The Rockford IceHogs have seen Central Division rivals shoot up the standings behind lengthy win streaks. Can the fourth-place IceHogs find the formula to fuel their own ascension? Rockford’s current talent level suggests that right now may be the club’s best chance to move into a top-three spot in the Central. The question is, can the IceHogs take advantage of that talent?
A nine-game home run at the BMO Center came to a close Saturday night with a 3-2 loss to Grand Rapids. The Griffins have picked up 20 standings points in what is now a 12-game point streak. Milwaukee is running away with the division lead behind a 16-game winning streak.
The IceHogs’ point streak was snapped on Saturday at six games, during which they racked up nine standings points. That’s just not enough if Rockford, who finished the homestand with a 3-3-2-1 record, wants to climb the division ladder.
Up And Down…And Up…And Down…
The IceHogs have twice put together four-game win streaks this season. They’ve also lost seven straight on two occasions in 2023-24, most recently from January 24 to February 9. Rockford (19-20-5-2) has been a mediocre team so far this season, sitting fourth in the seven-team Central Division. With 45 points (a .489 point percentage), the IceHogs are seven points behind the third-place Griffins and six points ahead of fifth-place Chicago.
Is Rockford fated to stay in a holding pattern for the remainder of the season? Or, can the IceHogs go on an extended point run over the next few weeks? As the IceHogs travel to Des Moines for two games with the last-place Iowa Wild, there is evidence that they have a roster that could be ready to put things together to close out February.
Promising Signs
As I pointed out last week, Rockford has been getting some key players back in the lineup. Anders Bjork, Colton Dach, and Wyatt Kaiser came out of concussion protocol and have contributed on the scoreboard. Forward Rem Pitlick was assigned to the IceHogs by the Chicago Blackhawks and brings another skilled passer to the lineup.
On Sunday, the Blackhawks assigned Lukas Reichel, who had 51 points (20 G, 31 A) in Rockford last season, to the IceHogs. Chicago is hoping to get the young forward back on track after struggling in the NHL this season. If he arrives in Rockford in the right frame of mind, Reichel could send a lightning bolt through the roster.
Adding Pitlick and Reichel to a lineup with steady point-producers like David Gust (12 G, 22 A) and Brett Seney (14 G, 20 A), plus hot goal-scorer Mike Hardman (14 G, 10 A), definitely could be a boon to Rockford’s offense. Defensively, the IceHogs have limited opponents to 12 regulation goals over the last seven games. They’ve been successfully limiting scoring opportunities in that span. This is good news, as Iowa is the only Central Division club worse offensively (2.45 goals per game) than Rockford (2.63) this season.
Time To Streak
If there ever was a time for the IceHogs to go on an extended run, this is it. Rockford has talented, healthy players in town. The depth is as good as it has been over the course of the season. The push to the postseason starts with this week’s action.
After two games in Iowa, the IceHogs return to the BMO Center to finish February. Rockford hosts Texas Friday night, with the Wild visiting on Saturday.
Monday’s puck drop at Wells Fargo Arena is set for 5:00 p.m. CDT. The remaining games on Wednesday in Iowa and Friday and Saturday in Rockford get underway at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
