Rivermen Drop 3-2 OT Decision in Huntsville Thursday

Photo Credit: Justin Strickland/Huntsville Havoc

Rivermen Drop 3-2 OT Decision in Huntsville Thursday

Peoria out-shoots Havoc 45-24 in OT loss to kick off three-game road trip

Huntsville, AL – The Peoria Rivermen put a season-high 45 shots on goal but were unable to topple the Huntsville Havoc, falling 3-2 in overtime at the Von Braun Center Thursday night. The loss, Peoria’s second straight game with a defeat beyond regulation, drops Peoria to 7-3-4 on the season with two games in Columbus left on their current road trip.

The Havoc took an early lead less than five minutes into the first period. From the neutral zone, Havoc defenseman Nolan Kaiser made a pass that found the stick of teammate Christian Powers entering the Peoria zone. Powers carried up the wing into the right circle and fired a wrist shot past Peoria goaltender Tyler Green to make the score 1-0, a lead that stood for the final 15:16 of the first period.

The Rivermen tied the game in the early stages of the second stanza. With play continuing in Huntsville territory, the Rivermen put the puck out to Conor Riley at the point, and his initial wrist shot was stopped by the left pad of Havoc goaltender Tyler Steel, and Cody Dion pounced on the ensuing rebound to tie the game 1-1 4:25 into the second period.

The Havoc retook the lead on an unassisted goal just past the halfway point of the contest. Huntsville’s Tyler French carried the puck from the last wing of the Peoria zone to the top of the slot, where his wrist shot found its way in off the body of Green to make it 2-1 at 11:14 of the period and chase Green from the contest in favor of Tyler Parks.

Peoria retied the game with a short-handed tally late in the second period. With Dakota Klecha in the box for roughing, Rivermen winger Alec Hagaman cruised into the Huntsville zone and fired a shot in off the crossbar to make it 2-2 at the 18:18 mark of the second.

The game remained scoreless through the rest of the second and all of the third period, and the Havoc eventually won it in overtime. At the 1:22 mark of the sudden-death period, Nolan Kaiser and Jordan Wood entered the Rivermen zone on a 2-on-1 rush. Kaiser’s pass found Wood on the doorstep, and Parks made the initial stop before Wood batted the rebound in for the 3-2 final score.

Parks took the tough-luck loss in net, allowing just the game-winning goal on 12 shots faced in relief of Green, who stopped 10 of 12 shots he faced before being lifted at 11:14 of the second period. The loss drops Parks to 1-0-2 since joining Peoria and 1-3-3 for the season overall

Notes: Hagaman has scored three goals in six games with Peoria, all short-handed…Hagaman has all three of Peoria’s SHG this season, and has more short-handed tallies than any other team in the SPHL…Dion’s goal gives him a marker in three straight games…Michael Colantone had an assist on Dion’s goal, giving him a point in his first game since signing with the Rivermen…Peoria played the game one man short after signing suspended defenseman Brandon Greenside earlier in the week…Peoria has recorded a standings point or more in each of their last six games, dating back to a 4-3 regulation loss the Havoc in Peoria on November 12…The Rivermen are 5-1-3 when out-shooting their opponent this season…The Rivermen finish their season series 1-3-1 against the Havoc after the Rivermen won all seven head-to-head matchups last season…The Rivermen return to action tomorrow night when they continue their road trip in Columbus, Georgia, taking on the Cottonmouths at 6:30 p.m CST…The game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show at 6:15 p.m. on http://mixlr.com/peoria-rivermen/

Group, single game, and season tickets for Peoria's 35th 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)