Rivermen Soar Past Thunderbolts Saturday

November 17, 2018 7:15 pm

Away | Regular

Evansville Thunderbolts

Final
3
2
1
Thunderbolts
2
1
1
0
Rivermen
4
2
1
1

Photo Credit: Dennis Sievers/Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Soar Past Thunderbolts Saturday

Vieth nets two, Phaneuf earns win in season debut

 

Evansville, IN – The Peoria Rivermen used a pair of goals from rookie winger Austin Vieth and 22 saves from Storm Phaneuf to overcome the Evansville Thunderbolts 4-2 at the Ford Center Saturday night. The win, Peoria’s second in a row and seventh in their last eight games, lifts the Rivermen to 7-0-2 on the season, three points behind league-leading Macon before next weekend’s pair of games at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen opened the scoring with an even-strength tally late in the opening period. Rivermen defenseman Ralfs Grinbergs held the puck in the Thunderbolts zone at the left point and sent it behind the net. Peoria center Will Smith corralled the puck, and sent it to the netfront, where Vieth snapped a one-timer past Evansville netminder Braeden Ostepchuk for a 1-0 lead at 18:43 of the opening frame.

 

The teams traded goals in the early part of the second period. Evansville winger Mark Petaccio cruised into the left-wing of the Rivermen zone, took a drop pass from teammate Pijus Rulevicius, and snapped a wrister past Phaneuf for a 1-1 tie at 4:55 of the frame. The Rivermen re-took the lead for good at 8:33 of the second period when Vieth took the puck off a Will Smith faceoff win, circled around the circle to the high slot, and rang a wrist shot off the crossbar and past Ostepchuk for a 2-1 lead.

 

Peoria killed off a one-minute, 50-second 5-on-3 sequence to begin the third period after the Rivermen were issued Too Many Men and Delay of Game penalties at 19:18 and 19:29 of the second period, respectively.

 

Peoria pushed their lead to two goals at 8:31 of the third when Rivermen winger Joe Kalisz carried the puck into the left wing of the Thunderbolts zone, wound and fired a slap shot through Ostepchuk for a 3-1 lead.

 

The Thunderbolts got back to within a goal with an extra-attacker push in the final two minutes of regulation before Peoria got an empty-net marker from Nick Neville at 19:10 of the third period for the 4-2 final score.

 

Phaneuf stopped 22 of 24 shots faced in net to earn the victory in his season debut and first game action since December 22, 2017, when he suffered an injury that prematurely ended his 2017-18 campaign. The win marks Phaneuf’s first regular-season victory since April 8, 2017 against the now-dormant Mississippi RiverKings.

 

Notes: Vieth’s pair of goals marks the rookie’s first career multi-point performance…Kalisz recorded his first game-winning goal since March 31 of last season at Roanoke…The Rivermen return to action next Friday night when they host the Evansville Thunderbolts at Carver Arena…Select tickets for Friday’s game are available for $10 through the Rivermen office by calling (309) 676-1040 during regular business hours Monday-Friday…The Rivermen will also host the Pensacola Ice Flyers Saturday night, and hold the team’s second annual Wiener Dog Races during intermission, presented by Camp Bow Wow of Peoria…The Rivermen will also wear special Wiener Dog Race jerseys during Saturday’s game, and auction off the game-worn sweaters postgame…Both games will start at 7:15 PM, and the broadcast of the game can be heard, starting with the pregame show, at 6:55, at http://mixlr.com/peoria-rivermen/

 

Group, single game, and season tickets for Peoria's 37th 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)