Rivermen Close 2017 With A Bang, Down Thunderbolts 5-2 Sunday

Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Close 2017 With A Bang, Down Thunderbolts 5-2 Sunday

Parks’ 37 saves lead charge as Rivermen win fourth straight

Evansville, IN – The Peoria Rivermen got 37 saves from Tyler Parks and goals from five different scorers as they beat the Evansville Thunderbolts 5-2 Sunday night. The win, Peoria’s fourth in a row, lifts the Rivermen to 16-6-1, three points behind first-place Pensacola before the beginning of the new calendar year.

The Rivermen started the scoring with a goal just past the midway point of the first period. Rivermen winger Ryan Siiro carried the puck into the left wing of the Evansville zone and dropped the puck at the point, where teammate Alec Hagaman corralled it and fired a shot that was deflected by Rivermen captain Dave Pszenyczny past Evansville netminder Jonah Imoo for a 1-0 Peoria lead at 10:10 of the period.

The Rivermen doubled their lead with a goal early in the second period. With the puck on the right-wing boards of the Evansville zone, Rivermen winger Jacob Barber slipped a pass across the crease to Hagaman, who dunked it past Imoo for a 2-0 Rivermen lead at 3:22 of the period.

Peoria pushed their lead to 3-0 with another goal in the early stages of the second period. Rivermen winger Michael Economos took a pass from Barber and rushed into the right wing of the Evansville zone. Economos’ initial shot was stopped by Imoo, but Economos stuffed the ensuing rebound past the Evansville netminder for a 3-0 lead at 6:58 of the second.

The Thunderbolts got on the board with a power-play goal toward the midway point of the contest. With Rivermen winger Connor Gorman in the box for slashing, Thunderbolts winger John Scorcia sent a pass across the goalmouth to Tyler Vankleef, who put it by Peoria goaltender Tyler Parks for a 3-1 score at 9:42 of the period.

The Rivermen pushed their lead back to three goals at 11:29 of the second period. Barber dumped the puck into the right-wing corner of the Evansville zone. Barber chased his own chip, then worked it into the slot, where Rivermen winger Ryan Siiro one-timed it past Imoo for a 4-1 Rivermen lead.

The Thunderbolts got back to within a pair early in the third period. Evansville winger Dave Williams took a pass from teammate Mark Petaccio into the slot and fired past Parks for a 4-2 Rivermen lead 55 seconds into the final stanza.

The Rivermen pushed back to a three-goal lead just past the midway point of the third period. Rivermen winger Cody Dion carried into the right wing of the Evansville zone on a 2-on-1 break with teammate Jordan Carvalho, and Dion’s shot was turned aside by Imoo. After Imoo juggled the rebound, Carvalho swatted it into the back of the net for the eventual 5-2 final score at 10:02 of the final frame.

Parks stopped 37 of 39 shots faced in net to earn his third win in as many nights between the pipes. 37 saves in a game ties Parks’ career single-game high for most saves in a single contest.

Notes: Hagaman’s assist on Pszenyczny’s goal gives him a 13-game point-scoring streak…Economos’ goal was his first of the season…Siiro’s goal is his third in as many games…The Rivermen return to action next Friday night when they travel to Southaven, MS to take on the Mississippi RiverKings at 7:00 PM…The broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pre-game show, at 6:40 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)