Rockford IceHogs Remain in 1st Place

The Rockford IceHogs are riding high in first place overall in the American Hockey League. The top affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks are playing tough, aggressive hockey under new coach Jeremy Colliton. Obviously, it is still very early in the season, but first place is always good no matter when it is.

The weekend started early at BMO Harris Bank Center Arena as the doors opened about 2 hours pre-game for the usual Friday night fun. This day, Recently Paroled entertained fans with their "power rockin' blues." They set a perfect backdrop for grabbing a pre-game snack while talking hockey with other fans. Of course, Hammy (the mascot of the IceHogs) made his appearance to the delight of the young fans (and me).

The IceHogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the game went downhill after that. The Milwaukee Admirals scored a powerplay goal with about 1.5 seconds left in the first, after the IceHogs had killed about half of the penalty. If there is such a thing as momentum, this definitely shifted it. The Admirals would add 4 more goals (including an empty netter) to make the final 5-2.

The IceHogs had played 5 games in 8 days and might have shown signs of weariness. To their credit, neither Coach Colliton nor Matheson Iacopelli used that as an excuse for the lackluster game. While acknowledging team tiredness as a potential factor, both stressed that the team needed to push beyond that.

On Saturday night, the IceHogs did just that. Coming off the loss and falling behind 2-0 to the Grand Rapids Griffins, it would have been easy for the IceHogs to play out the game and and enjoy a few days off before their next game. Instead, the IceHogs came roaring back and won the game 4-3. The impressive stat of the night was the (almost) 2-1 shot advantage. That is a sign of a hustling, aggressive team.

The IceHogs lead the Central Division, the Western Conference and the AHL with 14 points on their 7-2 record. They have a game on Tuesday in Cleveland against the Monsters and another on Friday in Milwaukee. Then they have a 5 day rest period before heading to Iowa to face the Wild.

You can find the post-game media sessions and other IceHogs news at IceHogs.com. You can also find my part in those interviews, as well as all of my IceHogs interviews on the Johngy's Beat IceHogs playlist on YouTube.

The IceHogs are playing great. Coach Colliton is off to a great start. I truly believe he will be the next coach of the Blackhawks.

I always say "the IceHogs of today are the Blackhawks of tomorrow." The IceHogs present a great night of hockey, along with a preview of future Blackhawks. At just over an hour west of Chicago, it is totally worth the drive. I always can't wait to go again.