Phaneuf, Rivermen Squash FireAntz 5-1

Photo Credit: Addison Blair/Peoria Rivermen

Phaneuf, Rivermen Squash FireAntz 5-1

Jones’ pair helps propel Rivermen past FireAntz in weekend series opener

Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen scored early and never looked back against the Fayetteville Fireantz Friday night at Carver Arena, cruising to a 5-1 victory. The win improves the Rivermen to 29-12-11 with two games left in the weekend set with Fayetteville.

The Rivermen got the scoring started less than three minutes into the opening frame. Rivermen winger Alec Hagaman carried the puck out of the left corner of the FireAntz zone, and from the left circle, he slid a pass to teammate Eric Witzel in the slot. Witzel’s one-time snap beat FireAntz goaltender Sean Bonar for a 1-0 Rivermen lead at 2:40 of the period.

Peoria built their lead with a pair of goals in the second period. Near the midway point of the stanza, Rivermen center Michael Colantone fed a pass from behind the goal that was received by Peoria defenseman Ben Oskroba, who chipped a shot on goal that was denied by Bonar. The rebound trickled to the right of the crease, was collected by winger Ryan Keller and flicked over Bonar and into the net off the crossbar at 8:49 for a 2-0 Rivermen lead. The Peoria lead grew again at the 14:15 mark of the second when Rivermen defenseman Nick Neville’s wrister from the right point was tipped by Peoria winger Adam Stuart past Bonar’s left pad for a 3-0 lead.

The Rivermen increased their lead less than a minute into the third period. Colantone skated along the right-wing boards into the Fireantz zone and attempted to stuff a short-side backhander past Bonar. The ensuing rebound trickled to the right of the crease where it was collected and lofted over Bonar by Peoria winger Jeff Jones for a 4-0 Rivermen lead 50 seconds into the third.

Fayetteville got on the board at 4:22 of the third period. Fireantz defenseman Kyle Shapiro took a pass in the slot from teammate Bobby Chaumont and fired it past Rivermen goaltender Storm Phaneuf to make it 4-1. The goal broke up Phaneuf’s shutout bid with 15:38 remaining in regulation.

The Rivermen extended their lead just moments after the conclusion of a late power play. After FireAntz winger Lawrence Cornellier had finished serving Bonar’s slashing penalty, Jones received a pass from Keller in the left circle, skated just inside the dot, and wristed a shot between the legs of the Fayetteville netminder at 7:30 of the third for a 5-1 Rivermen lead.

Phaneuf earned the victory between the pipes, stopping 31 of 32 shots he faced, improving to 11-5-3 on the season. With the win, Phaneuf has won 9 of his last 10 starts in goal for the Rivermen.

Notes: Witzel scored his first goal in a Rivermen uniform… Keller earned his first SPHL game-winning goal with his tally in the second period…Hagaman had his second multi-point game in seven days with two assists after he logged a pair of assists in Knoxville last Friday…The win marks just the fourth time this season Bonar has allowed five or more goals in a game in his 46^th appearance of the season…The Rivermen return to action Saturday night when they rematch the Fireantz in the middle game of a three game weekend series… Saturday night is Peoria’s Fan Fest presented by CEFCU, with the first 1000 fans receiving a team photo, and prizes and giveaways throughout the game…There is also a post-game autograph session on the Carver Arena concourse with the entire team…Fans 21 and over can also participate in Savor Happy Hour with $4 20-oz domestic drafts from 6-8:30 p.m….Saturday also kicks off Farmers Insurance Education Appreciation Weekend 2.0 with free tickets to any teachers or school staff, and $10 tickets for friends and family…Saturday’s game starts at 7:05 Central Time…The broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show, at 6:45 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)