The Rockford IceHogs were looking great in the Calder Cup Playoffs. When they took a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Admirals in their second-round matchup, they did it with their fourth win in a row.
That gave them three chances to close out the series. After losing the next two, the two teams competed in a winner-take-all game five on Sunday in Milwaukee.
Game five started negatively for Rockford. Chase De Leo scored his first of the playoffs for Milwaukee to put them up 1-0.
However, the IceHogs showed some life in the first ten minutes of the second period. Zach Sanford scored two goals in under three minutes to give Rockford a 2-1 lead.
Before the middle frame ended, the Admirals took the lead back. Back-to-back goals by Fedor Svechkov and Jesse Ylonen made it a 3-2 score.
At 11:09 of the third period, Joey Anderson tucked in his fifth of the playoffs to tie the game for the IceHogs. At that point, it was clear that both teams wanted to move on badly. It would be an understatement to say that they were evenly matched, despite where they finished in the regular season standings.
60 minutes wasn’t enough to settle this game or series. Just 1:38 into the fourth period, Fedor Svechkov scored his second to win the game and the series for Milwaukee. It was a hard-fought matchup between two great teams. It was only fitting that it came down to one sudden-death goal.
Now, the Admirals will move on to the Central Division Championship of the Calder Cup Playoffs. They will see the Texas Stars in that series.
As for Rockford, there will be some changes. The Chicago Blackhawks may have a handful of their players in their opening night lineup next year.
Guys like Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, and Nolan Allan, amongst others, are all going to compete for jobs at training camp. There are also players on the IceHogs roster who may be looking to make their NHL debut in the fall.
Reinforcements could be on the way as well. The Blackhawks will likely have some of the younger guys, like Taige Harding and Marek Vanacker, play in Rockford to begin their careers.
Goaltender Drew Commesso deserves some individual praise. He gave the IceHogs a chance to win every night. The Blackhawks’ backup situation in 2025-26 is cloudy, but he will be in the mix.
Only time will tell if Rockford has what it needs to make a run again next season. It can be difficult in the AHL with all of the NHL transactions that affect their on-ice list of players.
Every player, including veterans like Joey Anderson and Brett Seney, should be proud of the year that they had.
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