The Rockford IceHogs will be hosting nine of their next 15 games at home through next month. That’s fine by me; the IceHogs are limping home after losing the last three games of their six-game road trip.
Some recent events around the AHL prompted me to take a look at the drawing power of the Blackhawks affiliate out here in Northwest Illinois. You might be surprised. Then again, you may not.
The Rockford IceHogs ran their road record to 10-4-0-1 this week. The AHL’s Midwest Division leaders beat the Admirals in Milwaukee for the second time in six days Wednesday night. Rockford then split a pair of games at Lake Erie over the weekend.
Heading into another week of travel, Rockford is piling up points away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. One big factor in this road surge has been a dominating penalty kill. Come to think of it, it’s been pretty darn good at home as well.
In 2013-14, the Hogs were an absolute joke when shorthanded. They were dead last in the AHL in this department with a 72.3 success rate. Here are some numbers that show the dramatic change from a season ago:
vs. 
FACEOFF: 3pm Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for both
CONSEQUENCES SCHMONSEQUENCES AS LONG AS I’M RICH: Anaheim Calling, Battle of California
After taking a break from it last season, the Hawks return to their usual Black Friday matinee at one of the biggest hives of scum and villainy in the world, Honda Center in Orange County (at least for me personally). In the past, these games have been something of a looney bin. The last two times it happened, in ’12 and ’11, the Hawks managed goal-explosions in the 3rd period to win. That would be all right this time, as the Ducks remain something of a bogey team for the Hawks, beating them only twice in the past seven meetings.
The Rockford IceHogs were left a bit shorthanded for last weekend’s action. Adam Clendening, Joakim Nordstrom and Phillip Danault are all traveling with the Blackhawks. Mark McNeill and Michael Leighton are recovering from injuries. It wasn’t a stretch for you to believe the Hogs might take some lumps with three Midwest Division games in three days.
In this case, you’d be wrong.
Rockford ran the table this weekend, winning home games with Iowa and Milwaukee at the BMO Friday and Saturday before shutting out the Wolves in Chicago Sunday afternoon. With 29 points through 19 games, Rockford (14-4-0-1) is currently on top of the AHL.
at 
Game Time: 9:00PM Central
TV/Radio: WGN, CBC, TVA2, WGN-AM 720
Rural Alberta Advantage: Copper & Blue, Oilers Nation
The Hawks’ Circus Trip makes its second stop tonight, this time a little bit further north in Alberta to take on the Oilers, who are currently in year 8 (thousand) of their rebuild. This will be the Hawks’ first of two to Edmonton this year, and the first chance to appreciate the odd lighting, backwards benches and penalty boxes, and the interminable prattle about how fast the ice is (it’s fast).
