Rockford forward Ben Smith deflected a shot from the blue line at 3:07 of overtime to give the IceHogs a 4-3 overtime win over the Milwaukee Admirals.

With Teemu Laakso in the penalty box for a cross-check, the Icehogs Smith scored the power play goal to give the IceHogs the team’s third win in eight games against the Admirals this season.

The Admirals did earn a point and remain in first place in the West Division with 76 points. Milwaukee has a one-point edge on second-place Houston.

Rockford lit the lamp just 42 seconds into the game. Garnet Exelby held the left point and put a shot on goal that deflected off Evan Brophey’s stick over the head of goalie Anders Lindback and into the net.

Milwaukee tied the game with a power play goal from Kelsey Wilson. Laakso fed Aaron Johnson at the left point. Johnson’s shot slid under the right arm of IceHogs netminder Alec Richards and Wilson tapped it across the goal line for his eighth goal of the season and third on the power play. Johnson and Laakso recorded the assists.

Rockford reclaimed the lead when Rob Klinkhammer scored after winning a race for a loose puck. With Scott Ford draped on his back, Klinkhammer flicked a shot through the legs of Lindback at 9:38 of the second period.

The Admirals tied the score once again at 12:27 of the second period. Mike Bartlett chased the puck to the right circle in the Rockford zone. He slid a pass to Ryan Flynn who skated from the right boards into the slot and put a backhander past Richards for his fourth goal of the season.

Klinkhammer’s second goal of the night gave Rockford a 3-2 lead at 4:19 of the third period. Jeff Taffe dumped the puck toward the left corner. It bounced off Ford toward the goalie, Lindback. Lindback didn’t cover and Klinkhammer buried his tenth goal of the season.

Milwaukee tied the game at 10:53 when Flynn knocked down a clearing attempt by defenseman Brian Connelly. He deked the goalie but his shot hit the post. Bartlett followed to backhand his fifth goal of the season into the net.

Lindback stopped 26 of 30 in the loss for Milwaukee.

The Admirals travel to Toronto for a 10 am faceoff Tuesday morning against the Marlies. Milwaukee’s next home game is on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 pm against the Manitoba Moose. Fans can purchase tickets by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or logging on to milwaukeeadmirals.com. Group discounts are available starting with just ten people and get a minimum of $2 off the face value. For more information or to purchase group tickets fans can call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550 or visit milwaukeeadmirals.com. Don’t forget to follow the Admirals on Twitter (@mkeadmirals) and on Facebook.