Wolves close to elimination; Hogs win 5-1

The Rockford IceHogs put the Chicago Wolves back to the wall with a big win at the Allstate Arena Friday. The 5-1 win was the first by the IceHogs at the Allstate and puts the team one win away from winning the Western Division championship.

Ondrej Pavelec, while brilliant, was beaten in the second period by a stolen puck that was poked past him in the corner and another turnover on the left circle that was passed to an unprotected right side.

Corey Crawford, meanwhile, had an outstanding night, stopping 40 of 41 shots on goal. In an attempt to beat the Chicago Blackhawks prospect, Wolves coach John Anderson played with the lines in the Friday night game, moving Brett Sterling to play with Steve Martins and Brian Little to play with Jason Krog and Darren Haydar. However, when that didn’t work, the original lines returned in the third period.

But nothing seemed to be able to penetrate Crawford until late in the second period when Krog finally hammered one home. Martin St. Pierre scored two points and Troy Brouwer two goals in the win. The Wolves must win each of the two remaining games to move on. The two teams play again Sunday afternoon in the Rockford MetroCentre.

Rockford, Chicago tied at two in series after 3-2 Hogs win

Rockford, IL—Behind by two goals, the Chicago Wolves were gaining momentum in the closing minutes of the second period when a turnover led to a goal with a minute on the clock, reversing their momentum. The goal by Troy Brouwer, his second of the game, allowed the Hogs to hang on to win, tying the Western Division finals of the AHL championship series at two each.

The series, which was marked by physical play throughout, got off immediately to a bang with powerful checks into the boards. The glass swaying to the impacts, a Rockford fan chortled, “we never finish our checks, what’s gotten into them?”

But it was also a disciplined game, marked by 13 power plays that may have led to the Rockford win. Taking away the opportunity for Chicago to put its powerful special teams unit on the ice was more of a factor than the side-to-side high side shots predicted in a Rockford Register Star article.

The series now moves to the Allstate Arena for a Friday game. The Hogs have never won a game at the Allstate, including in this playoff series. Two of the remaining games are played at the Allstate. So, for the Hogs to move on, they must win one in Rosemont.

Brouwer to appear in chat room

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Troy Brouwer, will be joining the AHL.com chat room on Thursday night for questions from fans. The former Moose Jaw Warrior is currently playing in the American Hockey League West Division finals against the Chicago Wolves.

The winger has a goal and four points in the playoffs, after eight games. In the past two seasons he’s played 12 games with the Blackhawks, gaining just a point. Brouwer was the leading scorer for the Hawks’ affiliates, scoring 35 goals this season, 25 of which were on the power play.

Questions are vetted. They can be e-mailed to info@theahl.com. For more information go to the IceHogs web site.