From Center Ice: This Is A Big Deal

There’s some exciting news buzzing around the Rockford IceHogs this week.

What’s a big deal, you ask? COLLIN DELIA IS BACK IN ROCKFORD!

With Corey Crawford returning from a concussion in Chicago, Delia was sent back down to the IceHogs.

Delia took to guarding his crease Tuesday night as they took on their biggest rivals in Chicago. It was sort of a rough game as Maxime Lagace stood on his head in the Chicago net and the Wolves ended up winning with a score of 1-0. If your goalie only gives up 1 goal per game, you’re going to win a great majority of contests. Unfortunately, Legace did one better and didn’t let a single puck by him.

Fortunately, Collin got a chance to return to the net Friday night at home. He got a very enthusiastic welcome from the home crowd when he was announced as the starting goaltender.

After being held off of the score sheet in their previous game, we were just hoping that the Hogs could pot a few goals and get another solid performance from their goalie. The Grand Rapids Griffins were in town and they’re near the top of the division. It was an important game, and the crowd was ready for it.

In the first period, the IceHogs came out like they had something to prove. They were connecting passes, getting pucks to the net, and laying some hits. This determined effort led to them scoring the first goal of the contest on the power play. Schroeder took a feed from Jokiharju and Johnson and whipped it past the goalie.

They stayed hot, and Spencer Watson scored his first goal as an IceHog by tipping a rocket of a shot from Lucas Carlsson. Watson is the new kid in town after being acquired shortly before the trade deadline in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings that sent Matheson Iacopelli the opposite way. Neither player could really find their footing on their previous teams. Hopefully a change of scenery will benefit both guys.

With 1.6 seconds left in the first . . . ANOTHER ICEHOGS GOAL! This time, Dennis Gilbert snuck down from the blue line and tossed the puck by Harri Sateri after Luke Johnson got shoved into him by a Griffins defender.

Shots after the first were 15-7 Hogs. The scoreboard was looking good as it read 3-0 Hogs.

When the second period started, they looked like they were going to carry over their play from the first period. They had some great chances right in tight, but Sateri wasn’t allowing anything else by him. The goaltender’s solid effort to start the period injected some life into his team’s veins.

3 minutes go by . . . Griffins rifle one past Delia.

IceHogs turnover . . . Griffins get a second goal.

Thankfully, the penalty kill came up big after the second goal to keep the IceHogs ahead. But, with a failed power play of their own and a failed breakaway chance, it looked like the Hogs were doing everything in their power to not score a goal in the second period. I’m sure they WERE trying. But, from section 203, it was so frustrating to watch.

Mercifully, the period ended. Shots were 26-19 Hogs after 2.

The third period certainly can’t go worse than the second, right?

One minute into the third period, Grand Rapids ties the game off of a hard slap shot on the power play.

Well, ****.

SCHROEDER! Just over 6 minutes left in the third period and Jordan Schroeder rips home the go ahead goal. This is great. The IceHogs need these points while playing against divisional rivals. The playoff race is on and they cannot afford to give up points. They battled back hard after a rough second period and won in regu. . .

. . . Griffins tie the game with 2:11 in the third period.

Cool.

Awesome.

This is fine.

Everything is fine.

To overtime we go. I swear this team is taking years off of my life, but I love them.

Overtime was a wild ride. It seemed like the IceHogs had better possession time, but the Griffins had their chances as well. Delia had to come up with a huge poke check on a streaking Griffin in order to keep the game alive.

With time winding down and a shootout looking guaranteed, Peter Holland cleans up a scoring chance and SENDS THE ICEHOGS TO A VICTORY WITH 35 SECONDS TO GO!

ICEHOGS WIN! ICEHOGS WIN! ICEHOGS WIN!

Now, that’s a pretty big deal(ia).