Rosemont, Ill. — The Chicago Wolves rallied to earn their seventh consecutive home victory, skating to a 4-3 shootout win over Rockford in an Illinois Lottery Cup game on Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.
Rosemont, Ill. — The Chicago Wolves rallied to earn their seventh consecutive home victory, skating to a 4-3 shootout win over Rockford in an Illinois Lottery Cup game on Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.
Centers Alexandre Bolduc and Pat Cannone and left wing Sergey Andronov scored for the Wolves (19-13-1-2) in regulation and Chicago tallied on three of five chances in the shootout. Rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington (1-0-0) made 31 saves and stopped three of four in the shootout to notch his first American Hockey League win against Chicago’s Midwest Division rival.
“We played really well for it being our third game in three days,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson. “Both goalies were excellent in the game and the shootout and I’m happy we were able to grab that second point.”
Both teams exchanged power-play tallies late in the first period. Rockford (16-16-3-2) struck first, potting the opening marker at 18:09. After a battle in the corner, the puck made it to the blue line and defenseman Adam Clendening. He whipped a shot on goal that was tipped on its way to the net by left wing Brad Winchester.
Just 1 minute, 20 seconds later, the Wolves responded with a goal of their own to knot the score 1-1. Chicago fed the puck to the top of the zone and right wing Mark Mancari after a faceoff win. Mancari sent the puck to the front of the net and Bolduc beat Rockford goaltender Jason LaBarbera to finish off the play.
Two minutes into the second period, the IceHogs regained the lead. Center Drew LeBlanc found left wing Pat Mullane on Binnington’s glove-side for a goal from the doorstep.
Trailing again the Wolves roared back with two goals in seven seconds, the fastest consecutive Chicago goals of the season and just one second shy of the franchise record.
The first, a power-play marker, saw defenseman Evan Oberg catch a clearing attempt at the point and feed a pass to the middle of the ice for Andronov. He moved in on net patiently and fired a shot that grazed LaBarbera’s arm and slid in.
On the ensuing play, Mancari released a shot that caught LaBarbera up high. The netminder bobbled the puck and Cannone tapped in the rebound at 6:47 for the Wolves’ first lead of the game.
The IceHogs tied the game with 47 seconds left while on a power play and with LaBarbera pulled for an extra attacker. Center Mark McNeill picked up the tally and forced the contest into extra time.
Centers Keith Aucoin and Corey Locke and left wing Dmitrij Jaskin were successful in the shootout to seal the win for the Wolves. LaBarbera (1-1-2) kicked out 33 shots through regulation and overtime.
Left wing Garrett Ross was the only successful shooter for Rockford. Binnington shut down center Joakim Nordstrom, right wing Maxim Shalunov, and left wing Terry Broadhurst.
Chicago faces off at Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Amtrak Rivalry series. The Wolves return to Allstate Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, against Toronto. For tickets, call 1-800-THE-WOLVES or visit ChicagoWolves.com.
WOLVES 4, ICEHOGS 3 (SO)
Rockford 1 1 1 0 0 — 3
Chicago 1 2 0 0 1 — 4
First Period—1, Rockford, Winchester 11 (Clendening, Nordstrom), 18:09 pp; 2, Chicago, Bolduc 6 (Mancari, Locke), 19:29 pp. Penalties—Morin, Rockford (slashing), 13:57; Hanson, Chicago (tripping), 17:02; A. Broardhurst, Rockford (holding), 19:24.
Second Period—3, Mullane 1 (LeBlanc, T. Broadhurst), 2:00; 4, Chicago, Andronov 9 (Oberg), 6:40 pp; 5, Chicago, Cannone 8 (Mancari, Regner), 6:47. Penalties—LeBlanc, Rockford (hooking), 5:53; Nightingale, Rockford (roughing), 11:14; Cannone, Chicago (unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:14; Oberg, Chicago (hooking), 19:02.
Third Period—6, Rockford, McNeill 10 (Nordstrom, Clendening), 19:13. Penalties—Chorney, Chicago (crosschecking), 17:33.
Overtime—None. Penalties—None.
Shootout—Chicago 3 (Rattie NG, Aucoin G, Wannstrom NG, Jaskin G, Locke G); Rockford 1 (Nordstrom NG, Shalunov NG, Ross G, T. Broadhurst NG). Shots on goal—Rockford: 11-8-9-6-0—34; Chicago: 16-11-6-3-1—37. Power plays—Rockford 2-3; Chicago 2-3. Goalies—Rockford, LaBarbera (33-36), Chicago, Binnington (31-34). A—7,530. Referee—Darcy Burchell. Linesmen—Charlie O’Connor and Alex Stagnone.
