ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Chicago Wolves surrendered goals on Abbotsford’s first two shots Sunday afternoon, but turned things around for a 3-2 triumph at Allstate Arena that snapped a three-game winless streak.
 
Darren Haydar’s power-play goal 57 seconds into the third period made the difference for the Wolves, who wrapped up the 2012 portion of their schedule with a 14-11-3-1 record. Andrew Ebbett and Jordan Schroeder also scored as part of Chicago’s eighth consecutive one-goal decision.
 
“It was unfortunate to have them score on their first two shots, but then we took it to them,” said Wolves head coach Scott Arniel. “We were all over them after that and guys got rewarded for doing things the right way.”
 
Abbotsford (16-9-3-3) opened the scoring at 2:06 of the first period as the Wolves surrendered their first shorthanded goal of the season. Chicago couldn’t control the puck at the blue line, so Heat center Roman Horak took off on a breakaway and lifted a backhander over rookie goaltender Joe Cannata’s right shoulder.
 
The Heat went up 2-0 while enjoying a two-man advantage at 11:02 of the first. Krys Kolanos passed it across the crease to Ben Walter, who got a stick on the puck and left it on the doorstep for Paul Byron to tap it home with a backhand.
 
The Wolves launched their rally on Ebbett’s power-play goal at 17:39 of the first. Brad Hunt fed Ebbett for a one-timer from the right circle that whizzed over Abbotsford goaltender Barry Brust’s glove. Haydar also earned an assist on the play.
 
Schroeder pulled the Wolves even during 4-on-4 action at 10:35 of the second period. Defenseman Zach Miskovic fed Brett Sterling in the slot, but the puck deflected out to open ice near the top of the right circle. Schroeder took his time and rifled a shot over Brust’s glove for his first goal since Nov. 28.
 
Haydar delivered the game-winner on a power play at 0:57 of the third period. Zack Kassian held the puck just to Brust’s left and tried to whack the puck past him. Haydar caught the puck on the other side of the net, dropped it and whacked it home before Brust could get back into position. Ebbett also picked up an assist.
 
Cannata (1-0-0) stopped Abbotsford’s final 14 shots to pick up the win in his season debut. Brust (8-4-1) posted 33 saves for the Heat.
 
The Wolves return to action Thursday with a 7 p.m. Amtrak Rivalry game at Milwaukee before hosting Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5.
 
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ROCKFORD, Ill – The Chicago Wolves power-play unit produced multiple goals for the second time this season, but those markers weren’t enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat against the Rockford IceHogs on Thursday night at the MetroCentre.
Center Andrew Ebbett and left wing Brett Sterling delivered power-play strikes for the Wolves (13-10-3-1). Right wing Zack Kassian set up both scores while goaltender Matt Climie, making his 10^th start in a row for Chicago, recorded 36 saves.
The Wolves opened fast by taking advantage of their first power-play opportunity at 3:22 of the first period. Kassian accepted a Darren Haydar pass below the goal line and backhanded a pass to Ebbett, who flashed in front of the crease and slid the puck between Rockford goaltender Carter Hutton’s legs.
The IceHogs (16-13-1-1) answered at 5:51 of the first when Rob Flick tapped in a rebound. Rockford center Martin St. Pierre set it up when he stole the puck in the neutral zone and cruised toward the net for a shot that Climie stopped.
Rockford took a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at the 4:40 mark of the second period. Nick Leddy fired a wrister from just above the left circle and Andrew Shaw redirected the puck into the net.
The Wolves evened it up with Sterling’s power-play tally at 15:54 of the second. Similar to the team’s first score, Kassian’s backhand pass from below the goal line set up the play. Sterling secured the puck inside the right circle and directed it past Hutton’s right skate for his team-high ninth goal of the season.
The IceHogs regained the lead at the 18:00 mark when Climie allowed a long rebound on Leddy’s shot from the far faceoff circle. St. Pierre scooped up the puck, carried it in and wristed it past Climie’s stick.
Climie (6-9-0) stopped 36 shots for the Wolves, including Shaw’s penalty shot at 4:52 of the first period. Hutton (12-11-1) got the win with 23 saves.
The Wolves wrap up the 2012 portion of their schedule with a pair of weekend home games against the Abbotsford Heat. The Wolves and Heat meet at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Allstate Arena
 
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ROSEMONT, Ill.—Chicago Wolves goaltender Matt Climie and Abbotsford Heat netminder Barry Brust dueled for 60 minutes, but the Wolves posted the lone goal to earn a 1-0 win at their School-Day game Wednesday afternoon at the Allstate Arena.
 
Right wing Darren Haydar’s first-period goal was all Climie (6-7-0) would need as he kicked out all 27 shots he faced in backstopping Chicago (13-9-2-1) to its fourth straight victory, which matched a season-high.
 
With the win, the Wolves have improved to 7-1-0-0 all-time in day games.
 
  “I told the guys that whoever wakes up first will win the game,” said Wolves head coach Scott Arniel. “We had a great first period and got them on the ropes early and were able to win another one-goal game.”
 
Haydar’s goal came at 10:02 of the first period as he finished off a three-on-two rush with forwards Jordan Schroeder and Nathan Longpre. Longpre skated into the Heat zone and sent a pass to the far boards for Schroeder, who found Haydar in the slot and the Chicago captain snapped a wrister over Brust’s stick.
 
Brust (8-2-1) thwarted 34 of 35 shots for Abbotsford (15-6-3-3).
 
The Wolves head to Michigan to battle the Grand Rapids Griffins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, at Van Andel Arena. They return home on Saturday, Dec. 29, for a 7 p.m. game with Abbotsford.
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ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Chicago Wolves erased a 1-0 deficit with three unanswered markers to drop their Illinois Lottery Cup rival Peoria Rivermen 3-1 Saturday night at the Allstate Arena.
 
Forwards Tim Miller, Michael Davies, and Darren Archibald provided the goals for Chicago, which snapped a four-game losing streak and earned the victory for just the second time in its last nine tilts.
 
  “I think the whole team did a great job of sacrificing and committing to the win late in the game,” said Wolves head coach Scott Arniel. “It was real nice to erase some struggles in the third by turning a one-goal lead into two late in the game.”
 
After surrendering the first goal of the game early in the second period, Chicago (9-8-2-1) rattled off the game’s final three tallies.
 
The Wolves tied the score and grabbed the lead in a 2:27 span during the middle frame. Miller knotted the score when he kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and hammered a shot from the slot past Rivermen netminder Jake Allen.
 
Davies’ marker at 12:53 gave the Wolves the lead. After a scramble in front of the net, center Andrew Ebbett collected the puck, wrapped around the net and found Davies in the near circle for a wrister past Allen.
 
Archibald closed out scoring when he skated into the Rivermen zone and fired a shot from the top of the near circle that got past Allen at 16:32 of the third period.
 
Peoria (6-10-2-1) posted its lone tally 3:15 into the second period when right wing Anthony Peluso found forward Derek Nesbitt in the high slot and his one-timer beat Wolves goaltender Matt Climie glove-side.
 
Climie (2-6-0) posted 24 saves in the win, while Allen (5-9-1) stopped 29 shots in the loss.
 
The Wolves return to the ice at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, when they host the Midwest Division-leading Grand Rapids Griffins at the Allstate Arena.
 
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ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Chicago Wolves held a lead late in the third period, but gave up the equalizer and then the extra point in the shootout as the Milwaukee Admirals skated away with a 4-3 Amtrak Rivalry win Saturday night at the Allstate Arena.
 
Forwards Jordan Schroeder and Zack Kassian and defenseman Brad Hunt lit the lamp in regulation for Chicago, which dropped its fifth decision in its last six outings.
 
  “Two nights in a row we have given up a goal the shift after we score,” said Wolves head coach Scott Arniel. “I guess these are some lessons we are going to have to learn the hard way.”
 
After battling for 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, the Admirals grabbed the extra point in the shootout. Center Austin Watson and defenseman Jonathon Blum scored in the shootout for Milwaukee, while Kassian potted the lone shootout tally for Chicago.
 
Chicago (8-6-2-1) opened scoring while on the power play 5:47 into the game. Kassian held the puck at the near side of the net and saucered a pass through the crease, where Hunt streaked in and hammered home a one-timer past Admirals netminder Magnus Hellberg.
 
Milwaukee (7-8-1-1) answered 2:18 later when right wing Juuso Puustinen scooped up a rebound in the slot and his shot was tipped by Watson past Wolves goaltender Eddie Lack at 8:05.
 
The Admirals grabbed a 2-1 lead 1:21 into the second period when right wing Daniel Bang pulled and dragged around a Wolves defender and snapped a wrister from the far circle under Lack’s arm.
 
The Wolves knotted the score at two when Schroeder converted a three-on-two rush by accepting an Andrew Gordon pass and firing a shot under the glove of Hellberg at 8:56 of the middle frame.
 
Chicago grabbed a brief 3-2 lead when right wing Darren Haydar batted a puck out of midair that deflected off the pads of Hellberg and dropped down to the crease, where Kassian banged it home.
 
Hellberg (3-0-0) stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime and five of six attempts in the shootout.
 
Watson tied the score for Milwaukee just 46 seconds later with his second tally of the night. Defenseman Ryan Ellis’ shot from the point got through traffic and Watson tipped it from the slot past Lack.
 
Lack (7-4-1) kicked out 29 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime and four of six attempts in the shootout.
 
The Wolves resume the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry with the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the Allstate Arena.  
 
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ROSEMONT, Ill. – Left wing Brett Sterling scored two goals and handed out one assist as the Chicago Wolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win Tuesday night over the Milwaukee Admirals at Allstate Arena.
 
Right wing Andrew Gordon, defenseman Mark Matheson and center Jordan Schroeder added tallies for the Wolves (8-5-2-0) while Anton Rodin handed out a professional-best three assists.
 
  “It was a very strong effort by the entire team tonight,” said Wolves head coach Scott Arniel. “It was nice to see guys make some plays and get rewarded for their hard work.”
 
Sterling set the tone by producing the game’s first goal at 7:14 of the first period. Defenseman Derek Joslin carried the puck into the zone and dropped it to Sterling, who fired from the top of the right circle for his fifth goal of the season.
 
Sterling followed that with a backhand pass to Gordon, who was slashing toward the net and knocked home his fifth goal of the season. His power-play tally made it 2-0 at 12:27 of the first.
 
Matheson pushed the margin to 3-0 just 62 seconds into the second period with a wrister from the left circle through heavy traffic. After Milwaukee’s Chris Mueller scored his first of two goals, Schroeder answered with a goal from the slot that required him to fall to his knees and elbows to complete his move.
 
The Admirals (6-8-1-0) cut the margin to 4-2 at 1:41 of the third, but Sterling rifled home his second goal of the night just 30 seconds later to give the Wolves some breathing room.
 
Goaltender Eddie Lack (7-3-0) stopped 23 shots for the win. Milwaukee’s Jeremy Smith (4-8-0) saved 25 of 29 shots in the opening 40 minutes before being replaced by Magnus Hellberg to start the third period.
 
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