Rivermen Shoot Down Thunderbolts 5-1 Wednesday Morning

Rivermen Out-Gun Thunderbolts 5-1 Wednesday Morning

Rivermen take first ever meeting with Evansville

Evansville, IN – The Peoria Rivermen scored five unanswered goals Wednesday morning to win the first game in franchise history against the Evansville Thunderbolts, 5-1 Wednesday morning. The win improves the Rivermen to 2-2-1 before they return home to face Pensacola Friday and Saturday night.

The Thunderbolts opened the scoring early in the second half of the first period. Kyllian Kirkwood held a Peoria clearing attempt in at the right point and sent the puck down toward the left corner. Thunderbolts winger Dave Williams picked up the puck, carried it across the slot, and wrapped it around the pad of Peoria netminder Tyler Green to give Evansville a 1-0 lead.

Peoria re-tied the game on a reviewed play at 15:00 of the first period. Peoria rookie Justin Hoomaian took the puck from the left wing and fed fellow rookie Ryan Keller on the back door, and after a review of game video, Keller’s shot was ruled a goal to tie the game 1-1.

Peoria took the lead for good at the 19:10 mark of the first period. Peoria defenseman Luke Eibler skated into the right wing of the Evansville zone, and fed a pass to Dakota Klecha in the slot, and Klecha put the puck past Thunderbolts goaltender Tanner Milliron to put Peoria ahead 2-1.

The Rivermen extended their lead early in the second stanza when Nick D’Avolio took a pass from Klecha and fired it past Milliron at 6:11 of the period to make it 3-1. The goal marked D’Avolio’s third in as many games since joining the Rivermen.

Peoria continued building their lead in the second period, just 3:11 after D’Avolio’s goal. Eibler took the puck from the left-wing boards of the Evansville zone and passed it out to the point, where Jake Hauswirth rifled a slap shot from the point past Milliron for the 4-1 Rivermen lead.

The third period saw the Rivermen add an insurance goal early on. At 6:17 of the third, Joe Sova’s drive from the left point was deflected by Georie Wudrick past Milliron for the eventual final 5-1 score.

Green got the start in net for Peoria and earned his second win in three games, stopping 21 of 22 shots he faced, including all 18 over the final two periods.

Notes: Keller’s goal comes in his first professional game after concluding his college career at Michigan State…Hauswirth’s goal is the 99^th of his professional career…Klecha has a four-game point streak…Wudrick had an assist on Klecha’s goal as he logged his first multi-point game since March 19, 2016 when he notched two goals at Huntsville…The Rivermen return to action on their home ice Friday night when they play host to the defending President’s Cup Champion Pensacola Ice Flyers at 7:05 PM…The game can be heard, starting with pregame show, at 6:45 Central Time at: http://mixlr.com/peoria-rivermen/  

Group, Season, and single-game tickets for Peoria's 35th season of professional hockey, presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale now 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)