After Rockford scored first in the game, the Monsters scored three straight goals, before giving up five unanswered to the IceHogs – including four in the third period. Lake Erie’s three-game win streak was snapped in a loss that included 120 combined penalty minutes and four combined ejections.
The loss snapped Lake Erie’s three-game win streak and wrapped up the team’s three-in-three weekend. The game was the third in a string of seven straight on the road for the Monsters.
Rockford's Brandon Bollig batted in a bouncing puck to give the IceHogs a 1-0 lead on a disputed play at 9:06 of the first period, before the Monsters would go on to score three unanswered in the opening frame.
At 13:48 of the first period, Luke Walker found Andrew Agozzino in front of the Rockford net, and Agozzino wasted no time in one-timing the pass by Rockford's Carter Hutton for his fifth goal of the season. David van der Gulik also assisted.
Bill Thomas sent a puck top-shelf for his third goal of the season at 15:15 of the first period with assists to Brad Malone and Mark Olver to give the Monsters a 2-1 lead.
Just over two minutes later at 17:34 of the first, Tyson Barrie scooted up the right side and fired a wrist shot by Hutton to give the Monsters a 3-1 lead. The three goals in less than four minutes were the only three the Monsters registered in the game.
In the second period, Rockford cut their deficit to 3-2 at 18:31 when Adam Clendening netted a point shot on the power play.
Following the close of the second period, an altercation developed that resulted in the Monsters Patrick Bordeleau being ejected, as well as three IceHogs ejected: Bollig, Andrew Shaw, and Wade Brookbank.
Rockford scored four goals in the third period to come back and secure the win. Shawn LaLonde, Brandon Pirri, Kyle Beach, and Jeremy Morin scored within a span of less than eight minutes in the final frame for the IceHogs.
Calvin Pickard stopped 27 of 33 in the loss and falls to 4-3-0 overall. Hutton is 4-4-1 and stopped 21 pucks in the victory.
The Monsters will return to action in Houston against the Aeros Friday night at 8:00 PM Eastern on AM 1220 WHKW.
NOTES: The Monsters were 0-11 on the power play, snapping a streak of back-to-back games with a power play goal... Rockford was 3-6 on the power play... The Monsters were penalized 13 times for a total of 42 minutes, while Rockford was penalized 19 times for a total of 78 penalty minutes... The two assists in the game secured Brad Malone's first multi-point game of the season.