Sunday, Jan. 3, 4 p.m. Allstate Arena
The Chicago Wolves made a statement in their first game of 2016 with a 2-0 shutout of the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night at Allstate Arena. In the process, the Wolves stood up and shrugged off a 5-2 loss three nights earlier on Rockford’s home ice.
The victory marked the Wolves’ third shutout in 17 home games this season. JORDAN BINNINGTON earned the win Saturday with a 28-save effort while PHEONIX COPLEY blanked Charlotte on Oct. 25 (23 saves) and Manitoba on Nov. 1 (26 saves).
Chicago’s win coupled with Lake Erie’s 3-1 loss at Milwaukee narrowed the gap between the fifth-place Monsters and the sixth-place Wolves in the Central Division race. While Chicago enters today’s game ranked 11th in the Western Conference according to points percentage (.532), JOHN ANDERSON’s team ranks sixth in the conference in goal differential (+6).
By The Numbers
+17: The Wolves have outscored their opponents by 17 goals in their 17 home games this season. The Grand Rapids Griffins (+20) are the only Western Conference team with a better differential.
-11: The Wolves have been outscored by their opponents by 11 goals in their 14 road games. Lake Erie (-13) is close to that differential.
12: In each of the Wolves’ last 12 games, the team that scored the first goal went on to win the contest. In addition, the team that scored the first goal never trailed in those 12 games. The last Wolves games where both teams held the lead was Dec. 4 at Grand Rapids.
.875: The Wolves have won seven of the last eight meetings with Lake Erie at Allstate Arena. The seven wins have been by an average of 2.4 goals per game.
Follow The Action
Today’s game begins at 4 p.m. and can be seen on WCIU The U Too. The game can also be streamed on www.ahllive.com.
Those away from a TV or computer can follow @Chicago_Wolves or @ChiWolvesLive on Twitter for live in-game play-by-play.
