The Rockford IceHogs leapfrogged Texas into third place in the Central Division on the heels of a sweep of the San Jose Barracuda. The BMO Center faithful were treated to the return of last season’s MVP to boot.
Rockford (28-22-5-2) posted a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night, then claimed a 4-1 victory in Sunday’s rematch. The IceHogs have now won nine of their last ten contests. Conversely, the Stars dropped a pair of games in Tucson and are now looking up at Rockford.
Announcing His Presence With Authority
Luke Philp, who set career highs (29 G, 23 A) on his way to being voted the IceHogs MVP last season, suffered an Achilles Tendon injury while training last summer. Following surgery, Philp has spent the previous six months rehabbing. He was assigned to Rockford last week and made his season debut Saturday night against the Barracuda.
After such a long layoff, it would be understandable if it took Philp some time to find his scoring touch. And it did…nearly three minutes.
Philp and David Gust created a turnover just inside the Rockford blueline. Philp then made a beeline for the San Jose zone. His slapshot from the right dot beat Barracuda goalie Georgi Romanov to the far post 2:55 into the game for a 1-0 IceHogs advantage. Ethan Cardwell scored for San Jose late in the frame to send the teams into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
The IceHogs built a two-goal lead on second-period goals by Cole Guttman and Gust. That edge vanished early in the third period on goals by Cole Cassels and Tristan Robins.
The contest would be decided in Gus Macker 2:38 into the extra session, Colton Dach powered to the net and sent home the game-winner.
Dude, Where’s My Stick?
Early in Saturday’s game, Romanov had his stick knocked away by Zach Sanford, who was skating in his first game with the IceHogs since being assigned to Rockford by the Chicago Blackhawks. A moment later, Sanford knocked the stick away from the crease while attempting to play the puck.
The action moved to the the other end of the ice and the Barracuda goalie looked around to retrieve his paddle. Alas, it was nowhere to be found. Romanov had literally thrown up his hands in frustration when the BMO Center fans alerted him to the hiding place of his lumber-in the protective netting above and behind him.
After what must have been the longest minute and fifteen seconds of the evening to Romanov, San Jose forward Scott Sabourin poked the stick free and returned it to his goalie.
Sunday Funday
After scoring a short-handed goal in Saturday’s win, Guttman made it a double in Sunday’s matinee. After Mike Hardman opened the scoring for Rockford, Guttman gave the IceHogs a 2-0 lead at 12:28 of the first period. Cardwell picked up San Jose’s lone goal of the afternoon in response a few minutes later, but Guttman wasn’t finished.
Leading the rush to the Barracuda net late in the second period, Guttman played catch with Rem Pitlick in the slot. His shot backdoored San Jose goalie Eetu Makiniemi at the 18:52 mark to put Rockford up 3-1. Jackson Cates made it 4-1 in the opening minute of the third period to close out the Barracuda.
Guttman is on quite a tear, with nine goals in his last nine games. For the season, he has twelve goals and fourteen helpers.
Seven Straight For Stauber
Jaxson Stauber picked up the win for Rockford on Saturday night, making 31 saves in regulation and overtime. The second-year pro has now won seven straight games, tying the IceHogs AHL franchise record set by Jason LaBarbera back in the 2013-14 campaign. Stauber will likely get the chance to break that mark Wednesday night when Rockford hosts the Chicago Wolves.
Since the beginning of February, Stauber is 7-0-1 with a 2.22 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Rookie Drew Commesso has also been very good in that same time span. He’s 5-3-2 in his last ten starts but is sporting a 2.20 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
Bjork Out For The Season
On Monday, the IceHogs announced that forward Anders Bjork would be out for the remainder of the season after surgery on his right shoulder. The team had been expecting Bjork (10 G, 17 A) to return in the next couple of weeks after injuring the shoulder late in a February 24 game with Iowa.
In other roster news, the Blackhawks recalled Wyatt Kaiser on Monday. Kaiser has played 31 games in Rockford since being assigned to the IceHogs in December. Kaiser has three goals and a dozen helpers in that time. He could be sent back to Rockford and be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs even if he remains with the Blackhawks through the end of the NHL season.
This Week’s Action
Rockford drops the puck with the Wolves at 7:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday. The IceHogs then host Grand Rapids on Saturday night at the BMO Center. The start time against the Griffins is set for 7:00 p.m. CDT.
