Last Friday, Jason Fleigel and I made the short trip to Rockford to kickoff the Johngy's Beat coverage of the Rockford IceHogs for this season. I was really looking forward to getting back into the hockey mode.
The IceHogs are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. As I have repeatedly written, the IceHogs of today are the Blackhawks of tomorrow. I like to say I am doing advance scouting for the Hawks and I lay claim to a small part of their Stanley Cup championships.
Seriously, I love going to see the IceHogs. Over the last few years, I have attended more IceHogs games than any other Chicago pro team.
Our night started early at the BMHO Harris Bank Center with some lively music on the concourse. Greeted by Hammy (the IceHogs mascot) and dazzled with appetizers and a "Happy Hour," the usual upbeat fans got a bit more amped. This was such a cool experience. I have never seen anything like it at a hockey game.
We reconnected with Mike Peck and Nate Haeni, our media contacts. We talked about the growth of the IceHogs and some exciting things planned for this season.
From our seats in the auxiliary press box, we saw the IceHogs jump to an early 2-0 lead, only to see the Wolves eventually claw their way back. The tied game continued through the new 3-on-3 5 minute overtime period and into the 3 man shootout. The IceHogs scored twice in the shootout to win the game.
A full recap on the victory can be found at IceHogs.com. You can also read my story for Tru School Sports at Rockford IceHogs Move to 4-3.
After the game, we took part in the post game media session. Coach Ted Dent talked about the win and answered questions about his reconfigured lines, the penalties, the new overtime format and more. Below is video from that interview courtesy of the IceHogs. JohngysBeat.com's Jason Fleigel can be heard asking about the overtime, about halfway through the video.
We are so excited to be back on the IceHogs beat. We look forward to another exciting, successful, fun season. We will be providing coverage here, at Tru School Sports, the Patch and Global Traveler. We hope you enjoy our reporting and even more importantly, we hope you come out to some games!
For more info on the IceHogs, including their schedule, promotional dates and ticket info, go to IceHogs.com.
Video courtesy of IceHogs TV IceHogs.com
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