Peoria Earns First Win of 2023 - 3-1 Over Vermilion County
January 8, 2023 - 06:55 pm
DANVILLE, IL – For two periods the Rivermen looked like the Rivermen of old. They were making hits, crashing to the front of the net, and doing the little things they needed to do to find success. It paid off as the Rivermen defeated the Vermilion County Bobcats 3-1 to earn their first victory of 2023 on Sunday afternoon.
After a scoreless first period, the Rivermen earned a power playing the closing stages of the first. It only took 11 seconds in the second period for Nick Neville to blast home a shot from the deep slot to put the Rivermen up 1-0. That goal was crucial as it provided the spark for the Rivermen to continue their strong play from the first period.
The second saw the Rivermen following through on their hits and winning board battles. Most importantly they were crashing the net front for rebounds. Cayden Cahill was able to capitalize at the mid-point of the contest after receiving a nifty pass from Nick Neville from the left side. Cahill’s one-timed shot from the slot found the back of the net to put the Rivermen up 2-0. Jordan Ernst added on a few minutes later as he crashed the net for a rebound off a JM Piotrowski shot. Ernst was able to out-hustle his man and bury the loose puck to extend the Rivermen lead to 3-0.
The third period saw the Rivermen play a little more conservatively against the Bobcats. Vermilion County was able to strike on a late power-play goal to get on the scoreboard but it was too little too late and the Rivermen were able to see through to their first victory on 2023, behind a strong performance in net by Ben Churchfield.
The win moves the Rivermen back into a tie for second place with the Evansville Thunderbolts and a bit of momentum heading into a three-game home series against the Knoxville Ice Bears, face-off for Friday’s game at Carver Arena is set for 7:15 pm.
