ROCKFORD ICEHOGS GAME RECAP: Suffering GR (9) RFD (4)

(Photo by Todd Reicher via IceHogs Flickr)

After losing to the Cleveland Monsters 6-3 on Saturday, the IceHogs went into Wednesday night looking to bounce back against the Grand Rapids Griffins. It was the first of 4 straight home games for Rockford. Instead of starting the home stand on a hot note, the IceHogs lost 9-4 to the Griffins. 

Here’s the lineup that the Icehogs rolled with:

L1: #47 John Quenneville “A” - #58 MacKenzie Entwistle - #73 Brandon Pirri

L2: #49 Mitchell Fossier - #14 Garrett Mitchell “C” - #52 Reese Johnson

L3: #84 Andrei Altybarmakyan - #26 Evan Barratt - #76 Tim Soderlund

L4: #67 Matej Chalupa - #39 Dylan McLaughlin - #57 Chris Wilkie

D1: #48 Wyatt Kalynuk - #11 Cody Franson “A”

D2: #74 Nicolas Beaudin - #46 Lucas Carlsson

D3: #41 Isaak Phillips - #63 Michael Krutil

#60 Collin Delia

#80 Tom Aubrun

On to the game!

Before Wednesday night’s game, the Rockford IceHogs received two more players from the Chicago Blackhawks in Brandon Pirri and Lucas Carlsson. Pirri hadn’t played since the first game of the NHL season. Lucas Carlsson was banged up and, once healthy, the blue line was too full in Chicago. Both of these guys add offense to the Rockford team on paper. But would they actually help on the ice?

Reese Johnson took an early tripping penalty 1:22 into the game. The IceHogs had a horrible time trying to clear the puck, but Delia made some big stops. There are certainly a lot of bad themes to the season; not being able to clear the puck is a huge one. 

4:23 into the game, the IceHogs went on a power play of their own. 14 seconds into it - Who else, but Brandon Pirri?

IceHogs Goal #1: Brandon Pirri (PP) - Wyatt Kalynuk, Cody Franson

Wyatt Kalynuk found Brandon Pirri in the right circle -- his favorite spot. The one-timer could not be saved, and the IceHogs scored first. It seemed like a fitting “Welcome Back” moment for Pirri. He’s the franchise leading scorer and deadly on the power play. 

When he left the IceHogs in 2014, he had a 9 game point streak. 7 years later, he made it 10. What a weird little tidbit. 

It seemed like the talent infusion was working it’s magic. But it wasn’t. It very much wasn’t. 

Griffins Goal #1: Dominik Shine - Max Humitz, Chase Pearson

Chase Pearson took the puck off the wall and sent it to Max Humitz. He took the shot from the right circle, it hit Dominik Shine and went in the net. 

And again. 

Griffins Goal #2: Max Humitz - Joe Hicketts, Gregor MacLeod

Joe Hicketts took a big shot from the blue line. The rebound went right to the middle of the ice where Max Humitz was camped out to send it home. 

And the suffering continued.

Griffins Goal #3: Patrick Curry - Troy Loggins, Joe Hicketts

With zero pressure or IceHogs sticks in passing lanes, Hicketts sent the puck to Troy Loggins who sent the puck across the ice to Patrick Curry. After he settled down the puck, he shot it past Collin Delia’s glove from the right circle. Delia knew it was coming. He got over and had his glove out, but he missed it. 

After scoring the first goal of the game and possibly gaining some momentum, the wheels fell off and the first period ended in favor of the Grand Rapids Griffins.

END OF 1:

IceHogs - 1 

Griffins - 3

SOG: 22-11 GR

The IceHogs went into the second period hoping to keep the game close. Keep it close, they did not.

48 seconds into the period, the puck was behind Collin Delia.

Griffins Goal #4: Max Humitz - Givani Smith

Max Humitz was sprung for the breakaway after coming out of the box. He skated down the center of the ice and beat Collin Delia over the glove. Again. 

1 minute and 19 seconds later, the puck was behind Collin Delia. Again. 

Griffins Goal #5: Tyler Spezia - Dylan McIlrath 

Tyler Spezia took the puck down the right wing boards unchallenged. He took a shot from the right circle. You already know the puck went in. That was a bad one that your goaltender needs to have. 

1 minute and 32 seconds later, the IceHogs decided to show up to the middle frame. 

IceHogs Goal #2: Brandon Pirri - John Quenneville, Wyatt Kalynuk

Who would have guessed it? Brandon Pirri scored his second goal of the game to make the score 5-2. 

Wyatt Kalynuk raced into the zone and found John Quenneville for the pass. Quenneville sent the puck through the slot to Brandon Pirri who banged it home. 

That was the final good thing to happen for the Rockford IceHogs in the second period. The middle frames have been rough for the IceHogs this year. This one was particularly cruel. 

Griffins Goal #6: Riley Barber (PP) - unassisted 

Riley Barber was able to skate around the zone and hold on to the puck. The IceHogs defense made him look like Patrick Kane. Barber got the puck into shooting position in the left circle and beat Collin Delia over his glove. 

Less than 2 minutes later . . . 

Griffins Goal #7: Turner Elson - Troy Loggins

The IceHogs turned the puck over at their defensive blue line. Turner Elson skated down to Delia and flipped it past his blocker. It was on this goal that you could plainly see the defeat in Delia’s game. It was upsetting. 

After allowing 7 goals on 30 shots and not looking good doing it, Collin Delia’s night was over. Tom Aubrun came into the game and made his AHL debut. 

He made a couple of big stops before the twine was dented behind him. 

Griffins Goal #8: Riley Barber - Givani Smith

Riley Barber had the puck in the slot. There were sticks swinging all over, but he was able to go bar down to make it 8-2. Ouch. Letting Riley Barber have the puck in a scoring position isn’t something I’d advise. He’s not their point leader for nothing. 

About 2:30 later, Aubrun would allow his second goal. 

Griffins Goal #9: Tyler Spezia - Donovan Sebrango, Chase Pearson

Donovan Sebrango took a big shot from the point, and the puck deflected in off of Spezia. There wasn’t much that Tom Aubrun could do on that one. 

Fortunately for the rookie goaltender, that was his last goal allowed on Wednesday. He made 7 more saves to finish out the period. 

END OF 2:

IceHogs - 2

Griffins - 9

SOG: 42-15 GR

Going into the third period, the IceHogs just had to find a way to close out the game without it getting, somehow, worse. 

IceHogs Goal #3: Lucas Carlsson (PP) - Nicolas Beaudin, Andrei Altybarmakyan

19 seconds into the final frame, Nicolas Beaudin connected with Lucas Carlsson for a big one-timer from the right circle. He looked like Brandon Pirri scoring the first goal of the game. The new Rockford additions put up some points on Wednesday. 

7:07 into the third period was the final good thing of the game for Rockford. 

IceHogs Goal #4: Chris Wilkie - Nicolas Beaudin, Matej Chalupa

Nicolas Beaudin carried the puck into the offensive zone and handed the puck off to Chris Wilkie. He sends a bomb of a shot high on the Grand Rapids goaltender and it made for a beautiful goal. 

And that’s how the score remained. 

END OF 3:

IceHogs - 4

Griffins - 9

SOG: 49-21 GR

You could take away from the final boxscore that this was a bad game for the IceHogs. That doesn’t even tell the whole story. It was Collin Delia’s second game with Rockford this season and, once again, he was getting beat clean way too often. He didn’t pull out any athletic saves that we’re used to from him. He barely moved on any of the shots. There was no battle in his game. 

The IceHogs have a back-to-back with Iowa this weekend. They just have to be better.