On Tuesday night, the Rockford IceHogs completed a three-game road trip to the state of Texas with a 2-1 loss to the San Antonio Rampage. It marked the second regulation loss in a row for the IceHogs against the Rampage, and their third loss in a row, having fallen 4-3 in overtime to the Texas Stars on Friday night. With the loss, the IceHogs’ record this season falls to 16-17-8, good for 40 points in the standings and seventh-place in the AHL Central Division. The loss also puts the IceHogs on a 1-7-2 stretch over their last 10 games.
IceHogs Fall Into Three-Game Losing Streak
The Rockford IceHogs took a first period lead against the Rampage on Tuesday night, but were not able to hold it or add to it over the second and third periods, allowing a goal in both frames to fall 2-1 to the Rampage. Victor Ejdsell tallied the lone IceHogs goal, his fifth of the season, but it was not enough to pull out a win.
Ejdsell has a goal and an assist in his last three games since returning to the IceHogs lineup, 15 points on the season in 30 games played. Ejdsell hasn’t lived up to the hype that was built for him coming into the season and has been consistently inconsistent. Ejdsell had a 13-game goal drought from October 28 to November 24, and then another eight-game goal drought from December 1 to last night’s contest. His 15 points ranks 7th on the Rockford active roster.
Much like it has been all season, the IceHogs’ offense was held to just one goal on the night, and were held off the board on the powerplay. Rockford’s 93 goals scored this season ranks them 30th in the AHL, just one ahead of the Manitoba Moose with 92 goals. Only the Moose have played in four fewer games than the IceHogs, making Rockford the lowest-scoring team in the league based on average goals per game with 2.27 to Manitoba’s 2.48 rate.
Rockford was able to keep the Rampage off the board on the powerplay, killing all three short-handed situations, improving their penalty-killing rate to 84.8-percent this season. Rockford ranks fifth in the AHL in penalty-killing, but a lowly 26th on the powerplay, with a 15.1-percent success-rate.
Rockford IceHogs goaltender Anton Forsberg. (Courtesy: San Antonio Rampage)
Anton Forsberg got the start against the Rampage on Tuesday night, hoping to snap a personal four-game losing streak. Making 24 saves on 26 shots faced, Forsberg couldn’t get the goal-support needed and dropped his fifth-straight game in regulation. His record falls to 7-8-1 on the year with a 2.81 GAA and a 0.913-save percentage. Over his last five starts, Forsberg holds a 0.915 save-percentage and has received six goals of support from the offense.
What’s Next?
The Rockford IceHogs return to action on Friday night to kick-off back-to-back games in the state of Illinois over the weekend. Starting Friday night in Rockford, the IceHogs host the Grand Rapids Griffins. Puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for 7pm CT. Rockford holds a 2-3-0 record against the Griffins so far this season.
Following Friday night’s home game, the IceHogs head to Rosemont to take on the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night. Another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry is set for a 7pm CT puck drop at the Allstate Arena. This season, the IceHogs hold a 3-3-1 record against the Wolves with the road team holding a 6-0-1 record in the series.