The AHL regular season is over and the playoffs are beginning. The Rockford IceHogs start their series against the Texas stars on Friday.
The IceHogs finished 46-23-5, good for 2nd place in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. They finished one point behind the Grand Rapids Griffins. This puts them as a 4th seed in the playoffs (behind the 3 division winners).
Texas finished at 40-22-13 for 2nd in the Western Division of the Western Conference. It also puts them in 5th place overall in the conference and into the playoff series against the IceHogs.
Interestingly, the IceHogs had a lot of scratches and played some of the young talent. The Griffins did the same. During the post-game media session, Coach Dent said it was out of his hands, but he did not seem annoyed. In talking with some of the local press and staffers, the general feeling is that the seeding at that point didn't matter much.
In any case, the series starts tomorrow in Cedar Park, TX (near Austin). It continues on Saturday still in Texas. The series comes back to Rockford for the rest of the series starting with Game 3 on Wednesday, April 29. Game 4 is on Friday, May 1, if necessary and Game 5 would be on Sunday, May 2, if necessary.
I do believe the IceHogs will win the series. The question is in how many games. I'd like to make a prediction, but truthfully it will be more like a guess. I see the IceHogs splitting in Texas and winning it in Game 4 in Rockford.
The fans were super in the last game of the season and really showed their appreciation for the IceHogs as the final horn sounded. It has been a fun season and I look forward to it continuing all the way to the Calder Cup!
For more info and updates, check out IceHogs.com. Of course, I will be covering the IceHogs right here, as well.
Ted Dent and me in Rockford, IL-April 2015.
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