Rivermen Fall Short in Birmingham Shootout Saturday

Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Fall Short in Birmingham Shootout Saturday

Teams trade goals in each period before Bulls earn first-ever win in sudden death

Pelham, AL – The Peoria Rivermen and Birmingham Bulls each scored a goal in each period Saturday night before the Bulls prevailed 4-3 in a shootout to earn their first win in franchise history. The loss drops the Rivermen to 6-3-1 on the season, one point behind Pensacola and Mississippi for first place in the SPHL standings.

The Bulls opened the scoring when they capitalized on a Rivermen turnover near the midway point of the first period. Bulls winger Alexander Taulien intercepted a Peoria pass in the neutral zone, and carried the puck into the Rivermen end 2-on-1 with teammate Nate Mitton. Taulien waited, then fed a pass to Mitton in the left circle, and his one-timer beat Rivermen goaltender Matt Leon for a 1-0 Birmingham lead at the 8:45 mark of the period.

The Rivermen leveled the score at one goal apiece while short-handed late in the first period. With Peoria winger Dakota Klecha in the box for tripping, Rivermen winger Alec Hagaman stole the puck in his own zone, carried it the length of the ice, cut to the net front, and beat Birmingham netminder Charlie Millen for a 1-1 score at 16:45 of the period.

The Bulls retook the lead with a goal early in the second period. With the teams skating five-on-ive, the Bulls carried into the left wing of the Rivermen zone. Bulls winger Connor Reilly’s pass across the slot to the left circle was received by Bulls winger Keegan Bruce, who fired it past Leon for a 2-1 Birmingham lead at 6:49 of the second period.

The Rivermen re-tied the score just past the midway point of the contest. With the puck below the Birmingham goal line, Klecha carried it out of the left-wing corner, and sent a pass across the goalmouth to teammate Cody Dion. Dion’s one-time dunk beat Millen for a 2-2 score at 11:48 of the middle stanza.

The Bulls re-took the lead with a goal late in the third period. With less than two minutes left in regulation, Bruce’s shot on goal was tipped past Leon by former Rivermen center Josh Harris, giving the Bulls a 3-2 lead with 1:36 left in the third.

The Rivermen leveled the score at three seconds later with Leon on the bench for an extra skater. With the puck loose behind the Birmingham net, it was batted out front by Dion, and Rivermen winger Connor Gorman stuffed it past Millen to tie the game with 1:05 left on the clock.

The game descended into overtime tied at three, and remained deadlocked through the extra period and into a shootout. Through five shooters aside, the shootout score was tied 3-3. Harris and Rivermen center Jacob Barber traded goals in the sixth round, and the next two rounds ended without a goal by either team. In the ninth round of sudden death, Bruce fired a shot past Leon’s glove before Millen denied Rivermen center Christian Horn for the 4-3 shootout win.

Leon stopped 25 of 28 shots faced in regulation and overtime, taking the shootout loss in his pro debut. The SUNY-Geneseo product becomes the second Peoria goaltender to make his professional debut this season.

Notes: The Rivermen return to action at home next Friday and Saturday night when they welcome the Mississippi RiverKings to Carver Arena…Lower Bowl tickets to Friday’s game will be available for $10 each when purchased at the Rivermen office between 9 AM and 2 PM on Friday, or over the phone at (309)-676-1040 during the same timeframe…Saturday’s game will be Peoria’s annual CityLink Stuff-A-Bus night, with a free T Shirt given to the first 1,000 fans bringing a non-perishable food item to donate to CityLink’s annual food drive…Gametime for each night is scheduled for 7:15 PM Central Standard Time…The broadcast of each 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)