AHL Peoria Rivermen

Admirals Knock Off Rivermen 4-1

April 6, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


MILWAUKEE (April 6, 2010) - A regulation win would have left the Peoria Rivermen just one point behind the Milwaukee Admirals for the final playoff spot heading into the last weekend of action but instead Peoria watched the Admirals celebrate a 4-1 win and a playoff berth on Tuesday afternoon at the Bradley Center. Mark Dekanich made 24 saves and came within 4 minutes of his second straight shutout before Lars Eller scored Peoria's only goal.

The Rivermen will play their final two games of the season on Friday and Saturday in Winnipeg against the Manitoba Moose.

Peoria collected a 12-0 lead in shots through the first 10 minutes on Tuesday but the first period ended in a scoreless tie. Milwaukee used a power play midway through the opening period to generate five of their six first period shots and continued the pressure when the second period began. Andreas Thuresson wristed home his 14th of the season at 4:40 to put the Admirals on top. Dave Scatchard sprung Mike Santorelli and Thuresson on a two-on-one that saw Thuresson's wrist shot from the left leg roll of the leg pad of Ben Bishop and into the net.

Just 36 seconds later, the Rivermen went on the power play but could not answer in their 1:40 of time on the advantage before a penalty evened play at four-on-four.

In the third, Chris Mueller scored the eventual game-winner at 7:32 from Hugh Jessiman. After Reid Cashman's dump-in, Jessiman was the first one to the loose puck and quickly backhanded a pass into the Rivermen crease for Mueller to tap between Bishop's legs.

Milwaukee pushed their lead to 3-0 on Mike Santorelli's tally with 8:37 left in regulation. He was able to backhand a shot along the ice from the slot after he darted out from the side wall.

Eller's goal came while on a six-on-four power play with Nolan Yonkman in the box and Bishop on the bench for the extra attacker. His slapshot from just inside the blueline ricocheted off Scatchard, in an attempt to block it, and past Dekanich. It was the rookie's 18th goal of the game and remains tied for the team lead, with Pascal Pelletier, in points with 57.

Teemu Laakso iced the game with an empty-netter at 18:43.

Bishop finished with 20 saves on 23 shots against in 56:31 before being brought to the bench. Peoria's power play was 1-for-5 while their penalty-kill finished 3-for-3.

Milwaukee has secured a playoff spot and can still catch Rockford for the third seed in the West Division. Texas also has a chance to pass Chicago over their final three games for the West Division title.

The Rivermen take on the Manitoba Moose at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at the MTS Centre. All games can be heard on Hippie 101.1 FM or online through www.rivermen.net. Video is available on a pay-per-view basis via AHLlive.com.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2010


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