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SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Lose Hard-Fought Battle to Peoria, 6-4

March 3, 2018 - SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


PEORIA, Ill. - After surrendering three straight goals and climbing back into the game to take a 4-3 lead, the RiverKings slip up and fall to Peoria 6-4. Bryan Arneson netted two goals in the losing effort while the point streaks for Ryan Salkeld and Devin Mantha were snapped in the process.

Peoria got their home crowd standing early and often with three straight goals coming only three minutes and 19 seconds apart, mid-way through the first period. Tyler Green, who got the start for the RiverKings, would get the hook after allowing three goals on seven shots; replaced by Jared Rutledge. The RiverKings team must have taken he goaltender swap to heart, as the tide began to turn, starting with Brantley Sherwood's tenth goal of the season. Shane Bennett jumped on a loose puck in the high slot and after toe-dragging around one defenseman, slid the puck behind Rivermen goalie Peter Di Salvo to a waiting Sherwood in the slot who buried it home.

Entering the second period, the RiverKings breathed new life from their late first-period goal. At almost the halfway mark of the game, with 9:43 left in the second period, Kristaps Bazevics sent a wrist-shot from the point that was kicked aside by Di Salvo. Bryan Arneson pounced on the loose puck, moving around a d-man and beating Di Salvo to bring the RiverKings within one, 3-2.

Continuing to build off their momentum in the first and second period, the RiverKings came blazing out of the gates in the third period, too. Working the puck down low, Donald Olivieri took a shot for the center point that rebounded right to Ryan Marcuz. Moving to his left Marcuz hammered a backhand shot that fooled his former teammate Di Salvo, to tie the game at 3-3 with 15:20 left to go in the third. The ice was tilted in favor of the RiverKings since late in the third, and they took ultimate advantage of it, taking the lead 2:29 later. For his second goal of the night, Bryan Arneson sniped a shot to the top corner over Di Salvo's glove and granted the RiverKings their first lead of the night.

The Rivermen didn't say die, however, and would muster up a comeback of their own. Former RiverKing forward Jordan Carvalho stuck it to his old team with a seeing-eye shot from the point that beat Rutledge to tie the game at four goals apiece. Mike Economos would help Peoria get their second lead of the night only one minute and 53 seconds later when he slammed home a close-proximity rebound goal. It wasn't entirely over for the RiverKings who were given the power-play with 1:59 left to go in the game thanks to an Economos boarding penalty when he crashed into Ralfs Grinbergs right in front of the RiverKings bench. Despite having the extra man and pulling Rutledge to make it a 6-on-4 scenario, the RiverKings couldn't tie the game and ultimately gave up a shorthanded, empty-net, goal to Justin Greenberg to seal the game and the final score at 6-4.

The RiverKings are back in action less than 24 hours later looking to exact revenge on the Rivermen with a 3:05 CST puck drop from Carver Arena in Peoria, IL. It's the teams second of four games against one another in only six days. The black and gold will then take on Pensacola on March 7 from Florida, before returning home to Planters Bank Ice at Landers Center on March 9 and 10 to finish out the season series with Peoria. To get your tickets for Fresh Friday present by Valpak, visit riverkings.com/fresh or stop by riverkings.com/chickfila to get your tickets for Saturday night's St. Patrick's Day celebration.

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