GAME PREVIEW - ROCKFORD ICEHOGS AT IOWA WILD 2.25
Feb 25, 2014Rockford IceHogs (28-21-4-3, 63 points) at Iowa Wild (22-20-6-4, 54 points)
Sunday’s game is the ninth of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Rockford. The same two teams met for a pair of games last weekend at Wells Fargo Arena. The IceHogs took their third straight meeting, including the last meeting, a 4-2 victory at Iowa on Feb. 16. Rockford has the edge in scoring, besting Iowa in scoring for the series 27-25. Rockford leads the season series with a 4-3-0-1 mark, while Iowa is 4-4-0-0.
Iowa returns from a three-game road trip after going 1-1-1-0. The team is coming off a 3-2 loss at Lake Erie on Saturday night. The Wild has a record of 10-13-3-1 at home, outscored by the opposition 74-59. Iowa is 3-4-2-1 over the last ten outings and 9-11-3-2 against the Midwest Division.
Rockford has been one of the hottest teams in the AHL over the last few weeks with a nine-game points streak (8-0-0-1). The Hogs are 10-13-3-1 on the road this year and 13-13-1-3 against the Midwest Division. Rockford is 8-1-0-1 over the last ten outings. The IceHogs have won four of their last five road outings.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Rockford 2/25 5:35 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio / Mediacom 22
vs. Rochester 2/25 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 2/28 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
2/24 – Delete forward Justin Mercier (released – PTO)
2/24 – Delete defenseman Steven Kampfer / forward Erick Haula (recalled – MN –NHL)
2/21 – Add defenseman Colton Jobke (recalled – Orlando – ECHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Lake Erie Monsters 3-2 in front of 15,258 fans at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night. After building a 2-0 lead midway through the first period, Lake Erie held off a late charging Iowa Wild club to win by one. Monsters center Colin Smith proved to have the game-winning goal late in the second period. Iowa outshot Lake Erie 15-7 in the third period and pulled within one goal for the final 14 minutes of play. Monsters goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 29 of 31 Iowa shots for the win. Wild goalie Johan Gustafsson made 29 saves on 32 shots, suffering the loss. Defenseman Brian Connelly and forward Kris Foucault each scored, as Iowa dropped to 12-7-3-3 on the road this year.
Iowa Wild
After 52 games, defenseman Brian Connelly leads the team in scoring with 32 points in 49 appearances. Connelly has a team-high 27 assists, including a team-leading 14 on the power play. Recalled to Minnesota on Monday, forward Erik Haula was second in the team-scoring race with 27 points in 31 games. He had a team-high 14 goals and was third with 11 power-play points. Defenseman Jonathon Blum, as well as forward Carson McMillan are also among the top scorers. McMillan has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 44 games played. Blum has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 42 games played with Iowa. Forward Zack Phillips has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 51 games played. Third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (10 goals) has 16 points in 27 games played. Forward Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 18 (7g/11a).
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and John Curry man the nets for Iowa. Johan Gustafsson is 8-12-2 with a 3.10 GAA and a .903 SV %. Curry is 7-4-2 with a 1.93 GAA and a .939 SV%.
Iowa is 38-for-218 (17.4%) on the power play and has allowed 40 power-play goals against on 202 attempts (80.2%). The Wild is 26th in the AHL with a 2.50 goals per game average and the team sits 16th with a 2.85 goals against average.
Notables –
· Iowa forward Stephane Veilleux needs two assists to reach 100 for his AHL career.
Rockford IceHogs
Defenseman Adam Clendening leads Rockford in scoring with seven goals and 36 assists for 43 points in 55 games played. He ranks among the top scoring defenseman in the AHL. Jeremy Morin is second on the team with 39 points in 40 games played, including a team-high 18 goals. Forward Alex Broadhurst is third on the club in points with 34 in 55 games. He is also among the team leaders with 12 goals. Forward Terry Broadhurst is fourth on the club in points with 32 in 53 games. Defenseman Klas Dahlbeck (10g,22a), left wing Brad Winchester (16g,14a), center Mark McNeill (16g,13a) are all among the team leaders in points. Despite spending significant time in Chicago, forward Brandon Pirri has 22 points in 23 games.
Goalies Kent Simpson and Jason LaBarbera are all in net for Rockford. LaBarbera is 10-6-2 with a 2.52 GAA and a .922 SV%. Simpson is 9-12-1 with a 3.26 GAA and a .902 SV%.
The IceHogs are 12th in the AHL on the power play, going 43 for 229 (17.9%). Rockford is 30th on the penalty kill, allowing 63 power-play goals against on 245 attempts (74.3%). The Hogs sit 10th in the AHL with a 3.05 goals against average and 26th with a 3.20 goals per game average.