Rockford IceHogs | The IceHogs were looking for a series split with the Wild

Players to watch
Ahead Mike Hardman (2G, 10A) scored his second goal of the season and scored Rockford’s only goal Saturday night. Ahead Luke Philp (13G, 12A) is fourth on the Hogs with 25 points.

Rookie forward Sammy Walker (13G, 13A) paces Iowa in goals and points this season, and defenseman Joe Hicketts (3G, 21A) ranks second on the Wild and leads the team in assists.

Highlights of the last game
The IceHogs fell in overtime 2-1 against the Iowa Wild on Saturday night. Ahead Mike Hardman
scored a power play goal in the first period and tied the match 1-1. Despite the goalkeeper Mitchell Weeks Converting 22-of-24 Iowa shots, Rockford failed to create consistent scoring chances after Hardman’s marker.

Round six
Today is the sixth meeting between the IceHogs and the Wild in the 2022-23 regular season. The Wild, currently in fifth place in the Central division, beat the second-place Hogs 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night. The clubs will share the ice six more times this campaign after today’s match. The IceHogs are 1-0-2-2 against the Wild this season and 44-34-10-5 all-time.

Weekly appearance
keeper Mitchell Weeks remains hitless in regulation since Nov. 5 against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Weeks made 22 saves in overtime against the Wild on Saturday night. The 6-foot-3 netminder has a .909 save percentage and has made 251 saves over nine games on the season.

Overtime Overboard
The IceHogs and Wild have played in their fifth matchup. The Central Division opponents can’t get enough of each other as four of the last five contests have required extra time or a shootout to decide the winner. Rockford fell in two shootouts in the first two meetings on November 6th and 9th and lost back-to-back overtime losses on December 10th and January 7th. The Hogs have the only regulation win over their rivals, a 7-4 win on December 13th.

Next home game
Join the Rockford IceHogs Wednesday 18 January at 7pm for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Get a ticket to the game and two drink tickets (beer, soft drinks or water) for just $20. Open the offer on Ticketmaster using the code CROWDS before seat selection.