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Peoria Rivermen

Wolves hang around, beat Rivermen 6-5

December 9, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Chicago, IL - The Chicago Wolves triumphed 6-5 over the Peoria Rivermen on Friday evening at Allstate Arena in Chicago. In scoring their five goals in this contest, the Rivermen received contributions from several different players. Peoria center Troy Riddle scored two goals, left wing Peter Sejna picked up a goal and two assists, and right winger Mike Glumac dished out two assists, to name a few. The Rivermen, however, never put away the Wolves, and Chicago scored four third-period goals to win in the end.

The Wolves came back from four different deficits in this game before taking their first lead of the tilt with 42 seconds remaining in the third period. After the Rivermen opened the scoring in this game about midway through the first period, the Wolves came back with a first-period goal of their own. Peoria took a 2-1 lead early on in the second frame, but Chicago came back once again to draw even at 2-2. Although the Rivermen led 4-2 at the end of two periods, the Wolves struck twice in the first half of the third period to complete their third comeback of the evening and to tie the game at 4-4. When Peoria went up 5-4, Chicago again stayed in the game and knotted things up at 5-5 at the 18:39 mark of the third period. Then, with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation, defenseman Braydon Coburn gave the Wolves their first lead of the game on what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The loss drops Peoria to an overall record of 15-8-0-1 and to a road record of 6-3-0-0. With the win, Chicago improves to 7-10-1-2 overall and to 3-5-1-0 at home in Allstate Arena.

Left wing Peter Sejna gave the Rivermen the first lead of the game in the first frame. Taking a nice outlet pass from the Peoria side of center ice from his defenseman Jeff Woywitka, Sejna got the puck just in front of the blueline at the right-wing boards and glided into the Chicago zone. When he reached the right face-off dot, Sejna smoked a wrist shot into the top right corner of the goal above Wolves netminder Tuomas Tarkki for a 1-0 Peoria lead at 12:23.

The Wolves fought back with a goal less than one minute later. Chicago blueliner Brian Sipotz initiated the play with a fluttering shot from the right point. Center Kip Miller was then able to deflect the shot toward the Rivermen goal from the slot, and winger Billy Tibbetts shoveled the puck past Rivermen goalie Jason Bacashihua from the top of the crease to even the score at 1-1 at the 13:07 mark of the first period.

Peoria jumped back on top 2-1 just 1:37 into the second period. Zooming into the Chicago zone diagonally along the left wing, Rivermen forward Jon DiSalvatore reached the left face-off dot and sent a cross-ice pass to the right to center Troy Riddle. Gliding along on his right skate, Riddle then one-timed the puck by Tarkki.

Chicago came back once again to draw even with Peoria at 2-2. At the 6:48 mark of the second, Chicago winger Stephen Baby sent a trickling pass in on net from the right-wing boards at the goal line. Center Kevin Doell then skated in and banged the puck in the goal between the right post and Bacashihua's left skate.

Center Gavin Morgan tallied late in the second period to give the Rivermen their third lead of the evening. After skating onto the puck just inside the Chicago zone, Morgan wound up and blasted a slap shot from the top of the left circle. The blast went under Tarkki's right arm at 17:14 to stake the Rivermen to a 3-2 lead.

Peoria then extended its lead before the second period expired. On another long shot, this time a slap shot from the center point by defenseman Andy Roach, the Rivermen went up 4-2 by converting a power play with only 51 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

The Wolves made their third comeback of the evening with two goals in the first half of period three. Winger Ramzi Abid notched the first of those two goals for Chicago, skating onto the puck at the center point in the Peoria zone, darting diagonally right, and then turning his body to the left to fire a laser-like shot that grazed the inside of the left post as it went behind Rivermen goalie Reinhard Divis, who had replaced Bacashihua in the second period.

At 10:32 of the third period, Chicago's Kip Miller brought his team back to a 4-4 tie. Divis blocked a shot from the bottom of the right circle by Wolves blueliner Mark Popovic, but the rebound came to an unattended Miller, who shoveled the puck in the goal from the top of the crease.

Picking the puck up at the center point in the Chicago zone, Rivermen center Troy Riddle went wide right with a forehand move and put a snap shot from the right face-off dot by Wolves backstopper Jani Hurme, who had replaced Tarkki to begin the third period. The marker gave Peoria a 5-4 lead at 15:46 of the third.

Chicago then made its fourth and final comeback of the game at the 18:39 mark of the third. After a nice give-and-go passing play with Coburn, the Wolves' Travis Roche beat Divis with a wrister from the top of the right circle to tie the game at 5-5.

Coburn then gave the Wolves their only lead of the game at 19:18 in the third period. On a pass from the left-wing boards by Roche, Coburn buried a slapper from the center point that Divis may not have seen as it flew through a congested slot area. The shot dented the twine, however, and ultimately gave the Wolves a 6-5 win.

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