Abbotsford, B.C.- Joe Fallon was almost perfect in Abbotsford.  The Rockford IceHogs puckstopper came within a minute of his first career AHL shutout, but turned away 32 Heat shots to help the IceHogs stymie Abbotsford 2-1 at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.

With the win, Rockford ended a seven-game road winless streak (0-6-0-1) and now won’t have to play away from the Rockford MetroCentre until Nov. 27.

Rockford and Abbotsford skated to a scoreless first period on Saturday. Fallon faced 11 Heat shots and blocked them all while Leland Irving turned away all nine Rockford chances. The IceHogs failed to score on two first period power plays.ADVERTISEMENT

In the second period Nathan Davis would give Rockford the 1-0 lead. Davis picked up a Jake Dowell centering pass and knocked it off the glove of Irving and in for his sixth goal of the season at 12:12. Matt Keith also assisted on the goal.

Evan Brophey extended the IceHogs lead to 2-0 with a 5-on-3 power play goal. Brophey hammered in a Mark Cullen pass for his second tally of the season at 19:08. Pete MacArthur also figured in with an assist.

Abbotsford staged a mini-comeback in the third period to cut the IceHogs lead down to 2-1. While on a power play, Mikael Backlund shelved his sixth goal of the season at 19:00 of the third period.

That was all that the Heat could muster on Fallon and the IceHogs. Fallon came in relief of Corey Crawford on Friday night and turned away all 26 shots faced and blocked 58 of 59 shots overall on the weekend.

Are You an Insider Yet?
SZ Insider. A look ahead into the big player feature, the big story, tips, rumors, and special opportunities for collectibles and memorabilia only available for our insiders. Free monthly to your e-mailbox. Click the link to subscribe to this FREE newsletter!