AHL Peoria Rivermen

Griffins finally take out Rivermen in overtime, 5-4

Published on March 9, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Grand Rapids, MI (March 8, 2006) - In the finale of the four-game 2005-06 regular-season series between the Peoria Rivermen and the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Rivermen suffered a 5-4 overtime defeat at the hands of the Griffins. Although no team likely finds any outcome but a win desirable, at least two reasons exist for the Rivermen to be pleased with their overtime loss on Wednesday evening.

First of all, the Griffins came into this contest as the best team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Through the squad's first 64 games played before Wednesday, Grand Rapids had compiled an overall record of 43-16-1-4 and 91 points to lead the League and to stand 16 points ahead of Peoria in the standings. An overtime loss to a team that usually beats its opponents outright can certainly be considered some sort of an accomplishment.

Secondly, the Rivermen can be pleased with their overtime loss on Wednesday because of the manner in which the game played out. Down 4-2 to the Griffins at the 5:14 mark of the third period, the Rivermen fought back to tie the tilt and force overtime. Rather than giving in to Grand Rapids, the Peoria skaters continued to play hard and salvaged one standings point that may be important at the end of the season.

Center Ryan Ramsay started the Rivermen comeback with a power-play marker midway through the third frame. On a slap shot by Peoria defenseman Mike Stuart from the center point in the Grand Rapids zone, the puck hit the end boards and bounced out front to the right of the Griffins' net. Before Grand Rapids goalie Jimmy Howard could get up off the ice after having gone down to save Stuart's shot, Ramsay sent the puck over him and into the goal at 11:59 of the third to pot his eighth goal of the season and to pare the Griffins' lead down to one goal at 4-3.

2006 AHL all-star defenseman Mike Mottau knotted the game at 4-4 for the Rivermen about two minutes later. As the Rivermen controlled the puck in the Griffins' end during a Peoria power play, Mottau came to possess it in the right circle. From the right hash marks, Mottau wired a quick wrister past Howard's glove hand to forge a tie at the 13:24 mark of the third period and to improve his season goal total to eight.

The Rivermen finally succumbed to defeat in overtime, but not until only 28 seconds remained in the extra session. On a shot from the right point in the Peoria end on which Rivermen netminder Reinhard Divis made a kick-save, the puck came to Griffins left wing Jiri Hudler below the right circle. After a brief pause, Hudler snapped the puck up over Divis into the top right corner of the net to claim a 5-4 overtime win for Grand Rapids on his 33rd strike of the campaign.

The Rivermen now move forward with an overall mark of 35-22-2-4 and a road record of 15-11-2-2. The Griffins, meanwhile, improved their League-best record to 44-16-1-4. At home, they are now 24-5-1-3.

The Griffins opened the scoring in this game on a power play about midway through the first period. Off of a draw in the right face-off circle in the Peoria end, Hudler sent a shot in on net from the top of that circle that Rivermen starting goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu just clipped with his blocker. The puck then fell to the ice but had enough momentum to roll into the goal before Beckford-Tseu could retrieve it. The goal at 9:32 of the initial session that gave Grand Rapids a 1-0 lead was determined to have been deflected by right wing Darryl Bootland for his 20th strike of the season.

The Rivermen responded a few minutes later with a man-advantage tally of their own. Collecting the puck along the right-side half-boards in the Grand Rapids zone, Mottau walked out from the boards and then fired a slap shot from the top of the right circle that found its' way through a forest of players in front to dent the twine at the 15:30 mark of the first. Mottau's seventh score of the year tied things up at 1-1 for the Rivermen.

Just before the first period expired, Bootland bagged his second goal of the night. Griffins center Tomas Kopecky first brought the puck into the Rivermen end on the right wing. As he approached the right face-off dot, Kopecky backhanded an arching pass across the slot to Bootland, who caught the puck on a short-hop and one-touched it inside the left post of the Peoria cage as he streaked down the left side of the slot. The bang-bang play at 19:14 of the first period pushed Bootland's season goal total to 21 and gave Grand Rapids the lead again at 2-1.

Less than one minute into the second period, Bootland completed a hat-trick. Skating onto the puck in the right circle in the Peoria zone, he wristed a shot from the right face-off dot up over Beckford-Tseu's left shoulder for his third marker of the game and his 22nd of the season. The goal not only gave Grand Rapids a 3-1 advantage, but also prompted Peoria to insert Reinhard Divis in net to replace Beckford-Tseu.

The Rivermen then got one of the Griffins' goals back late in the middle frame. Accepting a great pass through traffic in front from center Blake Evans at the bottom of the left circle, Peoria right wing Brendan Brooks beat Grand Rapids goalie Jimmy Howard to the stick side at 18:03 of the second session to collect his 13th goal of 2005-06. The tally pulled the Rivermen to within one goal of the Griffins at 3-2.

In the early stages of the third period, Grand Rapids extended its' advantage to two goals. On a pass from within the left circle in the Rivermen end to the area to the right of the Peoria goal, defenseman Clay Wilson found AHL-leading goal scorer Donald MacLean for a shot from below the right circle. The laser shot went inside the right post to stake the Griffins to a 4-2 lead at the 5:14 mark of the third session on MacLean's 48th strike of the season.

The Rivermen will next play in Chicago this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (CST) to conclude the club's current four-game road trip.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2006


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