IceHogs Down Wolves 4-1 in Final Regular-Season Visit to Rockford

Martin Misiak put the IceHogs on the board 6:40 into the first period, and Rockford never surrendered the lead for good in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Friday night at BMO Center, the rivals' 10th and final regular-season meeting in Rockford this year.

The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the IceHogs, who stand at 21-32-3-2, while Chicago dropped its fourth consecutive game to fall to 28-15-6-6.

Misiak's opener, set up by a pass from Jamie Engelbert, gave Rockford the early edge. The Wolves answered with 18 seconds left in the period when Ryan Suzuki camped alongside the right post and redirected a Bradly Nadeau feed past Drew Commesso. Assisted by Nadeau and Juuso Valimaki, it was Suzuki's 11th goal of the season and the only moment all night Chicago could celebrate.

Joey Anderson restored the Rockford lead in the second period, and the IceHogs carried a 2-1 advantage into the third. Midway through the final frame, Taige Harding pushed it to 3-1, and Rem Pitlick added an empty-netter in the waning moments to close it out. Commesso finished with 29 saves to earn the win; Cayden Primeau stopped 21 shots in taking the loss for Chicago.

"We came out with a lot of energy and really set the tone early," Anderson said. "It was a great team effort from start to finish."

From the Wolves' side, forward Givani Smith acknowledged Rockford dictated the evening. "They were rolling all four lines and just playing hard and we didn't match that tempo," Smith said. "It was definitely one of the most physical games I've seen so far but it's good we can get these games in early so it will prepare us for the postseason." He added a pointed assessment of where Chicago stands: "We just have to find what we have left."

Chicago returns to Allstate Arena to host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday at 5 p.m. Rockford, looking to push its playoff positioning in the AHL Central, hosts the Iowa Wild on Saturday at 7 p.m., with the first 2,500 fans 21 and older receiving an IceHogs Bucket Hat Giveaway presented by Bud Light.