Ice Bears Fall to Rivermen
March 24, 2017 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release
Knoxville, TN The Knoxville Ice Bears fell to the Peoria Rivermen 4-2 on Friday at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in front of a crowd of 3057. The two teams will face off again Saturday night at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
The game was marred by an injury to Knoxville's Spencer Metcalfe at 8:54 of the third period. Metcalfe was caught in a collision between teammate Danny Cesarz and Peoria's Alec Hagaman. He stayed motionless on the ice and was removed via stretcher. Head Coach Mike Craigen later confirmed Metcalfe was "fine and fully responsive," and was "being taken to the hospital for a checkup and precaution."
Nick Neville put Peoria ahead at 8:20 of the first when his shot from the right point pinballed off a Knoxville skater over Brian Billet's right shoulder.
Doug Reid tied the game at 15:59 with a quick wrist shot from the right hash on the power play that beat Storm Phaneuf top shelf. Mark Pustin dug the puck out of the right corner and fed it to Reid, setting up the score for Reid's tenth goal of the year. Pustin finished with two assists.
Former Ice Bear Christian Weidauer put the Rivermen back in front 33 seconds later by finishing off a three-on-one. Eric Witzel slid the puck from the right circle across the middle to Weidauer, who had slid behind the defense on the backdoor.
Peoria extended its lead when Connor Gorman ripped the puck from the right goal line through the crease and it deflected off a skate and by Billet at 7:41 of the third
Corey Hale cut the deficit to one on a power-play goal from the slot at 13:24, but the Rivermen responded quickly again with a Cody Dion redirect 52 seconds later.
The Knoxville Ice Bears return to home ice on Saturday as they host the same Peoria Rivermen for Country Night sponsored by Toyota Knoxville and Q100.3 Rising country artist Adam Craig will be performing during the first intermission. To purchase tickets call 865-656-4444 or visit www.knoxvilletickets.com.
Download the Knoxville Ice Bears Mobile App and register to receive up to the date news, behind the scenes video and special contests all season long. Available for download at either through Google Play or the Apple App Store. Use the promo code "LGIB" to receive 100 loyalty points.
ABOUT The Knoxville Ice Bears: The Knoxville Ice Bears organization began in 2002 and was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in 2004. As four-time SPHL Champions, the Ice Bears are an experienced and established organization, offering the city and its' visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity and endless fan interaction, presenting the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment. Season, Partial Season and Flex Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com or call (865) 525-7825.
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