Rockford IceHogs Head Coach Anders Sorensen is excited about his young squad’s opening statement of the 2024-25 AHL season. A strong performance in Rockford’s home opener has Sorensen very positive heading into this weekend’s home-and-home with Milwaukee.
The IceHogs opened regular season play at the BMO Center Saturday night in impressive fashion, knocking off Grand Rapids 4-1. For Sorensen, there was a lot to like about Rockford’s season debut.
“Awesome energy and the compete level was high,” Sorensen explained at the IceHogs weekly media session on Tuesday. “They seemed like they were just enjoying themselves, which is a big part of it.”
“I though our pace of play, especially early on, was really good,” Sorensen added. “Effort, second effort, some of our habits were really good and I thought that carried us through the game.”
Rockford took a 1-0 lead late in the first period Saturday. The first goal of the season came off the stick of second-year prospect Colton Dach. Three marks in the middle frame subdued the Griffins, who were coming off their own big win in their home opener against the Admirals.
Sorensen has reason to be optimistic heading into two tough games against last year’s Central Division champs. The early energy is evident in his young crop of prospects.
“There’s a lot of talent in the room,” he pointed out, “a lot of like-minded players and I think a lot of their attributes fit each other. They seem like they’re excited to come to the rink every day, which is great. They’re having fun both on the ice and off the ice and it seems like, so far, it’s a really good group that way. That’s a big part of it; you’ve got to have fun when you come to the rink, right?”
Korchinski Announces His Presence With Authority
The eventual game-winner on Saturday was a power move executed by defenseman Kevin Korchinski, who made his Rockford debut after spending his rookie year in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 20-year-old Korchinski didn’t wait long to flex some skills to the BMO faithful. With Rockford on the power play early in the second period, he took the biscuit from IceHogs goalie Drew Commesso and motored his way through the neutral zone. Korchinski wove through the Griffins defense and got a shot off from the left post.
Sebastian Cossa made the initial stop, but Korchinski was not to be denied. Gathering in the rebound, Korchinski sent the puck through the Grand Rapids goalie’s wickets for his first AHL goal.
Defensive Contributions
The talent on the defensive end was certainly evident in the IceHogs opener. Along with Korchinski, Rockford also got a goal from defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald. One of a few veteran faces on the IceHogs roster, Fitzgerald hauled in a puck from behind his own net and sent an outlet pass to Landon Slaggert. Following the play up the ice, Fitzgerald wound up taking a pass from Frank Nazar in the high slot, beating Cossa to the glove side.
“Fitzy was great,” Sorensen said of Fitzgerald, who signed a PTO with Rockford after spending the last four seasons with the Chicago Wolves. “I can tell he’s been around. He’s got experience in this league, he’s a robust player, he’s strong, so he’s been a really good add.”
Rookies Already Making An Impact
Nazar and Slaggert weren’t the only rookies who got in on the scoring in their first AHL appearances. Samuel Savoie capped off a big second period with the final Rockford goal on Saturday. Set up by a nice stretch pass by defenseman Louis Crevier, Savoie tapped in a pass from fellow rookie Gavin Hayes.
“He’s one of those guys I talked about,” Sorensen said of Savoie. “They just seem happy to come to the rink. He’s got a smile on his face. He competes, he’s got effort in everything he does. We’re really looking forward to having him and getting the opportunity to work with him.”
Two With The Admirals
The home-and-home with Milwaukee begins at the BMO Center Friday night at 7:00 p.m. CDT. The action moves to UW-Panther Arena Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Milwaukee split their first two games last weekend, led by long-time veteran Cal O’Reilly (1 G, 3 A), who leads the Admirals in scoring.
Along with returning players like Zach L’Heureux (19 G, 29 A last season) and Joakim Kemell (16 G, 25 A) are veterans like former IceHogs forward Vinnie Hinostroza, who had 16 goals and 19 helpers for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. Another big addition to the Milwaukee offense is Keifer Bellows, who had 27 goals for Toronto a year ago. Bellows had a goal and an assist last Sunday in a 4-1 defeat of the Wolves in Rosemont.
“It’s a good test for us,” Sorensen admits. “They’re a good team. We know they’re structured; they’ve got some good players back from last year, so it’s a good challenge for us. We want to take the steps; our process this week is important leading into those games.”
