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Chicago Wolves Dominate Rockford IceHogs in Central Division Showdown
The defending Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves achieved a 3-0 victory against the Rockford IceHogs in a critical Central Division game on April 1, 2023, at the Allstate Arena. The win marked the Wolves’ third consecutive victory and tied a franchise record of keeping their opponent shotless in the opening period. Anttoni Honka of the Wolves scored a goal and one assist, while Josh Melnick and Griffin Mendel also contributed scores. Pyotr Kochetkov guarded the Wolves’ goal, recording a 19-save shutout to secure the win.
Vasily Ponomarev, with the aid of Honka, assisted Melnick in scoring the opening goal of the game during a power play in the first period. Honka, later during the game, scored the second goal for Wolves with an assist by Zach Senyshyn and Jamieson Rees. The Wolves held Rockford to no shots on goal in the first period, marking the third time in franchise history that the Wolves did so.
The Wolves gained momentum during the second period, and Mendel added to the scoreboard with an assist from Malte Stromwall and Mackenzie MacEachern. Rockford got its first shot on goal three minutes into the second period, and the Wolves held an advantage of 27-8 after two periods.
Kochetkov’s performance helped him to improve his record to 14-5-2-1 for the season, while Rockford’s Jaxson Stauber (35 saves) suffered the loss. The win gave the Wolves points in four consecutive games and pulled them to within four points of the IceHogs for the last Central Division postseason berth with a game in hand.
Up next, the Wolves will host the Milwaukee Admirals on April 2, 2023, at the Allstate Arena.
Media outlets keen on covering the 2023 Calder Cup champion Wolves in the 2023-23 season can get in touch with Wolves Director of Public Relations, Chris Kuc.
