Game Two of the second-round series between the Rockford IceHogs and Milwaukee Admirals took place on Saturday night. Rockford, thanks to their overtime win on Thursday, came in with a 1-0 series lead.
A win for Rockford would give it a commanding 2-0 series lead in this best-of-five series, which it has a chance to win on Wednesday night at home. The Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate wants to play as long as possible so that the young prospects gain high-pressure experience.
Joey Anderson kicked things off for the IceHogs just 1:09 into the opening period. From there, it was all Rockford. Anderson ended the period with his second of the game at 19:04.
Shockingly, Anderson completed the natural hat trick just 1:02 into the second period. This put Rockford in a great spot with a 3-0 lead. Milwaukee got itself on the board at 14:22 of the middle frame, but the IceHogs got it back when Samuel Savoie scored before the period ended.
In the third period, Brett Seney and Aidan Thompson tacked on two more to make it 6-1, which held as the final. Now, the IceHogs have a 2-0 series lead over the Central Division's top-seeded Admirals.
For Thompson, that was his first goal in pro hockey following his move from the University of Denver to the AHL. The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to see his development continue to trend upward as it has all year.
Joey Anderson's playoff hat trick was the first in the IceHogs franchise history. It set the tone early, and they never looked back. He deserved to be the first star of the game as he set them up nicely to win the game.
Goaltender Drew Commesso was the second star of the game thanks to his performance in the IceHogs' net. He made 30 saves on 31 shots in the win. Commesso is starting to get his name into the "playoff MVP" conversation, as long as the IceHogs can go deep enough.
Next up for this series is a transition to Rockford after the first two games were played in Milwaukee. The IceHogs hope to close out the series with a sweep on Wednesday night at BMO Center.
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