ROCKFORD - The Rockford IceHogs came into Wednesday night's game against the Milwaukee Admirals with a 4-0 record in the playoffs. They swept the Chicago Wolves in the first round and took a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Admirals in the second round to get to that point.
On Wednesday night, with a chance to advance to the Central Division Finals on the line, the IceHogs were outmatched against the Admirals, who played their best game.
Milwaukee got out to a 5-0 lead over the IceHogs over the first two periods. It wasn't until 19:40 of the final frame that Rockford got on the board with a goal scored by Zach Sanford.
Just 1:55 into the third, Samuel Savoie added another to make it 5-2, but that would be the end of their scoring for Rockford. The Admirals added an empty net goal and took the 6-2 score to the bank.
Milwaukee has forced a game four, which will be played at BMO Center in Rockford on Friday night. With a 2-1 series lead, the IceHogs have two more chances to close it out in this best-of-five.
Goaltender Drew Commesso, who has been excellent in the postseason, didn't have his best night. Rockford interim head coach Mark Eaton pulled him in favor of Mitchell Weeks ahead of the third period. That gave Commesso a little bit of extra time to regroup ahead of their next game without the risk of injury.
After winning the division in 2024-25, the Admirals were not going to go down without a fight. From the moment the puck dropped in the first period, they were the smarter, faster, and more physical team. That type of push was expected. Now it's on the IceHogs to respond.
