Havoc Repay Hosts, Blank Rivermen 3-0
November 30, 2019 - 10:30 pm
Havoc Repay Hosts, Blank Rivermen 3-0
Late push not enough to propel Rivermen in November finale
Photo credit: Dennis Sievers
Peoria, IL – Rivermen goaltender Jeremy Brodeur dazzled in goal making 34 stops, but Huntsville’s energized performance couldn’t be matched by Peoria, with the Rivermen dropping a 3-0 final in front of 3,179 fans at Carver Arena Saturday night. The loss, Peoria’s first in regulation, drops them to 11-1-1 on the campaign, however, with a Fayetteville loss the Rivermen maintain the top spot in the SPHL standings with 23 points.
Huntsville broke the scoreless tie just past the halfway point of the second period while skating a man down. With Tyler Piacentini serving a slashing penalty, Huntsville center Sy Nutkevitch fed Rob Darrar through the neutral zone and into the Havoc offensive zone. Darrar cut through the right circle and snapped a shot that beat Rivermen goaltender Jeremy Brodeur for the 1-0 Havoc lead at 11:40 of the middle frame.
The Havoc doubled their lead in the early stages of the final frame when Piacintini collected a loose puck and raced down the right wing into the Rivermen zone, cut into the right circle, and snapped a shot that beat Brodeur for the 2-0 Havoc advantage at 4:34 of the period.
Huntsville sealed the deal in the closing seconds of the final period of regulation. Piacintini received a pass from Nutkevitch and skated into the Rivermen zone and slid the puck into the empty net for the eventual 3-0 final at 19:59 of the third period.
Brodeur took the loss in goal stopping 34 of 36 shots faced, dropping him to 5-1-0 on the season. The loss is the first regulation loss for a Rivermen goaltender this season. Huntsville’s Max Milosek stopped all 17 shots he saw, recording his second straight shutout and second in the last three days, helping improve the Havoc’s record to 8-6-1.
Notes: Darren McCormick’s 11 game goal scoring streak, and 12 game point streak came to an end Saturday night…Jakob Reichert had his 9 game point streak snapped in the shutout loss….Alec Hagaman was a scratch from the contest due to personal leave….Brodeur’s five game win streak was snapped in the loss….The Rivermen return to action next Saturday night with the Quad City Storm visiting Carver Arena…Puck drop for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CST….The broadcast of the game can be heard, at http://mixlr.com/peoria-rivermen/ starting with the pre-game show, at 7:00 p.m. CST.
Group, single game, and season tickets for Peoria's 38th season of professional hockey presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale at the Toyota Box Office in the Peoria Civic Center, 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)
