Staff Report

ROCKFORD — Jordan Schroeder scored in the shootout and Collin Delia stoned all three shooters he faced to the keep the surging  Rockford IceHogs rolling with a 2-1 win over the first-place Chicago Wolves at the BMO Harris Bank Center Wednesday.

The ‘Hogs have now won six straight home games for the first time since 2014-15 and are 14-5-1-1 over their last 21 games since Jan. 25.

Schroeder cruised in slowly on Wolves netminder Oscar Dansk in the shootout, nearly reaching the crease before making his move. The forward took Dansk to his stick side and quickly flipped a backhander past the outstretched goalie for the lone tally for either team in the shootout.

Delia stopped Tomas Hyka, Gage Quinney and T.J. Tynan to notch his first shootout win on the season.

The IceHogs goaltender also turned away 32 of 33 of shots in regulation, allowing just a lone goal to Quinney on a shorthanded breakway attempt at 18:19 in the second frame. Delia also helped Rockford kill off each of Chicago’s six power-play opportunities, including fending off a 5-on-3 during the final minutes to send the Hogs to overtime.

Victor Ejdsell scored Rockford’s only goal in regulation at 3:56 in the middle stanza.

Following tonight’s contest, the IceHogs can claim the 2018-19 Illinois Lottery Cup series outright with a victory in their final matchup with the Wolves on March 31 in Rockford.

“It’s good to the intensity out of us,” Schroeder said. “(We are) showing we are not going to back down. Every point is huge at this time of year, so we are going take it one game at a time and keep going.”

The IceHogs travel to Milwaukee Friday for the first in a three-game series with the Admirals. They return to the BMO Saturday.