Rivermen Defensemen are the Heroes in 3-1 Victory over Macon
February 18, 2023 - 10:20 pm
PEORIA, IL – On DC Comics Super Hero Night, the Rivermen defenseman were the true heroes on the ice as they led the charge in a heroic third-period comeback that enabled the Rivermen to defeat the Macon Mayhem 3-1 at Carver Arena on Saturday night.
It was a tightly contested first period with both teams accounting for ten shots on net and the Rivermen hitting three posts. In the end, the Rivermen and the Mayhem were both scoreless after 20 minutes.
Period two was all in favor of the Rivermen, they out-shot the Mayhem 12-8 and had more power-play opportunities. But it was Macon who broke open the scoring with an awkward goal that might have been kicked in, though it stood on the ice. The Rivermen thought they had the equalizer on a deflection by Jake Hamilton from a deep slot but it was waved off due to a high stick. Peoria took a 1-0 deficit into the third period but had a two-man advantage to start the third period.
It was in the third period, while wearing the Super Man jerseys, that the Rivermen defenseman came alive and were the super-heroes on the ice as they sparked the scoring. Though the Rivermen failed to score on the early power play, Dale Deon was able to send a hard slap-shot from the left side into the back of the net or his second goal in as many nights to tie the game 1-1. Six minutes after Deon’s goal, Zach Wilkie unloaded a cannon of a one-timer shot from the right wing side to put the Rivermen up 2-1. Peoria held on to their first lead of the night for the remainder of the game and added on an empty-net goal by Alec Hagaman to cap off the comeback on home ice.
The victory marked the second third-period comeback of the season for Peoria but marked the first where it was exclusively the defenseman leading the charge offensively (not counting the empty-net goal). The Rivermen will conclude their weekend series with Macon on Sunday afternoon at Carver Arena, face-off is set for 3:15 pm.
Photo: Tim Lester/Field Pass Hockey
