ROCKFORD ICEHOGS GAME RECAP: Clutch! IA (2) RFD (3)

(Photo by Todd Reicher via IceHogs Flickr)

The Rockford IceHogs lost an absolute nightmare of a game to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday with a score of 9-4. This weekend, they take on the Iowa Wild in a back-to-back. The first was Saturday evening. The IceHogs looked to get their second win of the season. They got it. 3-2 was the final score, and we all get to rest easy.

Here’s the lineup that the Icehogs rolled with:

L1: #47 John Quenneville “A” - #58 MacKenzie Entwistle - #73 Brandon Pirri

L2: #84 Andrei Altybarmakyan - #26 Evan Barratt - #52 Reese Johnson

L3: #67 Matej Chalupa - #14 Garrett Mitchell “C” - #D.J. Busdeker

L4: #68 Riley McKay - #61 Chad Yetman - #57 Chris Wilkie

D1: #74 Nicolas Beaudin - #11 Cody Franson “A”

D2: #63 Michael Krutil - #56 Dmitry Osipov

D3: #41 Isaak Phillips - #Cole Moberg

#60 Collin Delia

#31 Cale Morris

Collin Delia gave up 7 goals to the Griffins in the first half of the game on Wednesday, but he took the net back on Saturday night to try for a bounce-back performance. He’s down in Rockford on a conditioning stint, so he’s getting the majority of the starts regardless of his play. 

Alec Regula was scratched for a second straight game. Cole Moberg and Dmitry Osipov slotted back into the lineup as Wyatt Kalynuk and Lucas Carlsson were recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks shortly before the game. 

Riley McKay, D.J. Busdeker, and Chad Yetmen also slotted back into the lineup after missing a few games in favor of Dylan McLaughlin, Tim Söderlund, and Mitchell Fossier. 

On to the game!

4:26 into the game, it seemed like this one was going to get away from Rockford once again. They weren’t playing great and were getting outshot -- as has become the norm.

Wild Goal #1: Gabriel Dumont - Mason Shaw, Will Bitten 

The puck popped up in the air on Delia and landed behind the net. Delia was looking all over the locate the puck -- couldn’t; Gabriel Dumont received the puck in front of the net and banged home an easy one. 

John Quenneville took the first penalty of the game with a high-sticking call. The collision then led to him crashing into the boards. He looked to take the worst of it as he got up slowly. 

9 minutes into the game, the IceHogs were outshot 8-1.

9:23 into the game, the Rockford IceHogs registered their second point of the game. 

IceHogs Goal #1: Cody Franson - Nicolas Beaudin, Andrei Altybarmakyan

Andrei Altybarmakyan pulled the puck out of the corner and sent it to Nicolas Beaudin at the point. Beaudin found Cody Franson wide open at the right point; he blasted the puck into the top of the net. 

It was the IceHogs’ second shot of the games and Franson’s first goal of the season. 

12:46 into the game, the IceHogs registered their third shot of the game. 

IceHogs Goal #2: Matej Chalupa - Nicolas Beaudin, Cody Franson

Nicolas Beaudin was breaking up the ice with the puck and found Chalupa on the left wing. He had a wide open lane to the net and absolutely ripped a shot past the Wild goaltender from the left circle. That was one of the best shots we’ve seen this year; right up there with Isaak Phillips with the game winning goal in their only win. 

With about 6:30 to go in the first, IceHogs Captain Garrett Mitchell took a high hit and labored off the ice. Hopefully the Cap is okay. He did come back in before the first was even over. That’s hopefully a good sign. 

After giving up the first goal of the game and not looking great, the IceHogs battled back to take the lead. They only had 3 shots on goal in the first, but two of those were goals. That’s definitely not going to happen often, so they need to get more shots at net. 

END OF 1:

IceHogs - 2

Wild - 1

SOG: 13-3 Wild

Going into the second period, the IceHogs needed to build off of the momentum of having a lead after the first. They got the first power play of the middle frame, but they couldn’t convert. 

There wasn’t a whole lot happening either way until 11:24 into the period when Iowa took a too many men penalty. They had the IceHogs absolutely dead in the defensive zone, but the Wild had a lapse in communication and one too many men out there. 

IceHogs Goal #3: Cody Franson (PP) - Brandon Pirri, Nicolas Beaudin

10 seconds into the power play, Brandon Pirri got the puck to Cody Franson who sent another shot past the goaltender. That was Cody Franson’s second goal of the night. Nicolas Beaudin picked up his 3rd assist of the night on the goal as well. 

That marked the second game in a row that the IceHogs scored on the power play. That’s definitely something new for this year’s IceHogs team. 

With just under 5 minutes to go in the second, the Wild thought they scored. They cleanly won the faceoff, got the puck to the net, but the officials said Will Bitten kicked the puck in. 

But they did score about a minute later. 

Wild Goal #2: Cody McLeod - Ryan O’Rourke, Joseph Cramarossa 

Collin Delia stopped the initial shot, but he lost the rebound. McLeod found the puck and tucked it just past the IceHogs goaltender. 

It was looking like the IceHogs might actually escape the second period without allowing a goal, but of course they couldn’t. 

Luckily for the home team, they only gave up the one goal in the second and held onto their lead going into the second intermission. 

END OF 2:

IceHogs - 3

Wild - 2

SOG: 30-14 Wild

Going into the third period, the IceHogs had to dig deep and just close this game out. They had the lead, but they had a lot fewer shots. It was up to the defense and Delia to shut this one down. 

The IceHogs earned the first power play of the third period. Brandon Pirri smacks one off the crossbar and the puck went out of play. Despite some decent puck movement and a couple good looks, they couldn’t convert on the mad advantage. 

The IceHogs took two late penalties of their own. They got a huge kill on the first. It looked like Iowa had scored on their second attempt, but Collin Delia made the stop with all four of his limbs stuck straight up in the air as most of his body was in the net. 

I still have no idea how that didn’t go in. 

Some tight defense and some clutch goaltending . . .

The IceHogs . . . 

WIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

END OF 3:

IceHogs - 3

Wild - 2

SOG: 37-19 Wild

The Rockford IceHogs finally earned their second win of the season. Collin Delia picked up his first win of 2021. He was huge in Saturday’s game. It was great to see after his first two terrible efforts for Rockford this year. He didn’t have as many mental gaffes. He sprinkled in some huge saves, and it was a big win for #60.

The rest of the team came out with purpose as well. They still have a lot to work on, but they worked together as a group, and they pulled out a win. 

No time to rest - they have a rematch against the Iowa Wild Sunday afternoon at 4pm. 

Get ready.