On Monday night, the Manitoba Moose defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game Five of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals in the Calder Cup Playoffs, advancing them to the Western Conference Semi-Finals and a best-of-seven series against the Rockford IceHogs. Rockford is coming off of their Western Conference Quarter-Finals series sweep of the Chicago Wolves and is playing in just their third-ever Calder Cup Playoffs second round series.
Manitoba Moose vs. Rockford IceHogs: By The Numbers
IceHogs Final Record and Standings: 40-28-8, 88 points, 4th Central Division
Moose Final Record and Standings: 42-26-8, 92 points. 3rd Central Division
Head-to-Head: 2-1-1, Rockford
Rockford Regular Season Goals For vs Manitoba: 12
Manitoba Regular Season Goals For vs Rockford: 15
Rockford First-Round Series: 3-0 over Chicago Wolves
Manitoba First-Round Series: 3-2 over Grand Rapids Griffins
Rockford Calder Cup Playoffs Powerplay: 7/18 (38.9%, 1st in AHL)
Manitoba Calder Cup Playoffs Powerplay: 2/15 (13.3%, 14th in AHL)
Rockford Calder Cup Playoffs Penalty-Kill: 12/14 (85.7%, 5th in AHL)
Manitoba Calder Cup Playoffs Penalty-Kill: 15/19 (78.9%, 13th in AHL)
Rockford Calder Cup Playoffs Top Skater: Chris DiDomenico (2G, 3A), Adam Clendening (G, 4 A), 5 points
Manitoba Calder Cup Playoffs Top Skater: Chase De Leo, 7 points (2G, 5A)
Rockford Calder Cup Playoffs Top Goalie: Collin Delia (3-0-0), 1.52 GAA, .949 Save-Percentage
Manitoba Calder Cup Playoffs Top Goalie: Eric Comrie (3-2-0), 2.82 GAA, .922 Save-Percentage
Players To Watch
The IceHogs have had three things go well for them so far in the Calder Cup Playoffs: Special Teams, Goaltending, and production from the Blue-Line. Expect more of that to continue into their Western Conference Semi-Finals series against the Moose as Rockford and Manitoba have special teams records on the opposite ends of the playoff spectrum, and advantage in net, and three of their top-six point producers are defensemen.
Collin Delia, G, Rockford IceHogs
Delia may as well be the IceHogs’ Playoff MVP so far. He has been the most stand-out player on the roster through their first-round sweep of the Chicago Wolves. This season has been an interesting one for Delia, starting the year with the ECHL Indy Fuel, having just one win in ten starts, making the jump to the AHL, getting shelled in his first few appearances and then becoming one of the cornerstones of Rockford’s push to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Oh, also made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Collin Delia makes a save against the San Antonio Rampage. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)
Of goalies that have more than one appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, Delia has the lowest GAA of the 17 goalies qualified (1.51), and the second-best save-percentage of those same 17 goalies (.949), trailing only Mike McKenna of the Texas Stars (.957). Rockford will look for Delia to continue being at the top of his game against the Moose, who have put up 15 goals for in five games.
Eric Comrie, G, Manitoba Moose
For the Moose in net, Comrie has been solid and a big reason why the team was able to get by the Griffins in a tightly contested five-game opening round series. After getting a wake-up call in Game Two of the series, getting pulled after two periods and five unanswered goals allowed, Comrie put together a .941 save-percentage in Games Three, Four, and Five, leading the Moose in a 5-1 victory in Game Five on the road. If the IceHogs are going to have success against Comrie, they will have to get after him early in games and continue to take advantage of their powerplay opportunities.
Chris DiDomenico, C, Rockford IceHogs
Acquired late in the season for defenseman Ville Pokka, DiDomenico has been the top forward for the IceHogs since he stepped foot on the ice in a Rockford sweater. DiDomenico finished the regular season with 23 points (8G, 15A) in 22 games with Rockford and he has continued that point-per-game pace into the Calder Cup Playoffs with five points (2G, 3A) in the three-game sweep of the Chicago Wolves.
Chris DiDomenico of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)
A fixture of Rockford’s powerplay and a top forward at even-strength, DiDomenico is a driver of the IceHogs’ offense and has, according to the praise of Head Coach Jeremy Colliton, brought a mindset and “swagger” to the locker room that the team can and should win on any given night.
Brendan Lemieux, LW, Manitoba Moose
While not the top-scoring forward for the Moose through the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, Lemieux has been a key factor in the last three games for Manitoba and will continue to be as they move forward. Lemieux finished the 2017-18 season with 43 points (19G, 24A) in 51 games with the Moose this season and has four points (2G, 2A) in the first five games for Manitoba in the Calder Cup Playoffs. A three-point night in Game Five against the Griffins, Lemieux is a big-bodied forward that could give the IceHogs trouble in their defensive zone.
Adam Clendening, D, Rockford IceHogs
Adding to the list of players that joined the IceHogs late in the season, Clendening made his return to the organization in January and right away began leading an offensive attack that started from the blue-line on out. Clendening, along with fellow defenseman Cody Franson, have been focus players for the Rockford poweprlay unit that has spiked over the last two months of the season and into the playoffs.
Adam Clendening takes a shot. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)
Nearly a point-per-game player after returning to Rockford, Clendening is another player that Head Coach Jeremy Colliton feels brings a competitive edge and leadership role to the locker room and has driven the IceHogs through their first three games of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Cameron Schilling, D, Manitoba Moose
A former Rockford defenseman, Schilling had a breakout season with Manitoba in 2017-18. A career-high 32 points (6G, 26A) in 71 games for the Moose this season, Schilling is an experienced AHL veteran with 32 career Calder Cup Playoff games under his belt and 18 points (7G, 11A) in those games. With four points in the opening series against the Griffins, Schilling is consistently performing in big moments for Manitoba with the game-tying goal in Game One and the Game-Winning goal in Game Five. Look for Schilling, much like Clendening and Franson, to be an offensive threat to the IceHogs.
What’s Next?
Here is the full schedule for the Calder Cup Western Conference Semi-Finals Best-of-Seven series between Rockford and Manitoba:
- Game One: Friday, May 4 at Bell MTS Place (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), 7pm
- Game Two: Saturday, May 5 at Bell MTS Place, 4pm
- Game Three: Wednesday, May 9 at BMO Harris Bank Center (Rockford, Illinois), 7pm
- Game Four: Friday, May 11 at BMO Harris Bank Center, 7pm
- * Game Five: Saturday, May 12 at BMO Harris Bank Center, 6pm (* If Necessary)
- * Game Six: Tuesday, May 15 at Bell MTS Place, 7pm (* If Necessary)
- * Game Seven: Wednesday, May 16 at Bell MTS Place, 7pm (* If Necessary)
This series will be the first between the IceHogs and the Moose, and marks the third time in Rockford’s AHL history that they have advanced to the Calder Cup Playoffs’ Western Conference Semi-Final round, having lost both previous trips. For Manitoba, this will be the first time advancing to the Calder Cup Playoffs’ Western Conference Semi-Final round since 2011 (the franchise was known as the St. John’s Ice Caps from 2011-15).