The Blackhawks may not be in the postseason but their farm club is as the IceHogs are one win closer to a championship than the parent club with a 2-1 victory versus the Stars in Game 1 of the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

IceHogs Game Summary

Game 1 ✅️

Come with us as we celebrate with the boys!!! pic.twitter.com/cnNrNYcD5g

— x- Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 5, 2022

Boxscore: Round 1, Game 1

Rockford IceHogs 2
Texas Stars 1

(Rockford leads the series 1-0)

Busdeker - Reichel - Teply
Hardman - Slavin - Barratt
Morrison - McLaughlin - Gicewicz
Osipov - G Mitchell - Gabriel

Phillips - I Mitchell
Kalynuk - Regula
Stanton - Galvas

Soderblom
Morris

1st Goal (1-0): Reichel (Teply, Busdeker)
2nd Goal (2-0): Gicewicz (Phillips, Morrison)
3rd Goal (2-1): Karlstrom (L'Esperance, Petrovic)

SOG For/Against: 30/34
PP: 0-for-1
PK: 1-for-1

Highlights

Is anyone surprised the first goal of this series went to our guy Reichel😌 pic.twitter.com/i1M0pR1qFX

— x- Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 5, 2022

Gicewicz with the deflection. IceHogs with the 2-0 lead😄 pic.twitter.com/WKnEfWgIcX

— x- Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 5, 2022

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IceHogs Notebook

Happy humans 😊 pic.twitter.com/nK5195MzBX

— x- Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 5, 2022

* Arvid Soderblom was solid in net stopping 33 of 34 shots with mostly routine saves not needing much in the way of acrobatics or desperation attempts.

* Ian Mitchell returned to the lineup after nursing a wrist injury; in Game 1, he showed his refinement in maintaining tight gaps, making smart and safe plays, and protecting the net front.

* Michal Teply is not just a shooter as he put on display his underrated playmaking as well as his improvement in being elusive with the puck whether along the boards or in open ice.

* After a being a regular on the Blackhawks blueline toward the end of the season, Alec Regula demonstrated enhanced patience and poise especially in his own end in the opening game.

* Notable scratches for Game 1 included Nicolas Beaudin and Andrei Altybarmakian.

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Blackhawks Notebook

Congrats to Murph on being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy!

The trophy is presented to those who best exemplify leadership qualities on and off the ice 👊 pic.twitter.com/L2B56eh2GQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) May 4, 2022

* Connor Murphy is the Blackhawks nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for exemplifying leadership in games, in the locker room, and in the community.

* Dylan Strome is the Blackhawks nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for exhibiting perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.

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Readers Q&A Mailbag

If you have any questions you want to ask about the offseason -- whether about who stays/who goes, the entry draft, free agency, trades, prospects, etc -- please send me a private message or email me at [email protected].

All questions will be answered and featured in a mailbag blog due out in a week or so.

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See you on the boards!

Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago

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