ROCKFORD, Ill. -- After falling behind by three goals in the first period, the Rockford IceHogs scored five unanswered tallies in the second frame on the way to a 6-4 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday at the BMO Center.

The loss ends a nine-game point streak for Grand Rapids and is the team’s first regulation defeat since Oct. 10. Wilmer Skoog led the team in points with three assists, and Carter Bear recorded two helpers to extend his point streak to five games (1-8–9). Dylan James, Noah Dower Nilsson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jacob Bryson each recorded a goal.

Grand Rapids struck three times in the first period, and James got the ball rolling at the 4:34 mark on a man-advantage. Jesse Kiiskinen picked up an assist on the goal when his shot was deflected by a defender and James sent the ricocheted puck into the empty net from the left circle for a 1-0 lead.

With 9:23 left in the period, William Lagesson fired a shot from the left point, and the puck bounced off Dower Nilsson in front of the crease to make it 2-0.

An unsuccessful challenge by Rockford on the scoring play put Grand Rapids on a power play, and a second infraction with 1:12 remaining on the first penalty gave the Griffins a 5-on-3 opportunity. Sandin-Pellikka made the most of the man-advantage by taking a pass from Bear and launching a one-timer that found its way through the goaltender’s pads for a 3-0 lead at 12:02. 

The IceHogs flipped the script in the second, starting when Jamie Engelbert netted Rockford’s first goal with a slap shot from the high slot at 5:24.

Less than two minutes later, Marek Vanacker closed the gap to 3-2 by picking up the puck in the low slot and tucking it inside the left goal post at 7:07. With 8:28 remaining in the period, the IceHogs drew even with the Griffins when a shot from the right circle from Derrick Pouliot bounced off the left post and into the net on a power play.

Vanacker found the twine again at the 14:22 mark with a shot from the left circle that glanced off the right post for Rockford’s first lead of the game. The IceHogs capped off the second period with a goal scored by Sacha Boisvert from the slot with 2:17 left to play and carried a 5-3 advantage into the third frame.

After entering the game to start the third period, Trey Augustine was pulled with 4:12 remaining for an extra attacker, and Bryson brought the Griffins within one by taking a pass from Bear and shooting the puck past the goalie from the top of the left circle at 16:14.

The Griffins again pulled Augustine with 3:13 remaining, but A.J. Spellacy sealed the 6-4 win with a goal on the empty net at the 18:17 mark.

Notes

• Grand Rapids finished 2-for-7 on the man-advantage against Rockford and now have a power-play goal in each of its last 10 games.
• James now has seven points in his last four games (3-4–7).
• Dower Nilsson has a goal in each of his last four games (4-0–4).

Box Score
Grand Rapids 3 0 1 - 4
Rockford 0 5 1 - 6

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, James 5 (Kiiskinen, Muzzatti), 4:34 (PP). 2, Grand Rapids, Dower Nilsson 4 (Lagesson, Skoog), 10:37. 3, Grand Rapids, Sandin-Pellikka 1 (Bear, Skoog), 12:02 (PP). Penalties-Mackey Rfd (tripping), 2:52; Dower Nilsson Gr (closing hand on puck), 6:26; Christensen Gr (fighting), 8:46; Furlong Rfd (fighting), 8:46; served by Felcman Rfd (delay of game - bench minor (unsuccessful challenge)), 10:37; Fitzgerald Rfd (tripping), 11:25; Kannok Leipert Gr (tripping), 14:33; Sandin-Pellikka Gr (cross-checking), 17:27.

2nd Period-4, Rockford, Engelbert 1 (Fitzgerald, Furlong), 5:24. 5, Rockford, Vanacker 1 (Mackey, Hayes), 7:07. 6, Rockford, Pouliot 2 (Felcman, Toninato), 11:32 (PP). 7, Rockford, Vanacker 2 (Hayes, Furlong), 14:22. 8, Rockford, Boisvert 1 (Slaggert, Hislop), 17:43. Penalties-Bear Gr (tripping), 3:20; Muzzatti Gr (hooking), 11:10; Vanacker Rfd (hooking), 12:10.

3rd Period-9, Grand Rapids, Bryson 2 (Bear, Skoog), 16:14. 10, Rockford, Spellacy 1 (Slaggert), 18:17 (EN). Penalties-Vanacker Rfd (slashing), 4:44; Spellacy Rfd (high-sticking), 9:51; Dower Nilsson Gr (slashing), 11:45; Hislop Rfd (interference), 19:17.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 8-4-12-24. Rockford 10-14-4-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 2 / 7; Rockford 1 / 6.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Gylander 1-1-0 (24 shots-19 saves); Augustine 4-1-2 (3 shots-3 saves). Rockford, Berezhnoy 3-2-0 (24 shots-20 saves).
A-5,012

Three Stars
1. RFD Vanacker (two goals); 2. RFD Boisvert (game-winning goal); 3. RFD Spellacy (empty-net goal)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 10-2-1-1 (22 pts.) / Wed., Nov. 11 vs. Rockford 11 a.m.
Rockford: 5-6-0-1 (11 pts.) / Wed., Nov. 11 at Grand Rapids 10 a.m. CDT

Photo by Kristin Ostrowski/Rockford IceHogs