time. After that, the IceHogs complete their three-game homestand with a Sunday late-afternoon contest against the San Antonio Rampage. Puck drop for Sunday’s home game is scheduled for 4pm Central Time.

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Friday: Milwaukee Admirals def. Rockford IceHogs, 5-3

Entering Friday night’s game, the IceHogs would be looking at an opponent in the Admirals that had just ended a six-game losing streak and was behind them in the Central Division Standings.

Milwaukee came out of the gate and put the IceHogs on their heels in the first period. Just beyond the mid-way point through the opening 20 minutes, the Admirals struck first with a goal from Jimmy Oligny to take the opening 1-0 lead. From there, the IceHogs would respond evening up the shots on goal totals and eventually evening up the score 1-1 after a nifty passing display between Cody Franson and Anthony Louis before Franson scored the powerplay goal. But, with under two minutes to play in the period, the Admirals regained the lead with a powerplay goal of their own from Frederick Gaudreau.

The second period would be more kind to the IceHogs as they took charge and out-shot the Admirals 16-6. Rockford would get on the board in the middle frame and tie the game at 2-2 after Darren Raddysh scored his fifth goal of the season. Tyler Sikura provided a screen on the Raddysh goal and the game would head to the third period knotted up at 2-2.

In the third period, the Admirals would once again regain the lead just under three minutes into the period as Justin Kirkland scored his second goal of the season. Milwaukee would pad their lead ten minutes later as Kirkland would tally his second goal of the game to give the Admirals a 4-2 advantage. The IceHogs would try to mount a comeback as John Hayden would make it a 4-3 game with just about five and a half minutes to play, but Kirkland would score the empty net goal to complete his hat-trick, the first of the season for the Admirals, and put the game away 5-3.

Collin Delia made 19 saves on 23 shots for Rockford as his record would fall to 7-6-2 on the season. With his assist on Franson’s powerplay goal, Anthony Louis improved his point-streak to five games and had tallied 11 points over his previous 14 games and is second on the team in scoring with 30 points (9G, 21A), just one point behind Matthew Highmore for the team lead. John Hayden’s goal also gave him 11 points (4G, 7A) in his 14 games with the IceHogs this season.

Saturday: Iowa Wild def. Rockford IceHogs, 2-1

After falling to the Admirals, the IceHogs packed the bus and headed off to Iowa to take on the Iowa Wild, whom they were looking up to in the Central Division standings. After missing an opportunity against Milwaukee, Rockford needed a bounce back against the Wild.

A bright spot for the IceHogs against the Wild was that goaltender J.F. Berube would make his return between the pipes after missing nearly two months of action with a lower-body injury. Berube would dress and back-up Delia on Friday, but Saturday marked his return to starting action. It was a short-lived welcome back for Berube and the IceHogs, though, as Kurtis Gabriel would tip-in a goal just under six minutes into the first period to give the Wild the early 1-0 lead. Iowa’s lead would only last a minute and 46 seconds as Tyler Sikura would score his 15th goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 less than eight minutes in.

The first period would end with the score at 1-1 and the teams would trade scoring chances in the second period, but neither team could find a breakthrough and it would remain 1-1 heading into the third period. While the IceHogs’ star rookie this season Matthew Highmore has both of his hat-trick performances against the Wild this season, it would be Iowa’s star rookie who would break the tie game just over seven and a half minutes into the third period. Justin Kloos would net his 15th goal of the year to give Iowa the 2-1 lead and Niklas Svedberg, who made 36 saves on the night, would shut the door on Rockford the rest of the way.

Rockford dropped two regulation games over the weekend and dropped themselves into sixth place in the Central Division, along with dropping into 12th place in the Western Conference. Tyler Sikura’s first period goal marked his 15th of the season, good for second on the IceHogs behind Matthew Highmore’s team-leading 20 goals. Sikura coming into this season had played in 22 AHL games with zero points. He has 22 points (15G, 7A) in 49 games this season. With an assist on Sikura’s goal, IceHogs defenseman Adam Clendening now has 13 points (2G, 11A) in 13 games with Rockford.

Notes: Berube Returns For Rockford, Samuelsson Signs PTO

While not going the victory in his return to action, the Rockford IceHogs are much better off having a healthy J.F. Berube back in net for them. Prior to his lower-body injury in early December, Berube was the leading goaltender for the IceHogs and would have been in line for a call-up to replace the injured Corey Crawford with the Blackhawks, but Berube was out and Jeff Glass would get the call instead. Berube this season leads all Rockford goaltenders in Goals Against Average (2.40) and save-percentage (.919) with a 7-7-0 record over his 14 appearances.

J.F. Berube in net for the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

While Rockford has been able to find success in Glass and Berube’s absences behind Collin Delia and Matt Tomkins, having a goaltender with the veteran experience of Berube back as an option in net could be the boost that gets the IceHogs back into the Calder Cup Playoff picture. No slight to Tomkins and Delia either, but both players were expected to be the organization’s ECHL goaltending tandem with the Indy Fuel, not the AHL duo in Rockford. With a returning Berube and the possible return of Corey Crawford in Chicago soon, the IceHogs goaltending rotation could return to the Glass-Berube rotation that saw Rockford go 15-11-3 to begin the season.

Also happening over the IceHogs’ weekend was the addition of Henrik Samuelsson, who signed a Professional Try-Out agreement with the team on Sunday. Henrik is the son of Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson, and a former first-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Samuelsson has three games of NHL experience with the Coyotes during the 201415 season and is a veteran of 136 AHL games with 55 points (23G, 32A) from 2014-2017. This season, Samuelsson has been playing with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads where he has 43 points (16G, 27A) in 49 games. According to the American Hockey League’s roster page, Samuelsson will wear number 15.

What’s Next?

Heading into Monday night, the Rockford IceHogs sit in sixth place in the Central Division with a 25-20-6 record, good for 56 points in the standings and a .549 points-percentage. The difference between Rockford the second place Iowa Wild in the Central Division is only .043 point-percentage points.

On Tuesday night, the IceHogs get back into action as they play the first of back-to-back games against the Central Division’s last place team, the Cleveland Monsters. While it won’t be games in back-to-back nights (games on Tuesday and Saturday), Rockford needs to capitalize on opportunities to gain points against teams below them in the standings. Tuesday night’s game is set for a 7pm Central Time puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford and starts a three-game home stand for the IceHogs.

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Fourth-place in the AHL Central Division and Sixth-Place in the AHL Western Conference, the IceHogs are in a much better spot than last season with youth and depth skill in their lineup and a bright future ahead. With that in mind, here are a couple of “mid-season” awards for the IceHogs at the AHL All-Star Break.

IceHogs Top Rookie: Matthew Highmore

There will be plenty of mentions for Matthew Highmore throughout this, but as an undrafted, free-agent signing by the Chicago Blackhawks last Spring, Highmore has been one of, if not the brightest highlights of the IceHogs’ season so far. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native played 289 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Saint Johns Sea Dogs, tallying 247 points along the way and helping the Sea Dogs to a QMJHL Championship in the 2016-17 season.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

After signing with the Blackhawks, Highmore made a splash at the Prospect Summer Camp and during Training Camp before heading to the IceHogs. Playing in all 46 games so far this season, Highmore has racked up 29 points with 18 goals and 11 assists and was named an AHL All-Star. Highmore’s 29 points rank him in the top-ten for AHL Rookies and his 18 goals are tied for the third-most among AHL rookies. In a stacked rookie class for the IceHogs, Highmore has been at the top of the list all season.

IceHogs Top Goaltender: Goalie By Committee

It’s been an interesting season for the IceHogs in net. Coming into the year, J.F. Berube and Jeff Glass were slated to be the starter and back-up goaltenders for Rockford, but due to injuries with Berube and Corey Crawford of the Blackhawks, Glass was forced into a back-up role with Chicago and Indy Fuel goalies Matt Tomkins and Collin Delia were called upon to be the starters in Rockford.

Collin Delia of the Rockford IceHogs (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

Over the entire season combined, Glass, Berube, Delia, and Tomkins have a combined Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.94 and a combined Save Percentage of .902 and have all combined to put the IceHogs in the position they are in right now. For the time being, Delia continues to take the starting role for the IceHogs with Tomkins playing his back-up. Berube looks to be close to returning from his  lower-body injury and could inject the Rockford roster with some quality starts in net down the stretch of the season.

IceHogs Top Defenseman: Carl Dahlstrom

Last season was the first full North American season for IceHogs defenseman Carl Dahlstrom. A second-round pick by the Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Draft, Dahlstrom played in 117 games with Linköping HC in the SHL in Sweden from 2013-16 before making his full-time AHL debut last season. Dahlstrom is one of the more defensive-minded defenders on the Rockford squad and is regularly called upon to shut-down top players on the opposition and is trusted in all situations by head coach Jeremy Colliton.

Last season, Dahlstrom played in 70 games and tallied 11 points with only 16 penalty minutes. Already this season, he has surpassed his offensive output with 23 points in 44 games played and leads the IceHogs in assists with 20 and plus/minus with a +15 rating. Dahlstrom was named an AHL All-Star this season and is one of the rising young defenders in the Blackhawks organization.

IceHogs Top Forward (not named Matthew Highmore): Anthony Louis

As mentioned before, the Rockford roster is full of players skating in their first full-seasons of professional hockey. A number of forwards are having great seasons, the most impressive being Matthew Highmore. But to only focus on Highmore would do a disservice to the rest of the standouts that Rockford has at their forward positions. One such player is another rookie and Illinois native, Anthony Louis.

Anthony Louis on Pink in the Rink night for the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

A Sixth-Round pick by the Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Draft, Louis played in the United States Development Program before playing four seasons with the University of Miami (Ohio). In his four years with the Red Hawks, Louis skated in 145 games and tallied 126 points and was named the NCHC Conference Forward of the Year in 2016-17 before joining the IceHogs for 13 games at the end of last season. So far in 2017-18, Louis has played in 41 games and is second on the team in assists with 19 and points with 26.

IceHogs Most Valuable Player: Matthew Highmore

Again, Matthew Highmore shows his value to the IceHogs this season in all facets of the game. Highmore is regularly called upon to take important draws in the defensive zone, plays quality minutes at five-on-five, and plays in all special teams situations for the IceHogs. Highmore is a quality finisher and generates a major amount of chances for Rockford offensively. On the current active roster, Highmore leads the IceHogs in shot attempts with 115.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

The Blackhawks organization has a good amount of depth that is showing a lot of promise in Rockford this season. Players like Highmore, Dahlstrom, and Louis have stepped up in Rockford while guys like Vince Hinostroza, Erik Gustafsson, and David Kampf, who all started the season with Rockford, are making impressions with Chicago. For an organization that is teetering on the edge of buyer or seller as the trade deadline looms, as well as potentially preparing for a rebuild or re-tool of the NHL roster, the options in the AHL have a load of potential to be future pieces for the Blackhawks.

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Blackhawks Lose Crawford For Second Time This Month

This marks the second time this season that Crawford has been placed on injured reserve this month. Back on Dec. 1, the Blackhawks placed Crawford on injured reserve and recalled J.F. Berube from the IceHogs. He returned to the Blackhawks shortly after and in seven appearances during the month of December, Crawford is 6-1-0 with a .923 save percentage. In his last appearance against the New Jersey Devils, Crawford allowed three goals on seven shots faced and was pulled after just 13:22 minutes of play.

Blackhawks backup Anton Forsberg figures to get the majority of action while Crawford is out. Forsberg this season is 1-4-3 in 11 appearances for the Blackhawks this season with a 3.13 GAA and .909 save percentage. While serving as the Blackhawks starter earlier this month, Forsberg went 0-2-1.

Heading to Chicago from Rockford as goaltender Jeff Glass and forward David Kampf. Glass has been the IceHogs starter since J.F. Berube went down with an injury earlier this month. This season, Glass is 10-4-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .917 save percentage for the IceHogs and has started their last nine straight games. Glass has yet to make his NHL regular season debut after being a third-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2004.

David Kampf will also be joining Glass as IceHogs heading to Chicago. Kampf is playing in his first year of North American professional hockey with Rockford after playing with Chomutov Pirati of the Czech Pro League from 2012-2016. In 30 games with the IceHogs this season, Kampf has 17 points (7G, 10A) and is second in rookie scoring on the team.

Finally, with the IceHogs losing Glass to the Blackhawks and with Berube already out with an injury, the IceHogs recalled goaltender Matt Tomkins from the Indy Fuel. Tomkins rejoins his Fuel teammate from the beginning of the year, Collin Delia, in-between the pipes as they will now split time in net for the IceHogs. Delia has made one appearance for the IceHogs this season, a loss in November in which he gave up four goals on 16 shots faced. Tomkins this season with the Fuel is 4-3-0 in eight appearances, with a 2.73 GAA and .931 save percentage.

The Blackhawks return to action after the Holiday break on Thursday, taking on the Vancouver Canucks in the first of four straight road games. The IceHogs are on the road on Thursday as well, beginning a three games in three days stretch to close out the 2017 calendar year.

The post Breaking: Corey Crawford Placed On Injured Reserve appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford dropped a home game against the Chicago Wolves before heading South to San Antonio for a weekend series against the San Antonio Rampage, where they would lose both games and fall to 15-11-2 on the year.

Tuesday: Chicago Wolves def. Rockford IceHogs, 2-1

On Tuesday night the IceHogs hosted the Chicago Wolves in another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry. Rockford and Chicago met three times prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Wolves holding a 2-1 advantage over the IceHogs.

The Wolves opened the scoring first with a goal just five minutes into the game from former IceHog Brandon Pirri. His eighth goal of the season game the Wolves the 1-0 lead and they would hold that all the way until the third period.

In the third period, the IceHogs would use a tip-goal from Anthony Louis to tie the game 1-1. It was Louis’ fifth goal of the season coming off a Carl Dahlstrom shot to extend his point-streak to five games (1G, 8A, 9pts). The game remained tied until the Wolves had one last push at the end of the game and with just 0.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Paul Thompson was able to get one past Jeff Glass to seal the victory for the Wolves. A heartbreaking way for the IceHogs to lose a game, especially to the rival Wolves. Glass made 30 saves on 32 shots in the loss.

Friday: San Antonio Rampage def. Rockford IceHogs, 2-1 (so)

Looking to shake off the loss to the Wolves earlier in the week, the IceHogs made a trip to San Antonio to take on the Rampage in a two-game weekend series. On Friday night, the IceHogs would be involved in another tightly contested game as it would take a period and a half for either team to get on the board. Nearing the mid-way point of the second period, the Rampage were able to break the scoreless tie as Julien Nantel netted his sixth goal of the season, giving the Rampage the 1-0 lead.

The lead would only last ten minutes for the Rampage as the IceHogs would tie it up at 1-1 on an unassisted goal from Andreas Martinsen, his fifth of the season. It would stay tied all the way through the third period and through the overtime period to send the game to a shootout. Jeff Glass made 34 saves on 35 shots during the regulation and overtime, making it 82 saves on 87 shots in his last three appearances since J.F. Berube went down with a lower-body injury.

In the shootout, David Kampf, Anthony Louis, and Luke Johnson would all fail to convert their chances, while Glass stopped Brendan Ranford and Tage Thompson before David Warsofsky would break through to give the Rampage the shootout win.

Sunday: San Antonio Rampage def. Rockford IceHogs, 4-1

Having dropped back-to-back games in the week, the IceHogs were looking to right the ship against the Rampage in a Sunday afternoon matchup. It would be another game where Rockford would have to play catch-up as the Rampage got on the scoreboard first with a first period goal from Andrew Agozzino. His eighth of the season came on a San Antonio powerplay and gave the Rampage the 1-0 lead after one period of play that saw the IceHogs be out-shot 15-7.

In the Second period, the IceHogs continued to be out-shot 13-6 in the period, but were able to get the game-tying goal from Andreas Martinsen. His sixth goal of the season and second in back-to-back games tied it up at 1-1 heading into the third period.

In the third period, the IceHogs would be out-chanced once again 13-11, making it a 41-24 shots on goal advantage for the Rampage and lead to three unanswered goals in the final frame from Chris Butler and Rocco Grimaldi to give the Rampage the 4-1 win. A third straight start and third straight loss for Jeff Glass as he made 37 saves on 40 shots faced with one empty net goal from the Rampage.

The offensive struggles have hit the IceHogs hard as Glass has been able to step in and do a great job in the absence of J.F. Berube, the defacto starter for Rockford so far this season. In the four appearances since the Berube injury, Glass has stopped 119 of 127 shots faced for a .937 save percentage, but has an 0-2-1 record in those four appearances.

What’s Next?

The IceHogs are off until Friday when they return home to face the Chicago Wolves in another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry. This season, the Wolves hold the advantage over Rockford with a 3-1 record in the previous four meetings. Friday night’s game at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for a 7pm CT puck drop.

Then on Saturday night, Rockford plays host to the Grand Rapids Griffins looking to improve on their 5-0-0 record against the Griffins this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 6pm CT for the IceHogs and Griffins.

The IceHogs will have defenseman Ville Pokka back in their lineup once the weekend rolls around as he was reassigned to Rockford from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday morning. Pokka has yet to make his NHL regular-season debut for the Blackhawks since joining the team via trade in 2014.

Looking at the standings, the IceHogs currently sit in a tie for second place in the AHL Central Division with the Iowa Wild. With a 15-11-2 record, Rockford has 32 points in the standings, good for a .571 points-percentage, but trails a red-hot Manitoba Moose team that has not lost in regulation in their last 14 games (13-0-1) and leads the Central Division with a 21-5-3 (45 pts, .776 pts%) record.

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The IceHogs headed into the weekend’s action without their top-scorer Vince Hinostroza after he was recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks and Tanner Kero was assigned to Rockford in his place. Hinostroza had been pacing the IceHogs offense all season, notching 22 points (9G, 13A) in 23 games played. Kero did not play in Friday night’s game but was in the lineup on Saturday for the IceHogs. In his AHL career, Kero has 64 points (32G, 32A) in 94 games played, all with Rockford, prior to Saturday’s game.

Friday: Rockford IceHogs def. Grand Rapids Griffins, 4-1

On Friday, the IceHogs came out pacing the Griffins early on, but it was a Matt Puempel powerplay goal mid-way through the first period that opened the scoring between the two sides. But, the Griffins’ lead would last less than three minutes as Rockford pulled even late in the period with a goal from Tomas Jurco. Jurco’s eighth goal of the season and the teams headed to the locker room tied at 1-1.

In the second period, the Griffins had the better scoring chances but the IceHogs and starter Jeff Glass were up to the task. With under three minutes to go in the period, Andreas Martinsen put the IceHogs ahead 2-1 with his third goal of the season and they would hold the lead for good form then on.

The third period saw the IceHogs dictate more of the action and get rewarded for it at the end of the period as Robin Norell made it a 3-1 game with under two minutes to play with his first goal of the season and Luke Johnson put his sixth goal of the season home on an empty net and Rockford came away winners, 4-1 over the Griffins. Glass made 33 saves on 34 shots faced and earned his eighth win of the season, third win in a row and improved to 8-2-1 on the season.

Saturday: Rockford IceHogs def. Grand Rapids Griffins, 7-2

Turn right around and do it all again on Saturday night in Rockford, this time the result was far more in favor of the IceHogs.

It was J.F. Berube to start the game after being reassigned to the club from the Chicago Blackhawks the day before. He would make 18 saves on all 18 shots he faced before exiting the game mid-way through the second period with an apparent left-leg injury after collision with Carl Dahlstrom. Berube left the game and did not return, Jeff Glass stepped in and made 18 saves on 20 shots faced in the remaining period and a half.

It was Martinsen in the first period to get the IceHogs on the board first with his fourth goal of the season and second of the weekend, to give Rockford the 1-0 lead after one period of play. The second period would see more offensive power from the IceHogs as Tomas Jurco and Darren Raddysh combined to put Rockford ahead 3-0 with their ninth and third goals of the season, respectively.

The IceHogs would jump out to a 6-0 lead after scoring three goals in just over the first three minutes of the third period. Goals coming from Matthew Highmore, his team-leading 11th of the season, Carl Dahlstrom on the powerplay, and Matheson Iacopelli to put Rockford ahead by a touchdown. The Griffins would add two goals in the period before David Kampf made it a 7-2 game with just under two minutes left in the game. Although leaving the game with an injury, Berube was credited with the win, his seventh of the season.

Who Are The IceHogs After 25 Games?

With the IceHogs taking four points out of four against the Griffins, they improve to 15-9-1 on the year, good for 31 points in the standings and a .620 points percentage. The IceHogs have won four games in a row to start the month of December, backed by the offensive production of Carl Dahlstrom, who has eight points (1G, 7A) during the four-game win streak, and sit in second place in the AHL Central Division behind the Manitoba Moose (18-5-3, 39pts, .750 pt%) who have not lost in regulation since Nov. 12.

While the special teams for Rockford leave a lot to be desired (28th ranked powerplay/ 27th ranked penalty-kill), their offensive production at even strength and two-goalie system has allowed them to be successful so far this season.

Outside of the play of Hinostroza, the IceHogs have relied heavily on a core of rookies to drive the ship. Rookies like Matthew Highmore and David Kampf have generated a lot of chances and offensive upside for Rockford. Along with the rookie production from the forwards group, the defensive rookie duo of Darren Raddysh and Luc Snuggerud have been bright spots on the blue-line and give the Blackhawks organization depth at the position that already has players like Ville Pokka and Erik Gustafsson ready for call-ups.

With a core group of regular players being first full-year AHL rookies (10 rookies have played 18+ games this season), the IceHogs have benefited from having “veteran” players around the young guys all season. Top contributors like Tomas Jurco, Luke Johnson, and Laurent Dauphin, although all still under 25-years old, have been able to lead this group to a much more promising season and future than has been seen in Rockford in the last few years.

The big question moving forward now becomes what will the IceHogs do in net without J.F. Berube for the foreseeable future? Jeff Glass has been solid all season for Rockford, but the success has come hand-in-hand with Berube. In his place, Collin Delia becomes the next man up in net after Berube’s injury. Delia has seen just one game with the IceHogs this season, a road loss to the Iowa Wild on Nov. 9 where Delia made 12 saves on 16 shots faced. He has 10 games played with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, with a 1-7-2 record. Glass will be the workhorse in Berube’s absence for Rockford and he will need to continue his hot start to the 2017-18 season if the IceHogs are going to stay at the top-end of the Division and Conference.

What’s Next?

The IceHogs prepare for a Tuesday night home game against the rival Chicago Wolves before heading to San Antonio for a short weekend series with the San Antonio Rampage. Rockford is 2-1-0 against the Wolves in the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry this season with both a shootout and overtime win over Chicago. The weekend action marks games number two and three against the Rampage this season. The IceHogs lost the first matchup against San Antonio on Nov. 10, a 6-0 loss.

Puck drop on Tuesday night is scheduled for 7pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Friday night in San Antonio is scheduled for a 7:30pm CT puck drop and Sunday will be a 3pm CT afternoon puck drop against the Rampage.

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The IceHogs have been out of action since last weekend which saw them take both games over the Chicago Wolves and Texas Stars and move into second place in the AHL Central Division. Over their last ten games, the IceHogs are 6-3-1 and trail only the Manitoba Moose in the Central Division. The Griffins come into the weekend in fifth place in the Central Division and 4-4-2 over their last ten games.

Roster Shakeup In Rockford

Rockford has seen a bit of a shakeup to their roster in the hours leading up to the weekend as the Chicago Blackhawks assigned centerman Tanner Kero to the IceHogs and recalled winger Vince Hinostroza from the AHL. Hinostroza has led the IceHogs all season offensively, racking up 22 points (9G, 13A) in 23 games. With the departure of Hinostroza, rookie Matthew Highmore assumes the role of active points leader in Rockford with 17 points (10G, 7A) in 23 games played.

Kero joins the team after playing in only eight games with the Blackhawks this season, tallying three points and being a healthy-scratch from the lineup for the last ten games for Chicago. After opening the season as the Blackhawks’ fourth-line center option, Kero lost his spot to Tommy Wingels and had failed to return to the lineup consistently. In his AHL career, Kero has 94 games played and 64 points (32G, 32A) all with the IceHogs.

Also on Friday afternoon, the Blackhawks activated Corey Crawford back off the injured reserve list and re-assigned goaltender J.F. Berube to Rockford. Berube did not start a game in his short stint with the Blackhawks, but did see most of the game against the Washington Capitals after Anton Forsberg was pulled. In just over 44 minutes of action, Berube made 12 saves on 14 shots as the Blackhawks lost to the Capitals. With the IceHogs this season, Berube is 6-6-0 in 12 games with a 2.54 Goals Against Average and a .913 Save Percentage.

IceHogs Look To Close Gap In Division

In three previous matchups with the Griffins, the IceHogs are 3-0-0 with two wins coming via the shootout. The Griffins come into the weekend with the seventh-ranked power play in the AHL with a 19.6% success rate opposite the IceHogs’ 28th ranked penalty-kill at 78.4%. Transversely, Rockford ices the 28th-ranked powerplay unit at just a 13% success rate against the Griffins’ 13th-ranked penalty-kill with an 83.3% kill-rate.

The IceHogs have been finding success offensively this season outside of their special teams units thanks to the surge of rookie scoring behind Matthew Highmore, Anthony Louis, and David Kampf, all of whom have double-digits in the points department at this point in the season.

Rockford will have to continue to lean on their crop of rookie talent with the departure of Hinostroza for the time being, with a bit of AHL veteran touch as well from Tomas Jurco and the addition of Kero to the lineup.

Puck drop for Friday night in Grand Rapids is scheduled for 7pm ET and Saturday night’s puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford is set for 6pm CT.

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