Hogs Sink Adirals last Friday Night 6:1

When IceHogs took to the ice last night in Rockford, they had two huge obstacles to overcome. The first was facing the Milwaukee Admirals for the first time since their post season playoff losses to them, 4-0. The second obstacle was that the IceHogs were fresh off a embarrassing loss on Wednesday to Peoria. The desire to win was burning brightly in their minds.

Rockford's Evan Brophy, assisted by Mike Brennan, was the first to light up Milwaukee's net minder Mark Dekanich at 10:04 into the 1st frame. Jack Skille, Rockford, was next in line to score, assisted by Kyle Greentree and Mark Cullen. Skille was recently reassigned this week again to Rockford by the Chicago Blackhawks. It's become very hard to keep track of his movements this season so far, as Chicago was recalling & reassigning him every other day it seemed.

IceHogs' Danny Bois opened the 2nd period, scoring at 2:11, with assists going to Rob Klinkhammer and Evan Brophy. Milwaukee was not able to answer back until 6:11 of that frame. Mark Santorelli, assisted by Peter Olivecky and Jonathon Blum. The Admirals pelleted Rockford with 16 shots on goal that frame alone, but Corey Crawford was stellar in net.
Rockford went onto score 3 more goals in the 3rd frame, defeating the 2008/09 Western Division Conference Champions. They were able to prove to both themselves and the 3926 fans in the stands, that they could indeed overcome those obstacles in their way. Corey Crawford was awarded the game's 1st Star, but it was Mark Cullen, of Rockford, who went onto to win the AHL's 3rd Star of the Night on Friday.

On a side note, Rockford's David Phillips succeeded in winning his very first AHL fight ever, against Milwaukee's Ian McKenzie. McKenzie out sized Phillips by 2 inches and 56 pounds. Phillips, a native of the UK, is playing his very first season in North America with the AHL. Phillips had taken offense to McKenzie's actions towards his teammate & goalie, Corey Crawford. Welcome to North America David!

Rivermen Capitalize on IceHogs' Inabilities; Win 4:1

The Rockford IceHogs and the Peoria Rivermen met last evening in Peoria for their 3rd of 10 games scheduled this season. I fear the IceHogs forgot to get off the bus, for they seemed absent for the the first 30 minutes. The Rivermen absolutely dominated the game. They even posted more goals scored than the IceHogs had in total shots on goal for the 1st frame. The Rivermen went on to win, 4-1.

In goal for the IceHogs was Joe Fallon for the 1st & 2nd frames and was replaced by Corey Crawford at the top of the 3rd. Crawford was able to stop all 7 SOG the Rivermen sent his way. Peoria's Ben Bishop was stellar, stopping 32 of 33 SOG. Bishop was later named #1 Star of the Game. Credit goes to Peoria's Barry Tallackson, Yan Stastny, Nicholas Drazenovic and Chris Porter for goals they each scored. Kyle Greentree was the loan scorer for Rockford.

The action between Bracken Kearns and Mitch Love and several heated scrums marred the evening. IceHogs Nathan Davis' hit on Peoria's Ben Bishop behind the goal was the catalyst to a very heated scrum at 12:36 of the 3rd frame. Bishop had gone behind the net for the puck and was starting to come back around to the front when Davis appears to hit him head-on. I look for things to heat up more as the season goes on between these two teams. They almost seem to be more of a rival this season than the Wolves right now.

Hogs Bite Back at Wolves in Season Home Opener

Last Friday evening started out with tremendous amount of loud cheering and clapping throughout the MetroCentre, as Jim Cornelison proudly sang the Star Spangled Banner to a crowd of 4425 fans. It ended with a whimper by the Wolves, as the IceHogs took a big bite from them, winning 4:1. The game was paced with many glass rattling hard hits. Rockford came out of the gate with a force that did not let up until the final buzzer sounded. But Chicago, it seemed, was all bark but no bite. Neutered pups maybe? Rumors were heard of a possible Coaching change for Chicago if things didn't start turning around.

Danny Bois started the night at 9:24 in the 1s frame to score, with assists going to Brian Connelly and Daryl Boyle. It took Chicago until 6:15 of the 2nd frame to answer back, with credit going to Tim Stapleton. He was assisted by Spencer Machacek and Angelo Esposito. Rockford's Bryan Bickell rung the pipes after a beautiful breakaway. Mark Cullen of Rockford, assisted by Danny Bois and Simon Danis-Pepin scored little over midway into the 2nd. But it was Nathan Davis, of the IceHogs, who finished his own breakaway run by beating Chicago's nettie Manny Legace. Davis went on to seal the game for the IceHogs late in the 3rd with a empty netter. Crawford was in goal for Rockford.

Chicago's Captain, Jason Krog, apparently had a fit of temper and received a 10 minute Misconduct at 9:35 in the 3rd frame for striking the glass to the Visitor's Penalty Box. The shattered glass was scattered onto the ice below. This caused a delay in the game of approximately 20 minutes while the glass was cleaned up, a new glass set into place and the ice gone over by the Zamboni. Amazingly, there were no fights on Friday between these rivals, just a scrum or two.

Numb3rs

Are scratching your head trying to figure out what number goes with what player as this Rockford IceHogs season begins? You're not alone. There appears to be quite a few changes to the numbers that are assigned to the players here in Rockford. You might want to get out paper & pencil and keep track for yourself. Are you ready? These are the changes so far...I think.

Jack Skille was #12 but is now #20. He's #20 in Chicago too...makes sense to have same #.

Akim Aliu was #20 but is now #19. He's also worn the #32 for the IceHogs.

Ryan Flinn was #49 but he has been released from his PTO...Buh Bye.

Pete MacArthur was #15 last season but is now #24.

Justin Hodgman was #19 pre-season...he's in Toledo right now and the Roster still has him still as #19. Weird, because Aliu is now #19.

Corey Crawford has always been #29 in Rockford and #50 in Chicago. But the IceHogs have assigned Joe Palmer #29 also. Palmer is currently in Texas and Crawford in Rockford.

Maxime Tanguay has been assigned #26 this year...that was Niklas Hjalmarsson's number the past 2 seasons. So that must mean that Hjalmarsson is sticking in Chicago?

Bracken Kearns has been assigned #6 this season...that was Jordan Hendry's number for the past 2 seasons. So, he must be sticking in Chicago with Hjalmarsson?

Danny Bois is #15 this season...this was Pete MacArthur's # last season.

Derek Nesbitt is #9 this season, previously had been #15 in the 2007/08 season.

Brian Connelly was #11 last season but he is now #10.

I think that's all the changes for now. Get it? Got it? Good. Whew!

Wolves Captalize on Power Play Goals

The Rockford IceHogs wound up their five game road trip in Rosemont, IL last night, losing to the Chicago Wolves 5:4. While the Hogs seemed to dominate the 1st & 2nd periods, it was their 3rd period slide that lead to the loss. Multiple penalties during the 3rd frame allowed the Wolves to capitalize on the IceHogs' mistakes. At one time, there were multiple IceHogs players occupying the PB. Come on boys...let cooler heads prevail.

The Allstate Arena crowd appeared quite sparse, despite the announces attendance of 3,228. But, it was the middle of the week and the Wolves had yet to have won a game since the season opened. Fickle Fair Weather Fans I think. But it allowed us to spread out in our row and not sit on top of each other.

The game produced two fights in the 2nd frame, with the first one between Rockford's Adam Kearns and Chicago's Rylan Kaip. With the nod going to Kaip. But things heated up later that frame when Jake Dowell of Rockford and Nathan Oystrick of Chicago went at it. Oystrick was handed the loss, but apparently words continued between the two players, even after the linesmen separated them. Oystrick was then given both a Misconduct and a Game Misconduct penalties for his actions and was removed from the game. It will be interesting to see if any of this anger will be carried over to tomorrow night's game in Rockford between these two rival teams.

Netminders for the night were Corey Crawford for Rockford and Manny Legace for Chicago.

Goal credits for the night for Rockford go to Bois, Cullen, Aliu and Klinkhammer. Chicago players Machacek, Postma and Stapleton each scored, while Matt Anderson tallied twice. His actions also netted him AHL's #1 Star of the Night honors.

The IceHogs play next: Friday October 16, 2009 in Rockford at the MetroCentre against the Chicago Wolves. Game starts at 7:05pm. Renowned singer, Jim Cornelison, will be singing the National Anthem at the Season's Home Opener. The MetroCentre has also announced that the new entrance will be open too. On Saturday night, the IceHogs will host the Peoria Rivermen at home, puck drops at 7:05pm. Tickets still available at the box office 1-815-968-5222 for both nights.

Hogs Blank Wolves 4-0 in Charity Exhibition Game 9/23/09


Last Wednesday night the Rockford IceHogs hosted the Chicago Wolves at Carlson Ice Arena for a pre-season Charity Benefit exhibition game. Proceeds from ticket sales went to the Jr IceHogs Program and Sydney Ives, a young local girl suffering from a Brain Tumor. Final score 4-0, with the IceHogs taking home the victory. The event was a success, raising a total of $2,200. Proceeds were split evenly and the checks presented at the game held on 9/26/09 in Rockford.

With a total of 43 players on the Training Camp Roster, the IceHogs were not lacking for finding bodies to fill the game roster. Twenty-three IceHogs players watched the game from the other side of the glass, many familar faces were seen amoungst them...MacArthur, Klinkhammer, Bickell, Davis, and Bertram to name just a few. Seeing these boys makes it all seem more real, that indeed it was hockey time in Rockford, to the many fans who filled the stands. Several Wolve's fans were also noted to be in attendence, nice to see them make the trip.

The game started out a bit wild and wooly, as it seemed the players spent more time chasing after the puck rather than trying to follow any kind of game plan. Once the nerves and jitters settled down, actual forthought and passing could be detected. Glass rattling checks were ofter heard throughout the game. The fans were treated to fights in both the 1st and 2nd periods. The first pair to match up was IceHogs Adam Huxley and Wolves Derek Parker. The pair seemed to start slowly, dancing across the ice for what seemed like several minutes before the first blow was thrown. Huxley ended up with the Win. In the 2nd frame, Derek Parker had his card punched for a second dance that night, this time by IceHogs player Ryan Flynn. Parker was handed the win, while Flinn retired to the locker room for stitches.

The Man from Brittan, David Phillips, scored the first goal for the Hogs, late in the 2nd frame. He caught an empty net and jettisoned the puck from the neutral zone, with assists going to Brock Wilson and Matt McIlavane. The Hogs went onto score an additional 3 more goals during the 3rd frame, with credit going to Daniel Michalsky and Jason Lepine. Lepine it appears, had a very good night, tallying 2 goals and 1 assist. Joe Palmer was in net for the IceHogs while the duty for the Wolves was shared by Kevin Armstrong and Kris Mayotte.

Coach Bill Peters watched the game from the stands, so that he could make his final notes and decisions on the players. Assistant Coach Ted Dent took control of the bench for the game while being assisted by the Toledo Walleye's Head Coach, Nick Vitucci.

On Thursday, the IceHogs announced that they had released 17 players from Camp. Players released were: A.Huzley, T.Lange, M.MacIlvane, D.Michalsky, D.Patrosso, E.Rankin, C.Robertson, B.Schell, R.Smyth, J.Tender, J.Zimmel, J.Legualt, J.Lepine, M.Maslonka, J.Milan, S.Olesky and B.Wilson. Also announced was that the Blackhawks recalled forwards Bryan Bickell and Rob Klinkhammer back to Chicago. The release of players and the recall now brings the team roster down to 24 players. On Friday, forward Evan Brophy was recalled to Chicago, joining the team just in time for their Pre-Season adventure to Finland.

It's Hockey Time in Rockford!

The leaves on the trees have starting to turn in Rockford, that must mean Hockey is soon to follow. The IceHogs hosted a Open House this past Friday September 18, 2009 at the Rockford MetroCentre. It featured guided tours of the facility & locker rooms, open skating, Season Tickets Sales booth, assorted IceHogs items for sale and a Q & A in a Town Hall setting with GM Mark Bernard.

The IceHogs then officially opened their Training Camp Sunday September 20, 2009 with 19 contracted players and 19 invitees. Returning from their Rookie season are standouts: Pete MacArthur, Dan Bertram, Mike Brennan, and Nathan Davis. Also returning to the IceHogs is Blackhawk prospect, Akim Aliu. The Blackhawks assigned Aliu to Rockford last week during their Training Camp in Chicago. A welcome addition to the IceHogs this season will be winger Derek Nesbitt. Nesbitt, as you may remember, was a late addition to the Hogs during the 2007-2008 season. He spent last season playing for several AHL teams.
















But, the big mystery right now is: "Who will be in Goal to start the season for the IceHogs?" Both Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi have returned to the Blackhawks organization this year, but they are both still committed to the Blackhawks while they fight for the #2 spot behind starter Cristobal Huet. Apparently both Crawford & Niemi will be traveling with the Hawks when they leave for Finland next week for the team's scheduled pre-season games there. That leaves Rockford with three eager prospects to fill their skates...Joe Fallon, Joe Palmer and Alec Richards. Fallon was the IceHogs #3 man last season and filled in a few times while either Crawford or Niemi were on recall to Chicago. Fallon was based with the Blackhawks' ECHL affiliates, while Palmer and Richards were playing for their College teams last season.














The first Pre-Season Game is scheduled for tomorrow night, September 23, 2009 at the Carlson Ice Arena in Rockford. It's pits the dreaded rival team of the Chicago Wolves against the IceHogs. Tickets go on sale to the public at 12noon the day of game, only $5. All seats are general admission. Buy your tickets early, as it is a small venue. The second pre-season game is slated for Friday September 24, 2009 against the Peoria Rivermen at Peoria. On Saturday, September 25, 2009 the IceHogs will host the Rivermen at the MetroCentre for the last scheduled pre-season game. Tickets are on sale now at the Box Office and at the IceHogs store in CherryVale Mall for Saturday's game.

IceHogs to Face Milwaukee

The AHL regular season has come to a close and 16 teams are sharpening up for the post-season playoffs that start later this week. The Rockford IceHogs were given their 1st Round dates and opponent. On this coming Thursday April 16, 2009 the IceHogs will come up against the West Division's top seated team, the Milwaukee Admirals. The schedule is as follows:

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 16 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 18 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:30
Game 3 - Sun., Apr. 19 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 5:05
Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 21 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 7:05
Game 5* - Fri., Apr. 24 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
Game 6* - Sun., Apr. 26 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 5:05
Game 7* - Mon., Apr. 27 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
*-If Necessary

Wolves Teach Hogs a Few New Tricks

Divisional rivals, the Rockford IceHogs and the Chicago Wolves met last night for their final matchup of the season at the AllState Arena. It was Apopt-A-Dog night and apparently the Hogs were taught a few new tricks by the Wolves. The Wolves proved their Alpha Dog skills, dominating the Hogs to a 5-2 victory. The AllState was packed to the rafters with a reported 16,019 fans in attendence. This fan must add that she always has a good experience mingling with the Wolves fans at the AA. Yes, every arena has a few of "those fans" who are donkeys. We always treat opposing fans the way we want to be treated in return. You have to give respect, in order to get it back. Rivalries can be fun when kept in perspective. With this loss, Rockford now has to wait out the results of the Houston Aeros remaining game this weekend, before knowing where they will be seeded in the playoffs. Chicago, on the other hand, will miss playoffs this year. By the middle of next week they will scheduling tee times.

We left the arena personally questioning the reasoning behind Coach Peters' line choices for the game. The Hogs' top line players were scratched, giving them the night off. Apparently a few of them were a bit banged up from Friday night's game and needed a rest. This left the team manned with very few experienced & skilled players. The game started with a bang when the Hogs handed the first 2 goals to Chicago wrapped up with a pretty bow. Both Mike Brennan and Sean McMorrow received penalties at 1:50 of the 1st frame to give Chicago a 5 on 3 advantage. McMorrow received 4 minutes for attempted head butting and Brennan got 2 minutes for interference. McMorrow did go over to IceHogs goalie Antti Niemi immediately after leaving the box to say a few words, hopefully to appologise. Brennan appeared to continue to help the Wolves score in that ill fated 1st frame when he crashed into the back of Antti Niemi, knocking him out of the crease.

Blackhawks prospects, Kyle Beach and Akim Aliu both played last night for the IceHogs. Aliu scored his first professional regulation goal at 17:32 of the 2nd frame. He tallied a 2nd goal in the 3rd frame at 1:45. With time and maturity, he's got the skills & talent to take him far in this sport. Beach's night was cut short after delivering a questionable check to Alex Brooks during the 2nd frame. Brooks received a laceration to his face. Beach received a Boarding Major and a Game Misconduct for that hit. After receiving medical attention, Brooks was able to return to the game. All in all, Referee David Banfield handed out 31 pim/10 inf to Rockford and 14 pim/7 inf to Chicago. Blackhawks President, John McDonough was in attendence, along with Al MacIsaacs. They were seen sitting with Wolves owner Don Levin during the game.

Hogs Clinch their Playoff Spot!

The Rockford IceHogs secured their spot in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs this past Friday night, beating the Peoria Rivermen 2-1 in a Shoot Out. Their final seed is yet to be determined, pending the out come of their game against the Chicago Wolves and the results of the Houston Aero's remaining 2 games. The MetroCentre played host to another sellout crowd of 5938. Fans attending the game were treated to Patrick Kane bobbleheads and team photos. Friday night's game was also Fan Appreciation Night in which the team litterally gave a few lucky fans the jerseys off their backs after the game. Fans filled out entry slips and then the winners were drawn at random. Perhaps next year they can come up with a better and more fair way of fans to enter, as there was no limit to the number of times a fan could enter. Many fans were seen filling out multiple tablets of slips.

The game remained scoreless until Rockford's Pete MacArthur found the back of the net at 13:06 in the 2nd frame. He was assisted by Tim Brent and Tim Hambly. Peoria answered back 3 minutes later with a goal by Aaron Palushaj, assisted by Justin Fletcher and Yan Stastny. In the Shoot out, Rockford's Akim Aliu and Evan Brophy were able to solve Peoria's Chris Holt. Ironically, the only Peoria player to score in the shootout was former IceHogs Danny Richmond. Another former IceHogs player currently skating for Peoria is Justin Fletcher. Richmond, as as some may remember, ended his season early last year with a ruptured spleen. Rockford's netminder, Corey Crawford, stood tall in net Friday stopping 32 of 33 sog. Referee Shaun Davis handed out 18 pim minutes for 9 infractions to Rockford, while Peoria received 28 pim minutes for 10 infractions. Stars of the game, in order, were Corey Crawford, Pete MacArthur and Justin Fletcher.

The IceHogs also presented the Team Awards that night, with the following players receiving awards. Captain Tim Brent received the club's Most Valuable Player. He led the team in points at 61. Brent was also awarded the team's Leading Scorer award. Tim Hambly was awarded the Best Defenseman award this year. He ends the regular season with a +/- rating of +8. Rookie of the Year was awarded to winger Pete MacArthur. MacArthur has scored 7 goals and 4 assists in his last 20 games. Named the team's Unsung Hero was forward Rob Klinkhammer. During his sophomore year as a pro, he played a variety of roles with the IceHogs, skating with the checking line as well as the top line. Most Improved player award went to Evan Brophy. Brophy has both improved his scoring total to 39 points and his +/- rating to 14 this season. Winger Bryan Bickell was named the team's Heavy Hitter. Although injury plagued, he totaled 14 points and 56 PIMs. Sean McMorrow was named Rockford's Man of the Year for his commitment to the Rockford community throughout the 2008-2009 season. This writer gives a "Bad Fan" award to the young boys sitting along the visitors tunnel this game. During the 1st frame, several young fans thought it would be fun to throw cheese nachos at Peoria's backup goalie, Manny Legace. Luckly their aim was bad, as they missed hitting their intended target and this writer by mear inches. Security was informed of their poor aim.

Milwaukee Cruises by IceHogs 4-1 on 4/4/09

In front of a Sell Out Crowd of 6229, the Rockford IceHogs fell to the Milwaukee Admirals. It seemed the Admirals could do no wrong last night and the IceHogs could do no right. Milwaukee came out strong and did not let up in their the push for the win. IceHogs netminder Corey Crawford, appeared to struggle at times and was handed the evening's Loss. While the Admirals, Mark Dekanich, was solid between the pipes. Dekanich went home with the Win and the 2nd Star of the Game. Referee Kyle Rehman handed out a total of 55 pim for 15 infractions to Rockford, while Milwaukee only received 29 pim for 10 infractions. IceHogs' Assistant Coach Ted Dent was ejected from the game late in the 3rd frame, Game Misconduct-Coach (40.5) was the charge. Also ejected was Akim Aliu, also a Game Misconduct-Abuse of officials (40.4).

Rockford's roster is still missing two key players, both Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell have missed several games each due to injuries received in games last weekend. Bickell reportedly took a puck to the left eye and Skille remains out with a upper body injury. The IceHogs have recently seen two new additions to the team. Prospect, RW Akim Aliu, was assigned to Rockford on Friday April 3rd by the Chicago Blackhawks. Veteran winger, Jeff Christian joined the team last weekend.

Saturday night, the MetroCentre hosted a multitude of special events. The NHL Stanley Cup made it's first ever appearance in Rockford. The Ceremonial Puck Drop was done by Chicago Blackhawks President, John McDonough. During the first intermission, fans witnessed a beautiful Wedding on center ice between contest winners, Tatum Haag and Marc Glas. After the game, the IceHogs hosted their Annual Jersey Auction. This years jersey theme was "The Dark Hammy", featuring black jerseys with red & white trim and team mascot, Hammy, decked out in a superhero type costume. The evening's auctions raised $40,355 for the IceHogs Charitable Foundation. To date, fans have raised almost $550,000.

As the regular season is winding down, it seems the IceHogs need 1 point to clinch a playoff spot in the West Division. Defending Calder Cup Champions and divisional rivals, the Chicago Wolves, have a much harder road to travel if they want to make the playoffs. They need to win all of their remaining games. To quote good friend Jane, "Can you hear Brunhilde warming up?".

Swimming with the Sharks

My sister and I, along with a friend were given free tickets to a hockey game last weekend. Now mind you, we are 1st & formost Rockford IceHogs fans. But the IceHogs were out of town, playing back-to-back games in Texas, so no chance of us attending those games. Tickets in hand, we jumped in the car this past Saturday and headed east to the AllState Arena to take in a game between the Chicago Wolves and the Quad City Flames. During the AHL IceHogs' debut season last year, it became an instant rivalry between the Wolves & the IceHogs, for both of the teams & their fans. Going to games at the AA has always been a little intimidating to say the least. While we've become friends with quite a few Wolves fans, there's always a few there who have to throw the verbal taunts & jabs. That's not to say that the IceHogs don't have their own "jerks" back at the BOB too. Every arena has them. I just try to not be that person.

So...we donned our IceHogs and Blackhawks jerseys and entered into enemy waters. Why wear IceHogs jerseys to a game that they aren't playing in you ask? Why not? Even better...sitting in seats 1 row behind the Wolves team bench...wearing said IceHogs jerseys. No, we didn't go looking for trouble. We were just showing support for our teams, while having a good time. Period. The looks & comments received from Wolves fans and the looks from Wolves players were priceless. LMFAO! Nancy and Chris had a grand old time standing up and cheering for QC when they scored too. Harmless fun. I sat there with them for the 1st frame, but then moved across the arena for the remainder of the game to sit with a good friend. I took a few hundred pics, visited with Jane and let her play a bit with my new camera. LOL, she has since ordered and just received today, her very own new Canon 50D. It was very much a planned purchase for her, but I think seeing & using my 50D may have spurred her into ordering it a few weeks earlier than originally planned. Sweeeeeeeet!

Tickets to a Wolves game - FREE

Miles driven - 140

Gas & Tolls - $20.00

Parking - $11.00

Supper - $ 4.44 each

Looks & Comments received - PRICELESS!!!

What is it about hockey players and spitting anyway?

Game Delayed By Missing Gear

After a long morning of traveling, Rockford's starting goaltender Antti Niemi was faced with the major dilemma. As the fans were starting to arrive at the MetroCentre, Niemi, along with two other IceHogs players, were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their missing gear. It seems several bags of gear didn't arrive from San Antonio with the team. Niemi participated in warm ups wearing an old set of pads and a mask borrowed from teammate Corey Crawford. With the AHL's consent, game time was pushed back by 30 minutes to allow the missing gear to arrive for the players. The missing bags were delivered during warm ups and Niemi was able to start the game wearing his own gear.

Despite the baggage snafu, it was another stellar night in goal for Niemi, stopping 29 of 30 shots. Niemi seems to have found that much needed confidence that has been missing for many games. It looked like he was headed for a shutout until Houston's Morten Madsen found the back of the net at 17:35 of the 3rd frame. Rockford's Jack Skille left the game during the 1st period with a upper body injury. Word is he may be out possibly 4-6 weeks, if the initial diagnosis holds true.

Houston pulled goaltender Nolan Schaefer late in the 3rd to give them the extra skater advantage, but it wasn't enough. Rockford takes the win, 2-1. This puts Rockford in 3rd place with 80 points in the West, right behind Houston and Peoria who are tied for 2nd place with 82 points each. According to the AHL website, the Milwaukee Admirals have clinched the West Division title. With just 2 weeks left in the regular season, it's going to be a tight race to secure those remaining playoff spots within the west division.