Wolves split weekend games

The Chicago Wolves split their games this weekend, with a road win Saturday at the Carver Center in Peoria and a road loss at the Toyota Center in Houston.

In the win over the Peoria Rivermen, Spencer Machacek had a three point night, including a power play goal, with eight shots on goal. Chicago stopped a Riverman 5:3 advantage for a minute in the second frame and led in shots on goal in each period of play to win the game 4-1. The win went to Robert Gherson with 20 saves, Manny Legace received the loss with 31 saves.

On Sunday afternoon, in Houston, Machacek had a two goal night and Mike Hamilton had five shots on goal. But Houston dominated the first tow periods of play, racking a 3-1 goal advantage. Going into the final period of play, the Wolves scored once on 16 shots on goal. But the Aeros, with just five shots on goal, scored again, to stay ahead.

Corey Locke of the Aeros was credited with a goal and an assist in the game. Kurtis Foster was credited with two points. Ondrej Pavelec received the loss with 29 saves. Barry Brust received the win with 30 saves.

It was a split decision weekend for the Rockford IceHogs also. They played both games at home.

In a Saturday night game at the MetroCentre, the Rochester Americans gave the Hogs a 4-3 win. The Amerks and the IceHogs are both near the bottom of the league with regard to their net special teams goals, from the table I'm presenting at the Chitowndailynews site (Blogger doesn't like tables):



Rockford gave the Amerks two 5:3 opportunities in this game, and the Amerks were unable to score on either. The Amerks dominated in shots on goal until the third period of play, but it was the Hogs who found the back of the net. Mike Brodeur started in net for the Americans, he was drilled out of the net at 1:38 in the second period on the third unanswered goal by the IceHogs. His nine saves were marked for the loss. Tyler Plante took over from there for the Rochester team, with 17 saves. The win went to Corey Crawford with 33 saves.

It seems odd to me that a team floundering in the offense would blame their loss on a goalie, as the Amerks implicitly did on Saturday when they replaced Brodeur. Clearly there is more going wrong, from shots on goal (defense) to a terrible offense. That's all clear in the table above. A goalie isn't going to stand a chance if no one is standing out front with him, throwing their body in front of shots.

Danny Groulx was credited with two points on the night. Pascal Pelletier had six shots on goal, but no points and Jack Skille had five shots on goal but no points.

In the Monday matinée game, the San Antonio Rampage took the IceHogs 4-3 in a hard fought battle. Two fights between bruisers Sean McMorrow and Francis Lessard marked the game. San Antonio took a 3-0 lead in the first frame with two goals by Kyle Turris and a goal by Dylan Reese.

The Hogs came back with a goal by Groulx. But it was answered by Kevin Porter in the early third frame. Rockford pressured the Rampage, putting 13 shots on net in the final 20 minutes, and scoring two goals in the process. But the Rampage were able to hold the Hogs scoreless for the final eleven minutes to win. Crawford was credited with 20 saves in the loss. Josh Tordjman, the game winner, was credited with 27 saves.

Skille racked up seven shots on goal, but came away pointless again. Tim Brent had a three point night with two goals and an assist. Petri Kontiola had two points. Turris had three points for the night, adding an assist to his first period blowout. Porter and Reese had two point nights with a goal and an assist each. David Spina also had a two points for the night.

There were a few other notes from around the league this weekend. Houston went 4/4 on the power play in a game against the Iowa Chops Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Matt Beaudoin had a hat trick in the game, with four shots on goal.

But even more spectacular was the weekend of Tim Kennedy. He was named the player of the week for his performance. On Saturday, in a wild game between the Providence Bruins and the Portland Pirates, the Baby Bruins accumulated a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period in a game at the Portland County Civic Center of Portland, Maine. The Pirates tied it up with three goals in the period, the last goal with just 1:10 to go. At that point Kennedy, on the Pirates side, had a point in each of the third period goals, a total of four points in the game based on seven shots on goal. AND, on the Baby Bruin side Mikko Lehtonen also had a four point night that included a hat trick with six shots on goal.

Portland was able to go 3/7 on the power play, that and Kennedy brought them back into the game. During the over time, Brad Marchand was called for boarding. The notes for the game say it was a two minute penalty, but most of these penalties are actually a minute in O/T. Portland was unable to use the resulting 4:3 to gain a goal. For Portland 39 shots on goal, for Providence, 35 shots on goal and a tied game after OT of 5-5.

So, the shootout; Portland shoots first and after the first set of skaters, no goals yet. Kennedy gets up and fails to score. But Lehtonen, after his hat trick, does score. After another score by Mark Mancari for the Pirates and Wacey Rabbit for the Bruins, it is a P-Bruins win.

On Sunday, the Pirates traveled to the Paul E Tsongas Arena to battle the Lowell Devils. It turns into another high scoring battle between the two teams. Portland enters the third frame with a 4-3 lead. Lowell has remained in the game on the strength of two power play goals. Although the Pirates had a series of power plays for the first ten minutes or so of the second period, they only came away with a single power play goal.

Lowell tied the game with a power play goal at 12:47 of the third period. Kennedy comes back with the Pirates to get a hat trick and put Portland back into the lead 1:06 later. But Lowell doesn't give up. They pull the goalie and Portland scores again on the empty net with a minute left. Now the lead is 6-4, Portland. Lowell still doesn't give up, scoring twice in the final minute of play to tie the game.

In total Lowell went 4/6 on the power play. Including the OT period, Jeff Frazee stopped 35 shots on goal for the Devils, John DeCaro stopped 44 for the Pirates. OT is scoreless but is dominated by the Pirates. Once again Kennedy isn't able to add to his stats a shootout goal, but the Pirates did win.

In total, among these two games, Kennedy had seven points and 15 shots on goal. In the second game with Lowell, not including Kennedy, there were five players credited with a three point night. Woah Baby!

Niemi to Blackhawks; Rivermen defeat Hogs 3-1

In Rockford, the Peoria Rivermen pulled out a 3-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs. With goalie Antti Niemi called up to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Hogs had Joe Fallon backing Corey Crawford in the pipes. Fallon, up from the Gwinnett Gladiators, has a 91 percent save percentage after ten games with the Glads.

Niemi, like Crawford when he was called up this season, isn't expected to see a lot of ice time with the Blackhawks. I'm a bit surprised that Niemi was called up, as watching the games, I see Crawford as having a better shot at the National Hockey League. However, I have no better insight than what I've previously shared about Niemi and Crawford.

Having said that, the loss at the MetroCentre demonstrates how top teams sometimes have trouble with lower ranked teams in their division. The same is generally true of the Hogs when they play the MAds or the Wolves when they play the MAds. The Rivermen cause more trouble for the IceHogs than you'd generally expect. In this game they took a lead in the first frame and held on. Early in the second period the Rivermen's Cam Paddock even gave the Hogs a double minor power play opportunity for attempted spearing (bad!). Even though the Hogs out shot the Rivermen 18-9 in the final period of play, it was the Peoria team that took the win, withstanding the Hogs attack.

Tim Brent put seven shots on net for the Hogs, scoring the only goal of the team. Crawford stopped 28 shots on goal for the loss, Manny Legace was in net for the Rivermen, stopping 33 shots on goal. Trent Whitfield had a three point night, Steve Regier had a two point night. Regier notched five shots on goal.

Krazy Karl returns to the Allstate; Wolves lose 4-3

When the last place team comes to town, you sort of expect nothing much to happen. So, maybe we can excuse the Chicago Wolves fans if they skipped the 4-3 loss to the last place Rochester Americans tonight at the Allstate Arena. The Amerks are beyond dreadful. They just suck. Probably less than 2,000 people showed up to see them play.



But, this was a great game to watch. The Amerks are a hard hitting team that likes to finish their checks. This was a concussive experience of a game, with great checks into the boards and on the open ice too.



Tyler Plante opened the game in the pipes for the Americans. He was joined by a Blackhawk/ Wolves alum, Karl Stewart. The Stewart I remember from the lockout year was a guy who loved to cause trouble. There was this one time I recall the whistle was blown, the guys were headed up ice and Stewart skates behind the opposition goal, grabs the opposing goalies' water bottle and takes a long chug. You, know, long enough to make sure the other guys notice what you just did?



He was that type of guy. And his short handed goal attempts were always memorable. The man had wheels.



So, it was nice to see him on the ice tonight. He started the game by showing his fans in Chicago that he still finishes his checks. It was that spirit that led him to play for a short few games for the Blackhawks. Can we get a picture of the girl in the stands asking him to marry her?



Ding, ding and ding. It was also a night when the puck was dinging the Amerks. I mean they may need to replace those pipes there are so many dings and dents in it. Plante didn't do so well in the first period. With five shots on goal, the Wolves scored twice. So, in the second period, the Amerks used Mike Brodeur.



Regular readers and the few that read from Rockford, will recognize Brodeur's name, he was a member of the 2007-8 IceHogs and a prospect for the Blackhawks. His glow was amazing. Now personally, I would have taken one of the stars of the game from Jeff Hamilton of the Wolves and given it to Jamie Rivers of the Wolves for the defense in the second period of play. But there is no doubt that Brodeur had that glow that you sometimes see in a goalie's eyes when they are in the zone and they know it too.



Number one star of the game and deserving of it.



There were 17 shots on goal, more than half the total for the Wolves in the entire game, during the third frame. This guy was a wall. Glove saves, kick saves, stick saves, pad saves, knocking it from the air. My god, his arms and legs were everywhere and it seemed that his chest stopped so many pucks that it has to be black and blue.



At one point in the second period, there was a defensive turnover by the Amerks. It occurred almost in the crease. It was just a screwup caused by pressure. Riley Holzapfel was right there, he had the puck and he shot and hammered and nothing. Brodeur stopped him. It was a point blank moment of first we have control and then Holzapfel is beating on Brodeur's pads with the puck. That stuff happened all night to Brodeur. His win, stopping 24 shots and letting one in, was remarkable.



Now, I said take the star from Jeff Hamilton. But, he had a great night too. Three points, including two goals. The Amerks' Janis Sprurkts had two goals, while the Amerks' Michal Repik and the Wolves Brett Skinner had two points each.



Finally, the loss went to Ondrej Pavelec. He stopped 19 shots. I'm beginning to suspect that riding Pavelec like a horse is poor coaching. This guy needs a lot of rest, and is still not back from his injury earlier in the season.



This is the first time I've really noted poor on-ice officiating. Zac Wiebe missed some calls, and yes, at least one was on the Wolves. His misses led to a fight between Joey Crabb and Michael Duco, Duco having to tell Crabb to knock off the BS with the goalie. It should have been Wiebe doing that work instead of the 194 pound Duco. Despite what should have been a call on the Wolves, it was a missed call earlier that probably cost the Wolves an additional power play. Well, first game in about 20? This is much better than previous years in my opinion.



I've been beating on the Amerks as a bad team. Earlier this week I published a stat that they lose about half a goal a game, net, to the power play. And, tonight, there it was, an unanswered power play goal. Around the blog, Jane is an Amerks fan and so is much of her family. You can imagine the back and forth that occurs. But, looking at them play tonight, I wonder what is the real issue with the team? I guess they don't play as a team, have poor defense and don't score. That would do it. But, when they do things right, as they did tonight at the Allstate, that's a good team out there.



It was a nail-biter of a win for the Rockford IceHogs in Peoria tonight. The stats show Antti Niemi shut down the Rivermen with 21 saves. Manny Legace, good, but not enough with 21 saves too, received the loss.



We're at a point in the year when everyone is warmed up. This game looks like it was a great example of defensive play, of hot goalies and everyone having to go down to the last ounce of strength to win. The final, 1-0 for Rockford at the Carver Arena.

Wolves take down MAds 2-1; Hogs need better special teams, lose 4-1

The Chicago Wolves defeated the division leading Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 Saturday night at the Allstate Arena. In a low-scoring game marked by tripping, hooking, holding and slashing penalties, there was plenty of action in the sin bin and power plays on the ice. But the only goal outside of equal strength was a short handed goal, by Matt Anderson, to start the scoring at 12:56 of the first period.

Anderson, who received two points in the night, was also involved in the second and final Wolves goal, in the second period at 12:04. The MAds answered that, staying within one goal, just 19 seconds later.

Eleven power play opportunities were wasted by the two teams as it became a defensive battle won by Ondrej Pavelec, stopping 23 shots on goal, compared to Drew MacIntyre, who lost, stopping 27 shots on goal.

At the Wells Fargo Arena, the Iowa Chops chewed up the Rockford IceHogs 4-1. The power play continues to haunt the Hogs, who now rank 22nd in the American Hockey League. The team is making just 15.6 percent of power plays. It's penalty kill is 28th in the league, at 79.3 percent. Corey Crawford was the one left to defend the net, stopping 24 shots on goal. He also defended unsuccessfully against a 5:3 power play late in the second period.

The Chops, ninth in the league on the power play, took two power plays goals out of six opportunities during a decisive second period. The Hogs are giving up more than 4.8 power play opportunities per game currently. Or, on average, they are giving up .79 goals due to lack of discipline each game. That's a broad statement of the problem. It would be impossible to totally rid a team of penalties. Still, here is a look at the league stats for this issue. After we net out the gains from power play goals, the Hogs are near the bottom of the league. They are losing .25 goals on average per game due to the combination of failed power plays, failed penalty kills and time in the box.

They need to turn this around to be competitive in the post-season.

(The table is reprinted here: http://www.chitowndailynews.org/chicago_hockey_blog/Wolves_go_down_63_Hogs_downed_41,22288)

Wolves go down 6-3; Hogs Power PP fails in 4-1 loss

A disciplined Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Chicago Wolves 6-3 Friday at the Van Andel Arena. With just two power play opportunities and those held scoreless, the Wolves were unable to stop the Griffins from rolling over them.

Darren Haydar, a former captain of the Wolves now with the Griffins, had three assists in the game. He was matched by Griffin Justin Abdelkader. Evan McGrath got an unusual short handed/ empty net goal to end the game. Jordan LaVallee had two goals and six shots on goal for the evening. Chad Denny had the first goal of the game, less than two minutes into play. But it was the last lead for the Wolves that night as the Griffins powered past the Wolves, outscoring them and out shooting them too.

Referee Shaun Davis only called hooking and holding calls Friday, but five were called on the Wolves, just two on the Griffins. The Griffins used their five to take two goals. Daniel Larsson received the win with 25 saves. Ondrej Pavelec received the loss with 34 saves.

The lack of a creditable power play hurt the Rockford IceHogs again on Friday as they lost to the Milwaukee Admirals 4-1. The IceHogs went 0 for 8 on the power play before a MAds team that seemed to delight in abusing their foes, knowing there wouldn't be a response on the scoreboard.

Despite a 5:3 advantage near the end of the first period and a substantial lead for the Hogs in shots on goal for the first two periods, enough to last the entire game, Rockford only snuck one past MAds goalie Drew MacIntyre. The Admirals on the other hand were able to use two of their four power plays to score. Mike Santorelli, Cody Franson and Ryan Maki were all credited with a goal and an assist for the MAds. Cal O'Reilly was credited with two assists. Danny Groulx, for the Hogs, was held pointless on six shots on goal.

MacIntyre's win was due to 26 shots on goal. Antti Niemi received the loss, he stopped 18 shots on goal.

IceHogs in disappointing win; Best minute was the first

The Rockford IceHogs took the Rochester Americans 2-1 tonight at the Blue Cross Arena War Memorial. The game started with Sean McMorrow and Riley Emmerson dropping the gloves as the puck dropped. But in a game with ten power play opportunities, the only goals were even strength goals. All in all, the first few seconds were probably the best of the game. I hope you weren't late.

The Amerks have struggled all year. Even in the generous world of hockey, they are listed as having a win percentage of only 37.5 percent. Their 36 points is the rock bottom of the league.

It's a sad situation for a team with more championship banners than most professional sports. The power play AND the penalty kill of the Amerks are awful. Just looking at the stats, they actually look a lot like those of the Chicago Wolves. However, the Wolves are finding ways to win and even seem to be reversing problems in defense and power plays.

But, it looks beyond hope for the Amerks this season. So, it was a little surprise that there was enough fight in them to stay within one of the Rockford IceHogs tonight. The stats show Rockford gave Rochester a 5:3 in the first frame that didn't score. In the second, Rochester gave Rockford two excellent scoring: a major and in the final minute of the second period, a 5:3. Rockford couldn't score on either.

That's wrong and disappointing. The Hogs need to swallow the opposition whole when these chances come.

Jake Dowell had a goal and an assist in the game. Pascal Pelletier had the other of the two Rockford goals and five shots on goal. Corey Crawford received the win with 31 saves. Tyler Plante received the loss with 31 saves for the Amerks.

Saturday nights all right for fighting in Toronto

It was fighting and fighting and fighting some more in Toronto as the Rockford IceHogs met the Toronto Marlies in a game that featured half as many fights as goals. The Hogs acquitted themselves well, however, bringing home a 6-3 win in the contest at the Ricoh Coliseum.

Jack Skille and Kyle Rogers started the roughhousing with roughing penalties just 1:23 into the game. Evan Brophey found Justin Pogge's five hole for the first goal at 8:44. At 10:57 Mike Radja completed a series of fast back and forth passes to put it past Pogge for a 2-0 score. Then Jake Dowell and Darryl Boyce danced for a five minute penalty at the 11 minute mark. And at 13:23, not a fight, but a disagreement? A high sticking penalty to Niklas Hjalmarsson and a slashing penalty to Ben Ondrus.

That wasn't going to satisfy the blood lust, so Mike Brennan and Kris Newbury went at it mano to mano for another five minutes in the sin bin, with a minor tacked on to Newbury. That gave Rockford a power play and Judd Blackwater used the opportunity to pound in the 3-0 goal.

The second frame, Dowell starts out with a double minor for high sticking. And now Toronto Center Tim Stapleton, using one of his ten shots on goal, chips it in to make it 3-1. This is interesting to try to figure out, Dowell's double means the advantage was 5:4. But then there was an interference called on Mark Bell making it 4:4. However Tim Hambly is caught holding the stick, making it 4:3, then there is a goal, which would cut Dowell's double by two minutes, but it is still 4:3 for... Oh god, this is higher math at this point. In any case there is yet another power play goal scored at 7:12. So, the Marlie advantage lasted at least that long.

Let's celebrate that with a fight. At the 7:12 mark of the second period there's Jordan Hendry, he gets two minutes for cross-checking and two minutes for roughing. And there's Pete MacArthur, we haven't heard from him yet, five for fighting. And Newbury, two for roughing and Darryl Kronwall, five for fighting. Is anyone watching the score? It's 3-2 Rockford.

An interference called on Bates Battaglia gives Rockford another power play and Niklas Hjalmarsson will use that to push the IceHog lead back to 4-2. That's a good reason to fight of course and this time it was Dan Bertram and Joe Ryan at the 17:09 mark. But wait! There's more! One more goal in the period, Blackwater. Blackwater? He just joined the team on the 29th and he already has three goals. What gives? Where has he been?

Final period of play. The Hogs lead 5-2. Toronto lights it up, firing 11 shots on goal in the period. At the 12:21 mark the discipline that had marked this period breaks down as Rob Klinkhammer and Jaime Sifers have a go and get five each. Now, consider that this is the final fight of the game. This isn't a series of enforcer fights, its each team on each team:

Skille Rogers Two minutes each roughing
Dowell Boyce Five minutes each for fighting
Hjalmarsson Ondrus High Sticking/ Slashing two minutes
Brennan Newbury Five minutes each for fighting
Dowell --- Double minor for high sticking
Hendry Two minutes for cross checking/ two minutes for roughing
Newbury Two minutes for roughing
MacArthur Kronwall Five minutes each for fighting
Bertram Ryan Five minutes each for fighting
Klinkhammer Sifers Five minutes each for fighting

I mean look at the list. The only two players to repeat on it are Dowell and Newbury. This was quite a fight card! In total 47 minutes of penalties to the Hogs and 41 to the Marlies. The Hogs were able to get two for four on the power play. Stapleton shot an unbelievable ten shots on goal, nearly a third of the 31 total for the Marlies. He had a goal and an assist for the night.

Radja and Brent had a goal and two assists, Blackwater had two goals. Adam Pineault had three assists. Petri Kontiola had two assists. The Marlies Newbury had two assists. Corey Crawford received the win. He stopped 28 shots on goal. Pogge received the loss, he stopped 15 shots on goal.

In all of this mess, a few things stand out to me, first, ten shots on goal in a game by one player is very unusual, gotta give the man credit. The second I see is the two goals by Blackwater. Can he maintain this pace? Where is he from? After that, I'd want to consider a blue liner for the final star of the game. This was a very physical game. I'm thinking Hambly as he has an assist and was on the ice for a +/- of +2. But I'm open to other suggestions. But clearly, a defensive fight, in every sense of the word.

Hogs crush Moose, 4-1

The Rockford IceHogs spanked the Manitoba Moose 4-1 in a Friday night win at the MTS Centre. Antti Niemi received a win, with 28 saves. Tim Brent scored two goals on five shots on goal, Mike Radja a pair of assists.

Jason Jaffray had seven shots on goal, but no points. Cory Schneider received the loss with five saves on eight shots. He was benched for Curtis Sanford, who stopped 15 shots on goal. An empty net goal in the final 11 seconds of the game by Brent accounted for the balance of the score.

Hogs, Moose in shootout

The Manitoba Moose and the Rockford IceHogs had to settle their differences with a shootout at the MTS Centre last night. In the shootout the Hogs were able to put three in, compared to two for the Moose, and won the game 2-1.

Judd Blackwater, a rookie loan from the ECHL Stockton Thunder, scored his first American Hockey League goal and only the eighth goal of his professional career to help the Rockford IceHogs force the Manitoba Moose to the shootout. His power play first period goal came off a pass from Petri Kontiola.

In the second period, the Moose took a goal back just after the end of a power play to tie the game. Rockford dominated the remainder of the second period, but was unable to find the net again. Antti Niemi ended his five game losing streak with the win. He stopped 24 shots on goal. Curtis Sanford, of the Moose, stopped 27 shots on goal.

Pete MacArthur posted six shots on goal in the effort. The Hogs are at the start of a seven game road trip.

All-Star Break breakdown

I'm anxious to hear from Kris Grey her observations on the Milwaukee Admirals v. Rockford IceHogs game last night. This was a game in a sold out MetroCentre. Just reading the brief description of the game that I prepared, you can see that these two teams were well matched; and, Milwaukee won.

Going into the All-Star Break, I can think of no better way to wake the Hogs up than to lose to the team that is going to block access to the Conference games in the post season. They have to figure out the MAds. They'll have lots of opportunities to do that in the coming two and half months.

One thing that must change: the pathetic Hogs penalty kill. There are two answers to this, one is to get better on the ice. The other is to become a more disciplined team. You take fewer penalties, you then aren't as worried about not being able to stop what's coming at you.

Milwaukee is among the best in the league in both penalty kill and power play. Although Drew MacIntyre is an older player, in terms of the American Hockey League, he can guide them to a Calder Cup win, especially if this team continues to play as they are now. Good power play, good penalty kill and good net defense. It's a killer. Once again the MAds are threatening to go to the finals with an excellent team.

If I had money to bet on this situation, I'd have to say the Admirals are favored to go to the Conference from the West Division.

Now, over in Chicago, Ondrej Pavelec is back in net. That's good news. I think by now it is obvious to everyone that I'm not a fan of Robert Gherson, preferring Brent Krahn and Dan Turple. But Krahn is out on injury and is also not a property of the Atlanta Thrashers. Turple looks better than Gherson but isn't getting it together.

The situation in goal for the Wolves is tough, the defense is inexperienced. There is hope, with Chad Denny and others, but defense is like a good stew, it takes time to mature. I'm thinking next season these guys will be where they need to be, which is to say, they'll be ready to move up to Atlanta when there is an injury. Then Chicago will have a good defense.

Unlike in previous years, the Wolves are responding to poor defense with some discipline in net. At this point, I'd be happy with the team making the cut for the playoffs. Better discipline is just not going to be enough to carry this team along.

Bad night for Hogs, Wolves

The Milwaukee Admirals scored just 12 seconds into the game against the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night at the MetroCentre. Following the initial goal, the Hogs came back with 4:01 remaining in the period to tie the game: Rob Klinkhammer scoring off a pass. But the Admirals put bookends on the period with a goal with just 40 seconds remaining.

A second period goal by Dan Bertram tied the game. However the final period didn't go the way the Hogs hoped, with two goals unanswered by the MAds. The final score was 4-2 in favor of the Admirals.

Niklas Hjalmarsson was credited with two assists on the night for the Hogs. Ryan Jones and Mike Santorelli had a goal and an assist each for the Admirals.

The final game for the two teams prior to the All-Star Break, the Hogs gave up just two power plays to the Admirals. The Admirals gave up four power plays. Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots on goal for the Hogs, and Drew MacIntyre 31 shots for the Admirals. Shots on goal: 35 for Milwaukee and 33 for the Hogs. This was a test of two equals and Milwaukee came out on top in a packed house in Rockford.

In Toronto, the Marlies beat the Wolves 3-1 at the Ricoh Coliseum. Chicago scored first on a power play, 2:30 into the game. However, from that point on, the only thing in the net was off a Marlies stick. It was another disappointing night for Chicago shooting, as they only put 22 shots on the Toronto goal. Ondrej Pavelec, returning to his first night in goal since an injury sidelined him, stopped 33 Marlies shots and six power play opportunities.

Wolves television analyst Billy Gardner did not call the Saturday game. His father, who still lives in Southern Ontario, is seriously ill. Gardner seized the opportunity to spend time with him. Gardner was replaced by Dan Turple, Tyson Marsh and Gene Ubriaco.

Western Division matchup tonight: MetroCentre

A key showdown tonight in the West Division is the game between the Rockford IceHogs and the Milwaukee Admirals. The Hogs are 2-1-1 in the series, while the Admirals are 2-2. The out of regulation loss for the Hogs was a shootout.

The Ads have been hot all season, cleaning up the West, challenging to stand atop the entire league in the standings. However, the Hogs have not been an easy team for them to figure out, as shown by the record above. As the fans and the teams enter the back stretch of the season, there will be five more contests between these two teams by mid-April. My prediction is that these will be the final two teams standing in the West Division, and the winner probably in the North Conference as well.

Corey Crawford is riding the tiger at the moment. He'll have a bit of a rest due to the American Hockey League All-Star break. So, put him in against vet goalie Drew MacIntyre. Let's see some blood on the ice as the Hogs face a Milwaukee team that has embraced a style of play that is very disciplined, only 748 penalty minutes this season so far. Placing it 24th among the 29 AHL teams. Yowza!

Hogs put bite on Chops

In the second part of a home and home series, the Rockford IceHogs returned the favor and defeated the Iowa Chops 6-4 Friday in play at the MetroCentre. Corey Crawford put on a show, keeping the Hogs in the battle as the Chops blistered the goalie with 37 shots on goal and four power plays, keeping them to just two goals.

Meanwhile the Rockford offense went one for four on power plays, putting 27 shots on goal, but six past David LeNeveu.

Rockford took the lead in the first frame with a Dan Bertram goal with 8:23 remaining. Although Ryan Donally tied the score with 6:46 remaining, Rockford replied with a power play goal by Adam Pineault. From there, things went into the tank for the Chops as the Hogs scored twice more in the second frame, interrupted by an Chops goal with 1:03 remaining in the second, and two more Hogs goals in the third.

Jake Dowell and Pineault had a goal and an assist each while two assists were notched by Petri Kontiola. Danny Groulx went +3 on the night. For Iowa, T J Trevelyan put seven shots on goal with one goal, teammate Troy Brodie had six shots on goal.

Pineault, who was acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Mike Blunden January 10, is in his seventh game for the Hogs.

Chops take bite out of Hogs

The Iowa Chops took a 4-3 bite out of the Rockford IceHogs in action at the Wells Fargo Arena of Des Moines, Ia. last night. The Hogs started strong, putting eleven shots on the Chops, finally culminating in a goal by Mike Radja mid-way in the first period. The Iowa blog describes a “nasty” first period fight between Brennan Turner and Ryan Donally. This is one of the best play-by-play blogs out there in the West Division. However, the Chops returned in the second part of the period, evening up the shots on goal. A long power play by the Hogs was unable to score, as they received a 5:4 advantage for 2:21, before they gave up a pair of penalties for two 5:4 power plays to end the period.

In the second frame, T.J. Trevelyan scored on the starting power play a minute into the period, followed at the 8:27 mark by a turnover goal again by Trevelyan. The IceHogs managed to tie the game 27 seconds later on a goal by Nathan Davis. But the period ended in a disaster for the Rockford team as Niemi gave up two goals in the last minute of play.

In the final frame, Corey Crawford substituted for Antti Niemi. During a power play, Trevelyan blasted Crawford, attempting to get his hat trick. However, it was Pascal Pelletier who found the back of the net instead, putting Rockford within one of the Chops. In the final ten minutes, a Rockford power play and an empty net gave a 6:4 advantage to the Hogs for 2:04. David LeNeveu made some highlight efforts, according to the Iowa blog, to hold the line. LeNeveu stopped 25 shots on goal. Niemi recorded 17 saves while Crawford recorded seven. The Rockford power play went 0 for 6 on the night.

Mike Radja had six shots on goal for the evening, while Danny Groulx and Pascal Pelletier had five each. Davis had a goal and an assist while Groulx marked two points on the evening.

In Milwaukee, last night, Hugh Jessiman had a power play goal, an even strength goal and an empty net goal for a hat trick. The Milwaukee Admirals spanked the Quad City Flames 4-0 in the win. In other news, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled Niklas Hjalmarsson, a blue liner, from the IceHogs.

Hogs win in matinee OT

An overtime goal put the Rockford IceHogs over the Grand Rapids Griffins 2-1 in a special matinée game held at the MetroCentre yesterday. Griffins captain Darren Haydar uncorked a short handed goal early in the second frame to open the scoring, followed by a power play goal by Petri Kontiola at the 8:29 mark of the period.

Antti Niemi held the Griffins to one goal in regulation play and scoreless in four power play attempts, stopping a total of 23 shots. Daniel Larson stopped 32 shots on goal for the Grifs. The game winning goal was launched by Andrew Archer.

Kontiola received two points for the game. Evan Brophey had six shots on goal while Dan Bertram and Pascal Pelletier had five shots each. The win broke a three game drought for the IceHogs.

IceHogs: their year to shine

To all appearances, Don Granato played Jeff Hamilton for at least three solid minutes at the tail end of the Saturday night win over the Quad City Flames. It begs the question why? What appears to have happened was that Hamilton, entering the bottom of the frame with two goals, was just a goal shy of a hat trick. And, Granato saw an opportunity for Hamilton as the man advantage moved more and more to the Wolves due to penalties. Granted a goal by any of the Wolves in the final minute and the overtime, would have been a win. But it appears as though Granato allowed his interest in Hamilton scoring a hat trick to prevail over his interest in winning a game.

This is a big difference from previous years under John Anderson. Anderson almost seemed to remove players who had two goals from play, preventing them from trying to score a hat trick. It was maddening. There were lots of games last year and the previous year when I really wanted him to stick with a player and let them have an opportunity to get a hat trick.

He wouldn't do it. He was focused on winning the game.

Now we have a new sheriff in town. Sure, I've been watching for the past five months. I've seen the lines change and been wondering when the team would jell with a respectable power play or a decent penalty kill. But until the slump that started around the holidays, the team was in the thick of the run. Even with the slump, the team is just five points from second place. A good run and the team becomes competitive for a playoff spot.

But, it's a fragile thing. I know a hat trick win would push the team. I know that Brian Sipotz, scoring his ninth professional goal and second goal of the season could be turned into the player he was last year. Yet, I want to be sure the team has the two points in the bag. Like Anderson, I would have played for the two points, not the hat trick.

As we move into the halfway point of the regular season, it wouldn't surprise me to see this team fail to make the playoffs this season. The best of last year have either been absorbed by the Atlanta Thrashers or have moved on to other clubs. Of all the players on the ice, the only obvious choice to move into the National Hockey League is Ondrej Pavelec. And Pavelec is injured. Brett Krahn could perhaps stage a move too, but he isn't the property of the Wolves or the Thrashers. If he did make a move, he'd be back with his parent club.

The team on the ice is respectable, don't take it that I don't like them. Steve Martins and Colin Stuart in particular are clearly playing with a lot of heart. Both are AAAA players. And, Stuart might still find a place in the NHL.

Over the years as a Wolves fan, I've felt that the aim of the team and of the management was to win Calder Cups, to hang Championship Banners and to wear Championship rings. The recent history of the American Hockey League is that the winner of the Calder often suffers a poor following year.

I'd like another Calder victory for the Wolves. But this year, I'd be happy if the team made it to the second round of the playoffs. The spirit is there, but the skill is a bit short. For evidence, take a look at the power play and the penalty kill.

Over in Rockford, I'm watching a team that would have won the Calder last year except for one obstacle, the Wolves. The IceHogs, rebuilt by Chicago Blackhawks prospects and with a superior pair in the pipes, could go all the way. Last night they lost Jack Skille, who apparently suffered a concussion from a hit.

It's a serious blow. Skille is very close to making it to the NHL. Skille, Corey Crawford, Antti Niemi, Pascal Pelletier, Evan Brophey, Jimmy Sharrow, Petri Kontiola and Mike Radja may all wear Indian heads. Compare those seven names to the single name I've put forward for the Wolves: Pavelec. This looks like the Hogs year to shine.

IceHogs can't catch Grifs; dominate game, but still lose

The Rockford IceHogs dropped their third consecutive home stand game, 3-2 against the Grand Rapids Griffins tonight at the MetroCentre. The Hogs shot everything they had at Griffins goalie Jimmy Howard who stopped 24 shots on goal. In the third period, the Hogs dominated the ice, out shooting the Griffins 9:3, but were able to find the twine only once. Jack Skille, injured in the Friday night game against the Chicago Wolves, was a scratch. Corey Crawford stopped 16 shots on goal but it wasn't enough.

Wolves Power over IceHogs 3-2

The Chicago Wolves chalked their first regulation win of the year with a 3-2 score against the Rockford IceHogs at the MetroCentre tonight. The Wolves scored on two of five power play attempts, reversing recent problems with the power play. Joe Motzko and Jeff Hamilton had a goal and two assists each. Hamilton had seven shots on goal.

After a late first period goal put the Hogs in front, the Wolves tied in the second before the mid-point of the period. At the end of the frame, the Hogs allowed a 5:3 advantage to the Wolves. The Wolves capitalized on it with a power play goal, taking a permanent lead. Then, a minute into the final frame, the Wolves, still on the same power play, now 5:4, scored again. The Wolves have scored 11 of their 29 power play goals against the Hogs this season.

"Our transition game dried up on us," said IceHogs' coach Bill Peters. "I thought we quit making plays as the game went along and we had a hard time moving the puck. We left the puck on the wall a lot and didn't make our plays."
A late attempt to tie the score was held back by the Wolves for their win. Robert Gherson made 25 saves for the win. Antti Niemi had 30 saves in his loss. The Hogs' Pascal Pelletier had five shots on goal and a goal.

IceHogs lose to Rampage 4-2

The Rockford IceHogs, AAA affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, suffered only their second loss in seven games last night as the San Antonio Rampage put them down 4-2 at the MetroCentre. The Rampage enjoyed two power play goals and an empty net goal on their way to the win. It was Corey Crawford's sixth regulation loss of the season. He is currently 12-6-2.


Adam Pineault blistered Rampage goalie Josh Tordjman with six shots on goal, but was unable to find the twine. Pascal Pelletier and Jack Skille each had a goal and an assist.

Another Wolves loss; another Hogs win

Another loss for the Chicago Wolves, this time to the Peoria Rivermen, 3-2, in action at the Allstate Arena Saturday night. It was the Wolves seventh loss in eight games. Peoria won the contest putting only 17 shots on goal, only one in the final period of play, as Wolves goalie Robert Gherson only notched 14 saves on the evening. Atlanta Thrashers prospect Brett Sterling was blanked, though he put five shots on goal. The Wolves power play, 28th in the league at 12.1 percent, sputtered again last night, being held scoreless.

Meanwhile in Rockford, the IceHogs enjoyed a 1-0 over the Toronto Marlies last night. Scoring on an Evan Brophy goal early in the first frame, the Hogs held the Marlies down for the win. It was Corey Crawford's first shutout of the season. The team indicated it will be riding the hot hand in its next outing.