Third Period Penalties Doom Rivermen in 6-4 Loss Saturday

Photo Credit: Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Third Period Penalties Doom Rivermen in 6-4 Loss Saturday

Two empty netters help Roanoke’s Brewer to hat trick

Roanoke, VA – The Peoria Rivermen battled to a 2-2 tie through 40 minutes before a pair of power-play goals and two empty net tallies lifted the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs to a 6-4 victory at the Berglund Center Saturday. The loss, Peoria’s third in their last four games, drops the Rivermen into fourth place in the SPHL before a two-game set in Knoxville next weekend.

The Rivermen started the scoring in the game’s first two minutes. With play ongoing in the Roanoke zone, Peoria worked the puck to Rich Ledy at the right point, and Ledy’s initial shot was denied by Rail Yard Dawgs goaltender Joey Ballmer. With the ensuing rebound in the low slot, Rivermen winger Ryan Keller stuffed it past Ballmer for a 1-0 lead at 1:26 of the first.

The Dawgs tied the game at a goal apiece with six minutes remaining in the game’s opening period. With the puck on the low left-wing boards of the Rivermen zone, Roanoke defenseman Vincent Llorca put it towards the net, and Rail Yard Dawgs forward Steve Mele collected it and wrapped it around the outstretched left pad of Rivermen goaltender Tyler Parks for a 1-1 score at 14:00 of the first.

The Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs traded goals in the second half of the game’s second period. With play ensuing in the Rivermen zone, Roanoke winger Jackson Brewer skated the puck out to the top of the left circle, and sniped a wrister under the crossbar and under Parks’ blocker for a 2-1 Roanoke lead at 12:58 of the second. The Rivermen countered in the period’s final minute, when Rivermen forward Adam Stuart carried the puck into the right wing of the Roanoke zone and sent the puck bouncing toward the slot, where Cody Dion redirected it over Ballmer’s shoulder for a 2-2 tie at 19:33 of the second.

The Rail Yard Dawgs took the lead for good during an extended 5-on-3 power play in the early part of the third period. At 7:39 of the third, the Rail Yard Dawgs worked the puck into the left circle, where Roanoke forward Zach Tatrn one-timed it past Parks for a 3-2 Roanoke lead. With Roanoke still on a 5-on-3 manpower advantage, the Dawgs fed the puck into the slot, and Roanoke forward Phil Bronner deflected it past Parks for a 4-2 Rail Yard Dawgs lead at 8:45 of the third.

The Rivermen battled to within a goal with a power-play tally of their own past the midway point of the period. After Roanoke enforcer Jeremy Beirnes was issued a double-minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct for Continuing Altercation at 9:35 of the third, the Rivermen scored at

The 11:58 mark when Rivermen forward Adam Stuart sniped past Ballmer from the right circle for a 4-3 score.

The Rail Yard Dawgs pulled away with a pair of empty-net goals in the game’s final two minutes. After Peoria pulled Parks for an extra skater at 18:30 of the third, Brewer took the puck out of a scrum on the right-wing boards of the Dawgs zone and fired it from his own blue line into the empty net to make it 5-3 at 18:39 of the period. The Rivermen left Parks on the bench for an extra skater, and Brewer fired from behind the red line again and into the vacant Peoria goal at 18:51. The Rivermen mustered another goal by Justin Hoomaian with 30 seconds left in regulation for the 6-4 final.

Parks stopped 26 of 30 shots faced in net as he took the loss to fall to 7-5-5 for the season. The loss is Parks’ first in regulation since December 9 of this season against Knoxville, and just his second regulation defeat in 14 outings with the Rivermen.

Notes: Keller posted a goal and an assist for his second career SPHL multi-point game, and his first since he had a goal and a helper November 2 at Evansville…Dion also had a goal and an assist for his first multi-point outing since he scored two goals against Roanoke in Peoria March 5…The Rivermen return to action next Friday night when they travel to Knoxville, TN to play a two-game weekend set with the Ice Bears…Friday’s game starts at 6:30 Central Daylight Time, and the broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show, at 6:10 p.m. at 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)