The Rochester Ice Hawks have rebounded well from a late-season five-game losing streak.
Their hot play couldn't come at a better time. With just one game remaining before the start of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League playoffs begin, Rochester is riding a four-game winning streak.
The latest victory in that streak came Friday night, in the team's final home game of the regular season, when the Ice Hawks topped the Minnesota Owls, 5-2.
"I thought we got really solid goaltending from Michael Hynes; we got him at the trade deadline and he stepped in and did fine," said Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis.
Hynes had 26 saves and the Ice Hawks never trailed, building a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Chris Williford, Rob Turner and Austin Rust.
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The Owls (26-18-0-3) climbed back into the game early in the second period, when Jerid Adamson and Kyle Johnson scored in a span of 2 minutes, 31 seconds, to pull within 3-2.
Rochester regained the momentum for good, though, at 16:13 of the second period, when league scoring leader Tyler Beasley tallied an unassisted power-play goal for a 4-2 lead.
Jake Zarzycki added an insurance goal for the Hawks at 8:29 of the third.
Antonio Baccari had two assists for Rochester, while Beasley, Miles Johnson, Matt Reno, Andrew Sherwood, Brandt Soukup and Cody Barra had one assist apiece.
"It was a good primer for the playoffs, because it's looking like the Owls are the team we'll be facing (in the first round)," Fatis said.
Rochester (35-10-0-2) closes out its regular season on Sunday when it faces the league champion Twin Cities Northern Lights (40-5-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna.
