Rockford, IL. – The Rockford IceHogs fell just short in Game 4, losing 3-2 to the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday night inside the BMO Center. The Admirals' win sets up a pivotal Game 5 on Sunday. Milwaukee opened the scoring for the second-straight night with a goal 7:54 into the game. A failed Rockford clear found the stick of the Admirals’ Turner Ottenbreit, who blasted in a shot from the blue line past Drew Commesso.
On the ensuing center ice faceoff, Rockford won possession and got the puck deep. Jalen Luypen grabbed a hold from behind the net and fed Jackson Cates in front, who snapped a shot through Matt Murray to tie the game. With 1:15 to go in the first period, Rockford completed a lengthy offensive zone cycle, allowing Nolan Allan to make his way below the goal line. The Hogs defenseman spotted rookie Aidan Thompson in front, and the forward slid the puck through the legs of the Milwaukee goaltender, giving Rockford a 2-1 lead.
In the second frame, the Admirals pushed back and outshot Rockford 12-3 in that period. Kyle Marino tied the game at 2-2, stashing in a rebound just inside the blue paint for his first goal of the playoffs. Milwaukee grabbed the lead at 14:27 of the middle period thanks to a man-advantage goal. On their fourth power play of the game, Ozzie Weissblatt located the puck and poked it over the goal line before Commesso could get a whistle.
The IceHogs threw 11 shots towards Murray in the Milwaukee crease but couldn’t find the equalizer. Rockford will now hit the road for a pivotal Game 5 of the series on Sunday, May 11 at 4:00 PM CT inside Panther Arena.
In other playoff action, the Providence Bruins are in the middle of a must-win Game 4 against the Charlotte Checkers. They trail 2-1 in the game and 2-1 in their best-of-five series. Just over two minutes into the game, Providence starting goalie Michael DiPietro left the game after sustaining an injury when someone crashed into him. Brandon Bussi replaced him in net. DiPietro left the game without having recorded a single save, marking a tough break for the Bruins.
DiPietro has been a standout in this postseason, holding a 3-3-0 record with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. His regular season was equally impressive, going 26-8-5 with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. This stellar performance earned him the title of the AHL’s top goalie for the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, the Hershey Bears scored three times in the opening 14:15 of their Game 4 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, ultimately winning 6-4 in Allentown. The decisive Game 5 will be played Sunday at Giant Center in Hershey. Bogdan Trineyev, Chase Priskie, and Mike Vecchione gave the Bears an early 3-0 lead in support of Clay Stevenson, who was making his first career Calder Cup Playoff start.
The Phantoms’ Zayde Wisdom and Rodrigo Ābols scored 35 seconds apart early in the second to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Pierrick Dubé netted his first two goals of the series later in the period, and Ivan Miroshnichenko scored midway through the third to allow Hershey to pull away. Stevenson finished with 28 saves in his first game action since making his NHL debut with Washington on April 17.
In a closely contested series, the Charlotte Checkers will face the Providence Bruins in a crucial Game 5 on Sunday after Providence rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory on Friday night at Bojangles Coliseum. The series is now tied 2-2. Charlotte won the first two games of the series at Providence, but the Bruins returned the favor with a pair of rallies in 3-2 victories.
Friday’s result disappointed a partisan crowd of 5,777 in Charlotte. Providence trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before scoring to force sudden death overtime. The Bruins tied the game with 14:51 left in the third period, and Patrick Brown’s shot 7 minutes, 8 seconds into the overtime period closed out the come-from-behind win. Brown’s shot came after the Checkers had a close-range shot stopped by goalie Brandon Bussi, who had come on early in the game when DiPietro was injured.
Three players who made a difference in the game were Ben Steeves from Charlotte, who tallied his third playoff goal to give the Checkers a 2-1 lead early in the third period; Patrick Brown from Providence, who scored the game-winner; and Brandon Bussi from Providence, who made 28 saves after replacing DiPietro.
This playoff season has been filled with excitement and drama, showcasing the intense rivalry and competitive spirit that defines the AHL. As the playoffs continue, fans can expect more thrilling action as teams vie for the coveted Calder Cup. Tune in to the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO to catch all the action from the IceHogs’ playoff run and watch every game on AHLTV on FloHockey!
