After a hard-fought 2–1 overtime game one victory in Rosemont, the Rockford IceHogs returned home to the BMO Center in hopes of finishing off the Chicago Wolves. Carrying momentum from Artyom Levshunov’s Game One overtime goal, the Hogs finished off the Wolves in a dominant Game Two win on Friday night.
First period
Joey Anderson’s first period goal set the tone for the Hogs. (Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)
With an energetic home crowd, the Hogs came out firing.
A Rockford shot rang off the pipe, setting off the horn and stopping play a minute in. After review, the call of “no goal” was confirmed.
It was not a mistake the next time the horn sounded. Just over two minutes into the first, Joey Anderson sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Anderson’s goal started a small melee behind the Wolves’ net, sending Nolan Allan and Dominic Franco to the box with matching two-minute penalties.
After both men returned to the ice, Rockford continued the early momentum. Finding himself alone in front of the net, Kevin Korchinski tapped in Zach Sanford’s pass to double the lead with 14:16 left in the first.
When asked postgame about getting off to a hot start, head coach Mark Eaton emphasized setting the tone Rockford wanted.
“Make them weather our storm; we knew they were going to be a desperate team … we were able to get on them early and manage pucks well,” said Eaton.
The early 2–0 lead could have been undone by Levshunov’s double minor for high-sticking. Instead, the Hogs held tight.
The period ended at 2–0, with Rockford holding the shots advantage at 10–9.
Second period
Gerry Mayhew celebrates his breakaway goal in the second period. (Photo courtesy of Jimmy Doles / Rockford IceHogs)
The second period was the Drew Commesso show. With multiple odd-man rushes and high-danger chances against him, Commesso stood tall, not allowing momentum to shift back for the Wolves.
The period’s lone goal came on a breakaway by Gerry Mayhew, set up by Cole Guttman with 16:05 to go in the second period.
“Good play by Guttman; I didn’t have much room so I tried to make a move and I think the goalie kinda poke-checked and it came back on my stick and I put it in,” said Mayhew describing the goal.
Although the Wolves took the shots advantage 23–20 following the second, Rockford held a 3–0 lead going into the final frame.
Third period
Mayhew’s third period goal slayed the Wolves. (Photo courtesy of Jimmy Doles / Rockford IceHogs)
It looked as though Chicago might force themselves back into the game following a tripping call on Mayhew. Instead, Rockford killed the penalty, and when Mayhew left the box with the puck in stride, bedlam took place. Mayhew dashed down the ice and extended Rockford’s now impenetrable lead.
“it was just a great play; (Fitzgerald) knew the penalty was over and just rimmed it to me … saw an opening,” explained Mayhew describing his second goal.
It felt as though Chicago unraveled as the period went on, with constant penalties, scrums and an inability to break through the brick wall known as Commesso. When Aku Raty sealed it with an empty-net goal with 2:25 left, the final straw was broke. Korchinski got into it with Wolves forward Ryan Suzuki, leading to both players leaving with matching unsportsmanlike conduct calls.
At the end, the Wolves were flat-out destroyed, a final score of 5–0.
Series notes
Star rookie Artyom Levshunov celebrates his overtime goal in Game One. (Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)
Game One felt stolen, Game Two felt like a squash match. In Game One, a few lucky bounces on both ends of the ice allowed Rockford to leave Rosemont with the series lead. In Game Two, the win felt guaranteed from puck drop.
“The message was just ‘get pucks behind their d(efense)’ … wear them down, and I thought we did a good job tonight … we just stuck with our game plan,” said Mayhew following Game Two.
If an MVP award were to be handed out for this series, it would be to Commesso. Saving 66 of 67 shots in the series against a potent Wolves roster, Commesso continues to be on fire in Rockford. Eaton and Mayhew had nothing but praise for their goaltender.
“It’s hard to put in words; he was phenomenal … by far best game we’ve seen him play, made some huge stops … really prevented them from getting any momentum,” praised Eaton.
“He’s playing great … you need a good goalie to get hot, and he’s hot,” said Mayhew about Commesso.
Talking about his performance, Commesso kept it simple.
“Just trying to continue to play my game, do my best to prepare and focus on what I can control leading up to the game,” explained Commesso. “Keep it simple, focus on one practice, one game at a time.”
If a second MVP award were to be awarded, it would be given to the Rockford crowd.
“The crowd was a huge factor tonight, they were awesome,” Mayhew said. “Probably the loudest I’ve heard them all season … it’s fun to play at home … hopefully we can have some more home games.”
Looking ahead
Drew Commesso following his Game Two shutout, and series sealing victory. (Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)
With nearly a week before their next playoff game, the Hogs have a chance to rest, get healthy and prepare. One player to keep an eye on is Colton Dach. On April 24, Dach was assigned to the Hogs following his stint with the Chicago Blackhawks. Nursing an elbow injury, Dach will look to return to the ice in Rockford’s next series.
When asked about Dach by CHGO’s Mario Tirabassi, Eaton sounded positive regarding his availability.
“He skated with us today; it’s good to have almost a week before our next game to get him back into the swing of things and get him under pressure, facing some contact along the wall … he’s ready to go,” Eaton said.
Adding Dach to a scorching lineup only adds to the excitement, and expectations, leading into their next series against the Milwaukee Admirals. When asked about the Admirals, Eaton was straightforward.
“We have a good feel for them,” said Eaton. “They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason and we know it’s going to be a great challenge but we’ve risen to the occasion all year long and I’d expect nothing less from our group.”
The next round of the playoffs starts Thursday in Milwaukee at 7 p.m. CDT. It will be a best-of-five series.