It’s been a long summer for the IceHogs and their fans after the team missed the playoffs by a mere 2 points to the Milwaukee Admirals in 2012-13. The Hogs finished 9th in the Western Conference with a record of 42-31-2-1 (87 points). The roster turnover will be noticeable this year for Rockford, which is different from last season where the majority of the team was the same from the year before.
This was it. Week 28 in the AHL schedule. The IceHogs had 2 games left in their schedule and they needed all 4 points to keep their playoff hopes alive. They weren’t in complete control of their own destiny though—they needed the Milwaukee Admirals to lose just one, measly game in order for Rockford to make their first playoff appearance since 2009-10. Only half of the plan worked.
The IceHogs needed to keep on racking up the points in their games in week 25 and Tuesday of week 26 in order to maintain the pace of the Western Conference points race. During this four game homestand, they needed to take at least 6 of 8 points, but they only got half of the available points.
Week 24 of the AHL’s schedule had Rockford playing back-to-back games against the Abbotsford Heat in British Columbia. These two teams are a part of the AHL’s insane fight for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and that fight got even crazier once the weekend was over.
The IceHogs continued their playoff push in week 23 of the AHL schedule as they faced Midwest Division teams for three consecutive nights over the weekend. They started and ended the weekend with the Chicago Wolves and a contest against the Peoria Rivermen was in the middle of that.
The IceHogs continued their playoff push in week 23 of the AHL schedule as they faced Midwest Division teams for three consecutive nights over the weekend. They started and ended the weekend with the Chicago Wolves and a contest against the Peoria Rivermen was in the middle of that.
The IceHogs finished week 20 with two more Midwest Division games on the schedule. All four points mattered in these two contests as Rockford continues to make a late season push for the playoffs.
Week 19 was friendly towards the IceHogs as they took the 2 points in 2 of 3 games. They added another 2 points to kick of week 20 as they make their push for the playoffs.
Week 16 was not stellar by any means for the IceHogs on the scoreboard. Despite cleaning up their defensive game and amount of penalties taken–only nine minors were assessed to the team in two contests–they dropped both games on their schedule and find themselves with a record below .500 for the first time since November 21st.
It was not a good weekend for the Rock River Bacon Bits. Two losses, one in overtime, meaning it’s been four in a row now. Oh, and their coach is calling out some of the players in the press (or to Chris Block, but he’s more press than anything in the city these days).
It started well on Friday north of the border, the Illinois-Wisconsin border that is. 40 seconds into their tilt with the Admirals, Nick Leddy scored. But as it always is with the Hogs, the penalties they take cost them, and the ones they don’t cash in on cost them. A dumb roughing infraction from Wade Brookbank, and then a Brandon Saad high-sticking double minor saw the Admirals into the lead before the 1st was over. Both PP goals came from Gabriel Bourque and were off of scrambles in front of the net, in case you thought the Hogs were any better at clearing the crease than the Hawks. Oh and the Milwaukee power play was one of the worst in the league before this night.
