Strong Second Period Lifts Rivermen Over Ice Bears Friday

November 10, 2017 6:35 pm

Away | Regular

Knoxville Ice Bears

Final
3
2
1
Ice
3
1
0
2
Rivermen
5
1
3
1

Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen

Strong Second Period Lifts Rivermen Over Ice Bears Friday

Two-goal nights for Greenberg and Horn carry Rivermen to victory

 

Knoxville, TN – The Peoria Rivermen battled back from a 2-1 first-period deficit to beat the Knoxville Ice Bears 5-3 Friday night in Knoxville. The win lifts the Rivermen to 4-3-0 on the season before a Saturday night rematch with the Ice Bears in Peoria.

 

The Ice Bears opened the scoring early in the game’s first period. With play ensuing in the Rivermen zone, Knoxville worked the puck to the right-wing boards, and Ice Bears winger Josh Erickson sent a pass to teammate Mike Chen at the top of the slot. Chen held, hesitated, then fired a wrister through traffic and past Rivermen goaltender Eric Levine for a 1-0 Knoxville lead at the 1:41 mark of the period.

 

The Rivermen leveled the score just past the midway point of the first period. With the puck behind the Knoxville net, Peoria winger Mike Gurtler carried out of the left corner and took a backhand shot that was turned away by Ice Bears netminder Zoltan Hetenyi. The ensuing rebound bounced through the slot to Rivermen center Christian Horn, who fired it past Hetenyi for a 1-1 score at 10:40 of the period.

 

The Ice Bears retook the lead with another goal of their own late in the first. Knoxville carried the puck into the Rivermen zone, and worked it to Ice Bears winger Austin Flaherty, whose shot from the left-wing boards beat Levine’s glove for a 2-1 Knoxville lead at 14:22 of the period.

 

The Rivermen tied the game with a tally in the early part of the second period. With play ongoing in the Knoxville end, Rivermen defenseman Brandon Rumble’s shot from the right point sailed over the crossbar and off the end glass. Rivermen winger Nick Miglio corralled the puck behind the net, and sent a pass to the front, where Peoria center Justin Greenberg one-timed it past Hetenyi for a 2-2 tie at the 5:13 mark of the second.

 

Peoria took the lead for good past the midway point of the second stanza. Miglio carried the puck from neutral ice into the left wing of the Knoxville zone, and dropped a pass for Peoria defenseman Dave Pszenyczny. The Rivermen captain then threaded a pass to Peoria center Jacob Barber, who fired a wrister past Hetenyi for a 3-2 Peoria lead at 13:43 of the period.

 

Peoria built on their lead in the second period’s final minute. Pszenyczny sent a pass through the neutral zone to Greenberg, who raced into the Knoxville zone, got around a defender, and cut to the netfront where he beat Hetenyi for a 4-2 Peoria lead at 19:02 of the period.

 

The Ice Bears and Rivermen traded goals in the latter stages of the third period. At the 16:55 mark, Ice Bears winger Tommy Kelley raced into the Peoria zone and fired a shot from the slot past Levine for a 4-3 score. The Rivermen got the goal back just 24 seconds later, when Horn finished a 2-on-1 rush and beat Hetenyi for the 5-3 final score.

 

Levine stopped 23 of 26 shots faced to earn the victory between the pipes. The win improves Levine to 3-1-0 on the season , and lifts him to 19-15-5 in his SPHL career.

 

Notes: Horn made his season debut for the Rivermen, and recorded his third career two-goal night…Greenberg’s two-goal performance is the first of his pro career…Pszenyczny had three assists, giving the veteran his second career three-assist SPHL game, and his fourth SPHL career three-point night…Miglio recorded a pair of assists for the first multi-point outing in his SPHL career…The Rivermen return to action tomorrow night at Carver Arena when they conclude their home-and-home series against the Ice Bears with Rivermen Salute to the Troops night…Tickets to the game are available through the Rivermen office at (309)-676-1040, with game time set for 7:15 PM…The broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show, at 6:55 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)