ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Wolves wrapped up their 2024-25 American Hockey League regular season by throttling the Rockford IceHogs 5-0 on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
Bradly Nadeau (two goals), Justin Robidas (goal, three assists) and Juha Jaaska (goal, assist) led the way offensively for the Wolves while netminder Spencer Martin made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season. Josiah Slavin also scored and Ty Smith chipped in two assists for the Wolves, who finished the season in fourth place in the Central Division and now shift attention to the playoffs.
“I feel like the last few games we’ve been able to have a playoff game mentality,” Martin said after the game. “That’s perfect for what we’re doing right now. You can see it in our intensity and our game and we brought it (Saturday night).”
Chicago will face Rockford in the best-of-three first round of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs starting Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. The Wolves held a 9-3-0-0 series edge between the rivals in the regular season.
The Wolves grabbed the lead when Jaaska scored with the Wolves on the power play 6 minutes, 15 seconds into the opening period. Smith stepped into a one-timer at the point, the puck caromed off the stick of Robidas and Jaaska then redirected it past Rockford netminder Mitchell Weeks. Robidas and Smith earned assists on Jaaska’s 12th marker of the season.
Slavin’s goal late in the first extended the Wolves’ lead to 2-0. The captain pounced on a rebound of a Skyler Brind’Amour shot and from in close deposited the puck into the net for Slavin’s 12th goal of the season. Brind’Amour and Joakim Ryan recorded assists.
The Wolves kept coming in the second period and took a commanding advantage on Nadeau’s power-play score early on. The 19-year-old rookie took a feed from Robidas and unleashed a one-timer from the left circle that zipped over the right shoulder of Weeks. Robidas and Smith had helpers on the tally.
Robidas sniped his 20th goal of the season midway through the period when the rookie forward got behind the IceHogs defense, received a pass from Nick Swaney and ripped a wrist shot that solved Weeks to the stick side. Swaney and Charles-Alexis Legault picked up assists on the score that gave the Wolves a 4-0 lead.
Late in the second, the rout was on when Nadeau potted his second of the game with the Wolves on the man advantage. Robidas again found his teammate open in the left circle and put the puck in Nadeau’s wheelhouse and the rookie wired a one-timer into the net for his team-leading 32nd goal of the season.
While Martin captured the win in goal for the Wolves, Weeks (24 saves) suffered the loss for Rockford.
Chicago finished the regular season 37-31-4-0 while Rockford stood at 31-33-6-2.
Up next: The Wolves will host the Rockford IceHogs in Game 1 of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) at Allstate Arena.
Fans interested in Wolves tickets for the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs should call 1-800-THE-WOLVES or go here.
