ROCKFORD — Dylan Sikura scored three goals in a six-minute stretch in the third period to rally the IceHogs to a 7-4 victory over the Wolves on Sunday.
Defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Jimmy Schuldt and forwards Lucas Elvenes and Reid Duke scored for the Wolves (6-5-1-0).
Sikura’s hat trick highlighted a four-goal rally that put the IceHogs up 6-4 with 3:20 left in the third period.
The Wolves took a 1-0 lead on Whitecloud’s power-play goal 11:59 into the game. Keegan Kolesar’s cross-ice pass set up Whitecloud’s one-time blast from the left circle for his first goal of the season.
Elvenes came through with his fifth goal of the season at 14:27 to make it 2-0. Elvenes tried to dish to a teammate breaking to the net, but it went off a skate and back to Elvenes for a backhanded goal.
The Wolves pushed the lead to 3-0 at 5:51 of the second. Elvenes spun away from an IceHogs forward along the boards, then spied Schuldt breaking to the left circle for his first professional goal. He beat Collin Delia on the glove side.
Rockford (5-5-0-0) got on the board with center Jacob Nilsson’s redirect, but Duke responded with a backhander from close range to restore a three-goal lead at 9:48. IceHogs forward MacKenzie Entwistle capped the flurry with a goal at 10:51 to cut the margin to 4-2.
Sikura’s power-play goal pulled Rockford within 4-3 with 9:18 remaining, then Brandon Hagel roofed a shot from close range to forge a 4-4 tie with 7:53 to go. Sikura’s one-timer from the right faceoff dot with 6:23 left gave Rockford its first lead.
Sikura wrapped up his hat trick when his brother, Tyler, assisted him just outside the crease for a quick shot at 16:40. Reese Johnson added an empty-netter with 22 seconds left to make it 7-4.
Delia (2-3-0) finished with 21 saves for the IceHogs. Oscar Dansk (2-3-0) stopped 16 of 22 shots for the Wolves.
The Wolves wrap up their five-game road trip Thursday against Iowa.
