Rivermen Falter in Overtime Saturday

Photo Credit: Fayetteville Marksmen

Rivermen Falter in Overtime Saturday

Back-and-forth battle goes to Fayetteville in weekend finale

Fayetteville, NC – The Peoria Rivermen fought to a 3-3 tie through 60 minutes before falling 4-3 in overtime to the Fayetteville Marksmen Saturday. The loss, Peoria’s second in a row, drops the Rivermen to 9-1-3 on the season before next weekend’s home games against the Evansville Thunderbolts and Huntsville Havoc Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Marksmen opened the scoring near the midway point of the first period. Marksmen winger Brian Bowen raced with the puck into the right wing of the Rivermen zone, and fed it across the netfront, where teammate Cody Brown dunked it past Peoria goaltender Storm Phaneuf for a 1-0 lead at 8:07 of the frame.

The Rivermen tied the game just past the midway point of the first period, when the puck squirted netfront from behind the Fayetteville net, and Peoria winger Austin Vieth snapped it past Marksmen netminder Dillon Kelley for the 1-1 tie at the 11:44 mark of the frame.

Feyetteville re-took the lead with a 5-on-3 power-play goal late in the game’s opening frame. With a roughing minor on the board against Alec Hagaman and Mike Gurtler in the box for a high-sticking double-minor, Marksmen defenseman Travis Jeke’s drive from the high slot sailed past Phaneuf’s glove for the 2-1 lead at 17:44 of the first.

Peoria re-tied the game with a goal during a 4-on-4 period in the middle of the second period. With Hagaman and Marksmen forward Nolan Sheeran boxed for separate slashing infractions, Peoria defenseman Austin Frank took a pass atop the left circle of the Marksmen zone and fired a shot over Kelley’s shoulder for the 2-2 tie at 10:07 of the middle frame.

The Rivermen took their first lead of the series with a power-play tally early in the third period. With Marksmen defenseman Kyle Thacker in the sin bin for cross-checking, Rivermen defenseman Kevin Patterson’s wrister from the high slot found its way past Kelley for a 3-2 Peoria lead at 2:27 of the final frame of regulation.

Fayetteville re-tied the game at three past the midway point of the third period. Marksmen winger Max Cook took a pass in the high slot from teammate Paul Fregeau, and Cook’s wrister sailed by Phaneuf’s glove for a 3-3 score at 13:13 of the period.

The game remained tied through regulation until the Marksmen captured a victory in the first minute of the overtime period. Fayetteville center Tim Kielich collected the puck in the neutral zone and raced into the left wing of the Rivermen zone, and his cross-ice pass was one-timed past Phaneuf by Sheeran for the 4-3 final 52 seconds into overtime.

Phaneuf stopped 23 of 27 shots as he took the overtime loss in net, dropping to 2-0-1 on the season. The extra-time loss is Phaneuf’s first since March 25, 2017 at Knoxville.

Notes: Hagaman recorded an assist on Patterson’s goal to extend his point-scoring streak to a league-best 10 games…Peoria wraps up their season series with the Marksmen with a 1-1-2 record…The Rivermen return to action next Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at home when they host the Evansville Thunderbolts and Huntsville Havoc, respectively…Saturday is Peoria’s Jimmy Buffett Night presented by Easley Winery and Reggae Wines, with special Jimmy Buffett-inspired jerseys worn by the Rivermen and auctioned off postgame…Saturday is also Peoria’s annual Teddy Bear Toss night, with fans encouraged to bring stuffed animals to throw on the Carver Arena ice after the first Rivermen goal, with all stuffed animals collected donated to local charities…Additionally, Saturday is Peoria’s first Teacher Appreciation and First Responders Night of the season, presented by Farmer’s Insurance, with the Rivermen offering a free ticket to all teachers and first responders, and discounted premium tickets to friends and family thereof…Saturday’s game 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)