Rivermen Set Playoff Roster Monday
April 9, 2018 - 02:50 pm
Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen
Rivermen Set Playoff Roster Monday
Siiro, Horn return from ECHL call-ups to join Peoria
Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen have announced the team’s playoff roster Monday on the afternoon of the league’s deadline for postseason rosters to be finalized. Wingers Christian Horn and Ryan Siiro have returned to the Rivermen from their ECHL loans before today’s deadline, while the Rivermen released defenseman Lee Christiansen and winger Michael Economos to bring their playoff roster to the SPHL’s 19-man limit.
Horn returns to Peoria after a lengthy call-up to ECHL Norfolk, where he tallied 14 goals and 16 assists in 30 games for the Admirals. Before departing Peoria in December, Horn had registered two goals and five assists in 12 games for the Rivermen.
Siiro returns to the Rivermen after making his second trip of the season to ECHL Colorado, where he saw action in 21 total games, posting three goals and three assists. In 33 games for the Rivermen, Siiro has notched 10 goals and 12 assists this year, adding a +12 rating and four game-winning goals, one shy of Peoria’s team high.
“Getting Siiro and Horn back gives our offense two more major weapons as we look into the Challenge Round this week,” said Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel. “All the teams we could potentially face in the postseason is dangerous, they didn’t get into the playoff field by accident, and we want to make sure we’ve got the best possible team with us to start the postseason Wednesday against Roanoke.”
In order to make roster space for Horn and Siiro, the Rivermen have released defenseman Lee Christiansen and winger Michael Economos. Christiansen skated in five games for the Rivermen, logging one assist in that time. Economos, meanwhile, saw action in 48 games for Peoria this season, recording 11 goals, including five game-winners, along with eight assists and 109 penalty minutes.
“Letting go of Eco was one of the hardest, if not the hardest, decision I’ve ever had to make as a coach,” remarked Trudel. “He brings a spark to the team, works his backside off every day with a smile on his face, and it’s so tough to let go of a guy like that, but sometimes as a coach you have to do things you don’t like because they give you the best chance to win a championship.”
In addition to Economos and Christiansen, the Rivermen also released Amateur Tryout players Nathan Chasteen and Brandon Reinholz. Chasteen and Reinholz each skated in Peoria’s final two regular-season games against Roanoke, and neither recorded goals or assists in those games.
With the moves, Peoria’s final playoff roster is set to include 11 forwards, six defensemen, and two goaltenders. Of those, six players were with the Rivermen during last season’s run to the President’s Cup Finals, while another, Mike Gurtler, was with the Rivermen in 2015-16 when Peoria made their first trip to the SPHL’s postseason finale.
The Rivermen are set to begin their Challenge Round series against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs at 7 PM Eastern Time Wednesday at Lynchburg, VA’s Liberty University, inside the LaHaye Ice Center. The Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs will then shift to Peoria’s Owens Center for Game 2 at 7:15 Central Time Friday night. Game 3, if needed, would be played Saturday at 7:15 inside the Owens Center.
Tickets for Game 2 are available now through the Rivermen office by calling (309)-676-1040 or online at rivermen.net. Fans who purchased Peoria’s Pay-as-We-Play package will be allowed into the Owens Center 30 minutes early, and single-game tickets for Peoria’s Challenge Round games at the Owens Center will be $12 for standing room admission, and $16 for bleacher seating.
Group, single game, and season tickets for Peoria's 36th season of professional hockey presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale at the Toyota Box Office in the Peoria Civic Center, or by phone at the Rivermen office, located at 201 S.W. Jefferson Street, or over the phone at (309) 676-1040. For the latest Rivermen news and notes, follow online at www.rivermen.net or through Facebook (www.facebook.com/PeoriaRivermen) - Twitter(https://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen)
