Game Recap: Rockford 4 at Moose 3
By: Daniel Fink | Published: March 28th 2018
Manitoba Moose (39-22-4-4) vs. Rockford IceHogs (36-25-4-4)
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Rockford IceHogs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Manitoba Moose | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Shots By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Rockford IceHogs | 16 | 5 | 7 | 28 |
| Manitoba Moose | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Special Teams | PP | PK | PIM |
| Rockford IceHogs | 1/6 | 2/2 | 4 |
| Manitoba Moose | 0/2 | 5/6 | 12 |
| Goaltender Summary | Goaltender | MIN | SA | SV |
| Rockford IceHogs | Jeff Glass | 59:56 | 24 | 21 |
| Manitoba Moose | Michael Hutchinson | 58:25 | 28 | 24 |
Goal Summary
| P | TIME | TEAM | GOAL | ASSIST | ASSIST | STR | SCORE |
| 1 | 8:51 | MB | C. De Leo (11) | K. Gotovets (12) | C. Maclise (7) | ES | 1-0 MB |
| 1 | 10:38 | RFD | T. Sikura (19) | A. Clendening (27) | C. DiDomenico (21) | PP | 1-1 |
| 1 | 17:14 | RFD | T. Kero (8) | L. Johnson (12) | W. Pelletier (15) | ES | 2-1 RFD |
| 1 | 18:20 | RFD | A. Clendening (4) | T. Sikura (15) | M. Highmore (15) | ES | 3-1 RFD |
| 2 | 4:31 | RFD | C. DiDomenico (12) | A. Louis (27) | L. Bouma (6) | ES | 4-1 RFD |
| 2 | 18:41 | MB | C. Schilling (6) | B. Lemieux (19) | S. Niku (34) | ES | 4-2 RFD |
| 3 | 16:55 | MB | B. Sutter (5) | B. Robinson (25) | B. Lemieux (20) | ES | 4-3 RFD |
Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (39-22-4-4) and Rockford IceHogs (36-25-4-4) closed out their season series at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday. Manitoba opened the scoring 8:51 into the game as Chase De Leo tipped a Kirill Gotovets point shot past Rockford netminder Jeff Glass. Rockford got even at 10:38 with a power play marker when Tyler Sikura knocked in an Adam Clendening rebound. The IceHogs took the lead with 2:46 left in the frame when Tanner Kero knocked the puck toward the goal and it proceeded to ricochet its way up and over Michael Hutchinson for a 2-1 Rockford lead. Clendening made it 3-1 just 1:06 later, skating in off the wing and ripping a slap shot to the back of the net.
Rockford added to its lead 4:31 into the second frame as Chris DiDomenico cruised right up the middle of the ice and snapped a shot just inside the post to push the IceHogs to a 4-1 lead. The Manitoba penalty kill went to work throughout the frame and kept the visitors from adding to their lead in four opportunities. The Moose got back within two tallies in a four-on-four segment when Brendan Lemieux opened up Cameron Schilling with a pretty feed and Schilling fired his shot in off the bar. The defender's goal sent the teams to the break with the IceHogs leading 4-2.
The third period saw the Moose continue their push to get back into the contest. Manitoba got within one with 3:05 left thanks to Brody Sutter banging in a Buddy Robinson rebound. The attack continued from there, but the Moose weren't able to tie the contest as they fell 4-3 to the IceHogs.
Quick Hits
- Forward C.J. Suess made his professional debut.
- Sami Niku recorded his 48th point to tie Brenden Kichton's franchise record for points by a rookie defenceman.
- Buddy Robinson notched his 50th point of the season with an assist.
- Brendan Lemieux registered his 20th assist of the season.
- Attendance was announced at 4,204.
Quotable
Forward Chase De Leo - "Obviously it’s tough when bounces aren’t going your way. I believe you create your own luck, and if you’re moving your feet and you’re working hard then usually the bounces go in your favour. I don’t think we had a great effort tonight, and I think that we’re fine, we gotta relax here. There's time to turn things around going into playoffs."
Forward Mason Appleton - "We kinda just shot ourselves in the foot to be honest. We got down early in the game, and we were climbing back from behind the whole time. I think if we would’ve just came out and played our game originally we would’ve been fine in that game."
Linked Up
Game Summary: https://mbmoo.se/2pMYS5O
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: https://mbmoo.se/2utovhB
What's Next?
The Moose keep a busy week rolling against the Toronto Marlies on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.). Saturday's game is Autism Awareness Day, featuring a special edition puzzle piece jersey. Tickets for both games are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.
