IceGators Explode in 2nd Period to Down Rivermen
January 16, 2015 - SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
PEORIA - The Peoria Rivermen surrendered three goals early in the second period and did not recover in a 5-3 loss to the Louisiana IceGators on Friday night at Carver Arena.
After a scoreless first period, the IceGators scored 1:53 into the middle stanza when Luke Kasteel found a loose puck in the slot and scored stick-side on assists from Jeremy Boyer and Tyler Amburgey. Louisiana increased the advantage to 2-0 on a shorthanded goal by Jake Hauswirth with 12:30 left, then completed a 4-on-1 break 61 seconds later with a Bret Peppler goal to build the guests' lead to 3-0.
The Rivermen finally tallied with 3:35 remaining in the second period when Jake Trask redirected a Paul Arnott drive from the left point also assisted by Steve Morra to cut the deficit to 3-1, but Louisiana answered just 53 seconds later when a deflected puck hit Benjamin Rubin in stride in the slot and he put back his own rebound for a 4-1 lead at the second intermission.
Peoria cut the margin to 4-2 with 13:12 left in the third period when Mike Gurtler backhanded a shot from the right wall that snuck inside the left post, assisted by Jordan Sims and Nick Schneider. The Rivermen cut the score to 4-3 when Ben Oskroba lifted a top-shelf blast from the slot with 6:49 showing on the regulation clock assisted by Morra and Trask. The IceGators sealed the win with an empty net goal by Peppler with 47.7 seconds remaining.
Marco De Filippo earned a 37-save win while Kyle Rank took the loss in the Peoria net while stopping 22 shots. Neither team scored on power plays with four chances given to the Rivermen and two to the IceGators. The Rivermen remain in third place in the Southern Professional Hockey League with a 16-10-2 record for 34 points, but now lead Louisiana (15-11-3, 33 points) by a single point.
The Rivermen continue the weekend series with a 7:05 p.m. Saturday face-off against the IceGators on Chicago Blackhawks Night, featuring the Blackhawks Ice Girls giving away thousands of dollars worth of tickets, memorabilia and merchandise to ticketholders all night long. The home stand concludes Sunday with a 3:05 p.m. game against Louisiana on PJ Star Family Fun Day with a Family Fun Zone in the Great Hall from 2:00 until 3:00 including Fun on the Run inflatables, Wild Style Design face painting and Unique Twist and the Twisting Crew with balloon creations. Fans are also invited to skate with the Rivermen after Sunday's game.
Single game tickets for Peoria's 33rd season of professional hockey are on sale weekdays at the Peoria Civic Center. Season ticket packages and group ticket options for the 2014-15 campaign are on sale now through the Rivermen office, located at 201 S.W. Jefferson Street, or over the phone at (309) 676-1040. For the latest Rivermen news and notes, follow online at www.rivermen.net or through Facebook ( www.facebook.com/PeoriaRivermen) and Twitter ( https://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen).
SPHL Stories from January 16, 2015
- IceGators Sink Rivermen - Louisiana IceGators
- Ice Bears Back on Top - Knoxville Ice Bears
- RiverKings Jump Past FireAntz, 5-3 - Mississippi RiverKings
- IceGators Explode in 2nd Period to Down Rivermen - Peoria Rivermen
- RiverKings Freeze Ticket Prices, Add Referral Program for 2015-16 - Mississippi RiverKings
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