Ice Bears Drop High-Scoring Affair in Peoria
February 28, 2025 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Knoxville Ice Bears' Eric Olson on game night
(Knoxville Ice Bears)
The Knoxville Ice Bears went back and forth with one of the top teams in the SPHL all night, but couldn't close the gap in a 7-5 loss to the Peoria Rivermen at the Peoria Civic Center Friday night.
Peoria went ahead at 6:18 of the opening period when Nathan Adrian's shot from the slot deflected into the air, bounced off an Ice Bears defenseman and over Stephen Mundinger into the net.
Knoxville tied the game with less than a minute to go in the first with Noah Finstrom's first goal as an Ice Bear. Eric Olson knocked the puck free in the defensive zone for Kyle Soper, who banked it up the right wing side into the Peoria end. Anthony Cinato fought through a pair of Peoria skaters to poke the puck free back in the right circle for Finstrom. Finstrom swept across the crease and beat Dysen Skinner's glove side for his ninth goal of the season.
Olson gave Knoxville its first lead with a wrist shot from the left circle at 5:18 of the second. Kevin Lassman fed the puck to Lucas Helland in the corner. Helland setup Olson to fire the puck past Skinner for his sixth of the year.
Carson Baptiste tied the game from the slot at 6:41 off a cross-ice feed from Alec Baer.
Dawson McKinney made it 3-2 for the Ice Bears with a one-timer from the left dot at 10:38. Tao Ishizuka carried the puck up the neutral zone and swept across the right-wing side on a two-on-one before connecting with McKinney for his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Garrett Devine, Jordan Gagnon and JM Piotrowski all scored in a span of four minutes and 25 seconds to take a 5-3 lead into the second intermission.
McKinney scored his second of the game with a quick release from the right circle to pull Knoxville to within one at 3:29 of the third.
Baptiste scored on an empty net to make 6-4 at 18:29.
Helland scored off a rebound with 18 seconds remaining to get Knoxville to within a goal again, but Gagnon made another empty net goal for Peoria to cap off the scoring detail with 12 seconds left.
The two teams will play tomorrow night in Peoria.
Images from this story
 Knoxville Ice Bears' Eric Olson on game night |
SPHL Stories from February 28, 2025
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