Power Surge Leads Rivermen Past Griffins
January 15, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Peoria Rivermen converted on their final three power plays of the game and beat the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-2 on Friday night at Van Andel Arena. Pascal Pelletier scored twice, and finished with three points, as the top ranked road power play in the league over powered the 29th ranked penalty kill.
It was the second time in five games under head coach Rick Wamsley that the Rivermen have scored three or more power-play goals in a game. The Rivermen were an impressive 4-for-6 on the man advantage in a 5-1 win over Toronto last Friday. Over the past eight games, the Rivermen are 14-for-39 (35.9 percent) on the power play and are ranked second in the league in power-play percentage at 22.7 percent.
After losing the first three meetings with Grand Rapids this season, the Rivermen have won the last three times they have gotten together. The Rivermen hit the halfway point of the season at 21-15-1-3; 12-7-1-0 at home and 9-8-0-3 on the road.
Pelletier scored twice in a 1:50 span to give the Rivermen a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. His first goal came at 8:10 and caromed off a defender's skate and past Daniel Larsson after he tried to push a pass through the Julian Talbot on a two-on-one break. Ben Bishop started the rush with an outlet pass that earned him his third assist of the season.
At 11:00, Pelletier deflected Bryce Lampman's slapshot through Larsson for his eighth of the season. It was Pelletier's first two-goal game since Feb. 27, 2008 when he was with the Rockford IceHogs. In 15 games since he was traded from Columbus, he has 11 points (5g, 6a) after scoring just three times in 25 games with Syracuse.
The Griffins first goal came off the skate of Rivermen center Yan Stastny. He was back-checking in an attempt to break up a two-on-one when Evan McGrath's pass bounced off Stastny and past Ben Bishop.
Pelletier had a chance for the hat trick but settled for an assist on Barry Tallackson's team-leading 13th goal of the season at 17:48 of the second. Lampman fed Pelletier at the doorstep but the puck bounced off his stick and into the slot for Tallackson. Larsson couldn't dive back across the goal and Tallackson scored the eventual game-winner.
Grand Rapids outshot the Rivermen 9-2 in the third period but Doug Janik scored the only goal of the period at 10:49. Three different players blocked desperate shots in the final 10 seconds to help secure the win.
Bishop finished with 27 saves while his team finished 3-for-5 on the power play. They also killed off all three Griffins power plays, and snapped a stretch of 16 consecutive games in which they had allowed a power-play goal.
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