Rivermen Edge IceGators in OT
January 18, 2015 - SPHL (SPHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
PEORIA, Ill.--For the second night in a row, the Louisiana IceGators found themselves defending a late lead against the Peoria Rivermen.
This time, the IceGators let the victory slip out of their grasp.
The Rivermen scored twice in the final period, including a power play goal with 1:41 left in regulation, to force overtime en route to a 4-3 win in extra time. Garrett Vermeersch scored the game-winner at the 2:45 mark of the bonus frame.
The IceGators and the Rivermen meet again Sunday in Peoria. Game time is set for 3:05 p.m.
"We battled hard again tonight for the first two periods," said IceGators head coach Drew Omicioli. "We were down to 13 players during that time frame. We played nervous again with a two-goal lead. Tonight, it cost is a point (in the standings). Now, we have to focus on picking up two more points (Sunday) and come home with five points out of six."
The IceGators and the Rivermen traded goals in the first period. Josh Harris put Peoria on the board 40 seconds into the game, while Bret Peppler tied the game with 3:12 left in the opening frame.
Louisiana jumped out to a 3-1 lead midway through the second period thanks to goals from August Aiken and Bobby Watson.
Peoria mounted its comeback in the third period.
Alex Hudson cut the Louisiana lead to a goal 25 seconds into the final frame. Jake Trask knotted the score with a power play goal with 101 seconds left in regulation.
Omicioli says the absence of enforcer Tyler Barr, who was recently called up to the Allen Americans of the ECHL, led to the Rivermen taking some liberties with their physical play.
"Peoria played a gutless style in the beginning (of the game) by targeting our skilled guys with cheap shots," Omicioli said. "They were head-hunting, and the result was two of our guys being finished after the first period. Teams play differently (against us) when Barr isn't in the line-up. We'll see how they react when he is back."
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SPHL Stories from January 18, 2015
- Loewen Leads Columbus to Shutout Victory over Pensacola - Columbus Cottonmouths
- Early Goals Give RiverKings 2-1 Win in Huntsville - Mississippi RiverKings
- IceGators Beat Rivermen in Shootout - Louisiana IceGators
- Rivermen Fall in Shootout in Back-And-Forth Affair - Peoria Rivermen
- 4-3 Loss in Knoxville Puts Ice Flyers in Second - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Rivermen Edge IceGators in OT - Louisiana IceGators
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