AHL Peoria Rivermen

Crabb's Hat Trick Proves Too Much for Rivermen

Published on February 4, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


ROSEMONT, Ill. (February 4, 2009) - Joey Crabb recorded a hat trick to propel the Chicago Wolves to a 5-1 win against the Peoria Rivermen on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. Power-play goals paved the way for the Wolves, scoring on three of their eight chances, and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 30 Rivermen shots.

Peoria (24-22-1-1) created most of the offensive pressure throughout the opening period, but it was the Wolves (25-22-2-1) who snagged a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Justin Fletcher took a slashing penalty at 18:38 and Steve Wagner was tagged with a double minor just 25 seconds later to give Chicago a two-man advantage.

It appeared as though Peoria would escape the first period unscathed, but Crabb had other ideas. After Jonas Junland blocked an initial shot by Mike Hamilton, the puck kicked behind the net and over to Crabb, who was straddling the goal line about five feet from the cage. Crabb banked the puck off of Ben Bishop and into the net with only 3.9 seconds left in the period.

Spencer Machacek extended the Wolves' lead to 2-0 only 47 seconds into the middle frame when he scooted the puck five-hole on Bishop from the top of the crease. Jeff Hamilton and Crabb assisted on Machacek's power-play goal.

The defending Calder Cup Champions continued their push on the power play as Crabb notched his second goal of the game on a two-man advantage at 9:49. Hamilton slid the puck to Crabb, who punched in a one-timer from the left circle to extend the Wolves' lead to 3-0.

Through two periods, Chicago benefited from four five-on-three power plays and eight overall, so Trent Whitfield adapted to Peoria's shorthanded situation.

Whitfield finally bested Pavelec 18:40 into the second period - and he did it with the Rivermen two-men down. Whitfield skated through the defense, faked a shot and dragged a backhander past the Chicago netminder to put Peoria on the board. Justin Fletcher and Bishop assisted on the shorthanded goal. It was Whitefield's fourth, and Peoria's 11th, shorthanded goal of the season.

Pavelec stymied Peoria in the third period despite four power plays and out-shooting Chicago 11-3. Crabb picked up his third goal and fourth point of the night when he lifted one through Bishop's arm from the low slot at 14:56. It was the Anchorage, Alaska native's 10th goal on the year. Jordan LaVallee later added an empty-netter for Chicago to seal the win.

Peoria is now 3-2-0 against the Wolves this year. The Rivermen recorded double-digit shot attempts in every period and out-shot Chicago 31-27. Peoria finished 0-for-6 on the power play.

The Rivermen, who sits in sixth place in the West Division, will look to rebound Friday night when they visit the Quad City Flames. The game will begin at 7:05 p.m. and the radio broadcast will be available on Hippie 101.1 FM or online through www.rivermen.net.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2009


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