On Monday night, after the barbecues, pool parties, and Memorial Day festivities, the Rockford IceHogs and Texas Stars held Game Six of their Western Conference Finals series in the Calder Cup Playoffs. After holding off elimination in Games Four and Five in Rockford, the IceHogs forced the series back to Texas for a Game Six. With the Toronto Marlies already advancing to the Calder Cup Final, their opponent would be decided as the Texas Stars found an overtime game-winning goal with just eight seconds left on the clock, ending the IceHogs’ season in the Western Conference Finals.
Game Six: Texas Stars def. Rockford IceHogs, 2-1 (OT)
Game Six got off to an unfamiliar start from Rockford’s Game Four and Five performances, in which the opening goal of the game came within the first seven minutes of action. The IceHogs and Stars would trade scoring chances in the first period, equaling each others amount of shots on Jeff Glass and Mike McKenna, 11-11, but no breakthrough would be found in the first 20 minutes of action.
Rockford would be playing catch-up in the second period, being out-shot 7-0 to begin the period. It would be right up to the mid-way point of the second period when Sheldon Dries would get the puck past Jeff Glass for the game’s opening tally. Dries shot the puck off the back of Glass, who caught it behind him, but the referees deemed that the puck crossed the goal-line behind him, and Texas held a 1-0 lead. Roope Hintz nearly had a devastating second goal in the period for the Stars, but it was waved off due to a high-stick.
Jeff Glass tries to make a save against the Texas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals. (Courtesy: Texas Stars)
Rockford would eventually pull the scoring chance totals closer to even, 23-20 in favor of Texas at the end of the second period, 12-9 for Texas in the middle frame, and would need a furious 20-minute effort in the third period if they were to extend their season to a Game Seven. In the ridiculous stat department, neither team had committed a penalty heading into the final period of play.
In the third period, the IceHogs started to give the Stars a taste of what the second period was like, out-shooting the Stars 6-0 in the first 6 and a half minutes of the period. Also, Viktor Svedberg laid a hit on Travis Morin the knocked a pane of glass off the boards and into the stands. So it was safe to say that Rockford came out and held nothing back to start the third.
Cody Franson takes a shot against the Texas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals. (Courtesy: Texas Stars)
Reaching just four minutes to play, Rockford was firing everything they could at Texas, trying to find the equalizing goal, out-shooting the Stars 13-4 at that point in the period. Still, a single powerplay had not been called for either team as the final minutes clocked down in the third period. With that in mind, the IceHogs would force their own powerplay as they pulled Glass for the empty net and extra attacker.
With Glass on the bench, the usual suspects that have powered the Rockford offense this postseason showed up in the biggest moment of the Calder Cup Playoffs to that point. Cody Franson and Adam Clendening teamed p to find Chris DiDomenico for the game-tying goal with just 1:34 to play in regulation. DiDomenico, the IceHogs’ leading scorer in the Calder Cup Playoffs, nets his seventh goal of the postseason and it came without a moment to spare.
Chris DiDomenico celebrates his goal in Game Six in the Western Conference Finals. (Courtesy: Texas Stars)
Tied 1-1, Rockford wouldn’t take their foot off the gas as they looked to find a winner before regulation time ran out. Franson hit a post late in the third period but it would not go. DiDomenico’s tally would send the game to overtime, the fourth overtime game in the six-game Western Conference Finals series, making this the first series since 201 to do so.
In the overtime frame, the Stars and IceHogs would again trade scoring chances through the first-half of the first overtime period, but neither team could find a winner. Credit to Mike McKenna and Jeff Glass for keeping their respective teams in the game through tense moments in the overtime.
Rockford would mount an attack with John Hayden and Andreas Martinsen getting a 2-on-1 chance, Matthew Highmore with a chance on a wrap-around, and Cody Franson trying to find a way to the net from the blue-line. But all chances were defended by McKenna, keeping the game tied as the overtime period would get its first break in the action.
GAME SIX HIGHLIGHTS: Texas Stars def. Rockford IceHogs, 2-1 (OT)
As the overtime continued into the latter half of the extra time, Jeff Glass would be called on again with under five minutes to play as the Stars had a one-time, re-direction attempt on net, but Glass was able to make the save. One for the highlight-reel and kept the Rockford season alive.
The jubilation wouldn’t be able to continue for long as the IceHogs, trying to hold on in the final moments of the overtime period, would give up the series-winning goal to the Stars with just eight second remaining on the clock. Roope Hintz would get the game-winning tally, his fourth goal of the Calder Cup Playoffs, sending the Stars to the Calder Cup Final to face the Toronto Marlies.
The Texas Stars celebrate their overtime winning goal in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals over the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Texas Stars)
Rockford would be out-shot in the overtime frame, 11-4, and out-shot in the game 40-39. Mike McKenna would make 38 saves on 39 shots faced, while Jeff Glass made 38 saves on 40 shots faced. Glass, in just three games of work in the postseason, made 106 saves on 111 shots faced after coming into the starting role in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals in relief of Collin Delia.
Chris DiDomenico finishes the Calder Cup Playoffs as the IceHogs’ leading point-scorer with 18 points (7G, 11A) over 13 games, setting the franchise playoff points record. He also leads all point-scorers in the AHL as the postseason shifts to the Calder Cup Final. After arriving with the IceHogs, DiDomenico tallied 41 points in 35 games with regular season and playoff games included.
Finally, what a season this has been for first year head coach Jeremy Colliton. He steps into the IceHogs organization, making his coaching debut in North America and being barely older than some of his own players, and completely turns around the culture in Rockford/ Colliton took a young roster with more than a dozen first-year players on it, added a few key veterans, and turned the IceHogs into must-watch hockey. Not only is the future bright for the Chicago Blackhawks organization with the players on the IceHogs, but it can be said that the future of the organization for those behind the bench is bright as well.
Postgame Reaction
As the IceHogs season comes to a close, Head Coach Jeremy Colliton spoke after the overtime loss. Watch it here:
WATCH: Jeremy Colliton Game Six Postgame
Rockford’s season ends, obviously before anyone would have wanted it to, in one of the most-tightly contested series’ in recent Calder Cup Playoff history.
What’s Next?
For the Stars, they move on to face the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup Final. This is the third appearance in the Final for Texas, the second appearance in the Final for the Marlies.
As for the IceHogs, there is a busy summer ahead. A few players that were key to the Rockford organization are on expiring contracts, and a number of those players figure to be in the mix for roster spots with the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see which direction the organization goes with those younger players. For a few veterans, this may have been the last game with Rockford that they play. But much of that is to be decided later this summer.
For now, stay tuned to The-Rink for a full Rockford IceHogs 2017-18 season wrap-up, including exit interviews and full player evaluations in the coming days/weeks as the off-season begins.
This was a wild ride for the Rockford IceHogs and it is sad to see it end this way. But, the future is bright in Rockford and as well in Chicago.