ROCKFORD 1, MANITOBA 0
Rockford goaltender Hannu Toivonen made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season as the IceHogs eked out a 1-0 road win over Manitoba on Thursday in the opener of a two-game set at the MTS Centre.
Toivonen, who improved to 3-3-1 on the campaign, stopped 10 shots apiece in the first and second periods before turning aside nine more in the third frame.
Rookie forward Brandon Pirri provided all the offense the IceHogs would need at 5:39 of the first period when he nabbed his fourth goal of the season. Igor Makarov and rookie Jeremy Morin picked up the assists.
The Moose, who will host Rockford in a rematch on Friday, saw their season-high four-game winning streak come to end.
