Rivermen Celebrate Veterans Day with 5-1 Victory Over Knoxville

November 11, 2017 7:15 pm

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Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Celebrate Veterans Day with 5-1 Victory Over Knoxville

Rivermen score thrice in first 21 minutes of play to sweep home-and-home series

 

Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen took a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the second period and cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Knoxville Ice Bears Saturday night. The win, Peoria’s second in a row, lifts the Rivermen past the Ice Bears and idle Huntsville and Evansville into second place in the SPHL standings before they travel to Evansville and Birmingham, respectively, next Friday and Saturday night.

 

The Rivermen kicked off the scoring early in the first period while on the power play. With Knoxville center Danny Cesarz in the sin bin for hooking, Rivermen winger Mike Gurtler put a shot on goal that was turned aside by Ice Bears goaltender Patrick Spano. The puck danced at the top of the crease before Rivermen center Justin Greenberg collected it and shoveled a shot past Spano for a 1-0 Peoria lead at 6:16 of the opening period.

 

The Rivermen doubled their lead late in the opening frame while shorthanded. With Rivermen winger Alec Hagaman in the box for elbowing, Ice Bears defenseman Evan Neugold mishandled the puck at the blue line, and the puck was collected by Gurtler. The Rivermen winger then raced into the Knoxville zone, through the left circle, and to the doorstep, where he put a backhand shot on goal. Spano stopped the initial shot, but the puck snuck between his legs and across the goal line at 15:58 of the first for a 2-0 Rivermen lead.

 

The Rivermen added to their lead early in the middle frame. Rivermen defenseman Ben Oskroba took a neutral zone pass from teammate Nick Neville, and sent the puck netward from the red line. The puck hopped across the ice and skipped past Spano 57 seconds into the second period for a 3-0 advantage.

 

Knoxville got on the board nearly halfway through the second stanza. Ice Bears winger Chris Santello put a shot on goal that was turned aside by Rivermen goaltender Eric Levine, and the rebound trickled to the right of the cage where Ice Bears winger Anthony Flaherty scooped the puck past an outstretched Levine at 8:57 at the period to cut the Rivermen lead to 3-1.

 

The Rivermen got a goal back just past the midway point of the second period. Rivermen winger Connor Gorman corralled a loose puck and raced up ice with Hagaman. Gorman crossed the blue line and slid a pass to Hagaman, who was skating through the right circle, Hagaman collected the pass and wristed a shot on goal that beat Spano for a 4-1 Peoria lead at 12:52of the second.  

 

Peoria added to their lead nearly halfway through the final period. Rivermen center Joseph Widmar won a faceoff at center ice, collected the puck, and raced into the Knoxville zone. Widmar streaked through the left circle and fired a wrister on goal that clanked off the crossbar and behind Spano for a 5-1 Rivermen lead at 9:01 of the third.

 

Levine earned the win between the pipes, stopping 28 of 29 shots faced. The victory improves the Peoria netminder to 4-1-0 on the season, and gives him wins on back-to-back nights.

 

Notes: With his assist on Gurtlers shorthanded goal, Pszenyczny now has a 6-game point-scoring streak…Oskroba’s goal was his first since 12/31/16 against Mississippi, snapping a 48-game personal goal drought…The Rivermen won their first game in three chances this season when scoring first…Peoria’s 44 shots on goal was the highest Rivermen total this season…Peoria signed winger Will Smith to a three-game tryout prior to the game…The Rivermen return to action Friday as they travel to Evansville, IN to take on the Thunderbolts for a 7:15p.m. puck drop at the Ford Center…The broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show, at 6:55 p.m. at http://mixlr.com/peoria-rivermen/

 

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)