Rivermen action this week
March 12, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
WEEK 22 - RIVERMEN ACTION (0-3-0-1)
Sunday, March 11, RIVERMEN 2 @ Chicago 4: The Peoria Rivermen continued to struggle during their season-high seven-game road trip, as they lost for the fourth straight game at the hands of the Chicago Wolves 4-2 in front of 10,121 at the Allstate Arena. The Rivermen (31-23-2-5, 69 pts) have also had a tough time against the West Division leading Chicago Wolves (38-21-2-5, 83 pts) this season, notching only one victory in the first seven meetings between the clubs (1-5-0-1). In those seven contests, Peoria has been outscored 35-15. Despite giving up 18 shots in the first frame, which ties a season-high, Rivermen netminder Chris Beckford-Tseu kept Chicago off the board with several fantastic saves. There was, however, one disputed call late in the beginning session, in which the Wolves believed they had scored the opening tally, but the referee ruled that the puck did not fully cross the goal line. The second stanza was a different story as the Wolves notched the first of three unanswered goals at the nine-minute mark. Right wing Guillaume Desbiens fed the puck to right wing Joey Crabb and while racing through the slot made a beautiful toe-drag move and powered a shot past Beckford-Tseu, who was slightly late in moving to his right to try and make the save. It was the seventh marker of the season for Crabb. Just 1:05 later, Chicago registered its second goal of the game on left wing Brett Sterling's AHL-leading 46th tally. Right wing Darren Haydar led the Wolves on a 3-on-1 into the Rivermen zone and then dumped the puck to center Jason Krog, who quickly tapped it to Sterling in the right circle, where he fired a shot on net that was stopped by Beckford-Tseu. The puck popped into the air, and Sterling was able to stay with it and swat it into the net. The Wolves made the game 3-0 at 14:17 of the middle period on recently acquired right wing Niko Dimitrakos's third goal in three games with Chicago and 18th overall. Dimitrakos received a centering pass from left wing Jordan LaVallee and rocketed a one-timer over the glove of Beckford-Tseu. Peoria was able to record its first marker of the contest at 15:45 of the second session. The puck somehow escaped from the stick of Wolves center Cory Larose in his own zone. Left wing Charles Linglet tipped the puck toward the net, which began a goalmouth scramble and right wing Mike Glumac was able poke it past Chicago goalie Fred Brathwaite. The Rivermen cut their deficit to 3-2 at 4:06 of the final period on center Yan Stastny's eighth marker of the season. Glumac dished the puck to Stastny, who had drifted below the Wolves defense and sent a laser that slipped in the net just below the crossbar. With a goal and assist in today's game, Glumac continued his torrid scoring pace of 17 points (11g, 6a) in his last 13 contests. Chicago left wing Colin Stuart added his 15th goal of the 2006-07 campaign at 8:21 of the third frame after taking advantage of a Rivermen defenseman losing their stick. Stuart burst into the Peoria zone and whipped a shot over the shoulder of Beckford-Tseu.
Saturday, March 10, RIVERMEN 3 @ Houston 4 Shootout: The Peoria Rivermen replayed the same scenario and result from just over two weeks ago on Saturday night at the Toyota Center against the Houston Aeros in front of 11,678, coming back to tie the game on a hat-trick goal before falling in a shootout 4-3. On February 23, the Rivermen trailed the Grand Rapids Griffins at home in the third period, before center Ryan Ramsay completed the hat trick and his team eventually fell in a shootout. On Saturday night, right wing Mike Glumac continued his torrid point-scoring pace with the team's second hat trick of the season to push the game beyond regulation. Glumac, unfortunately, was the only Rivermen to score in the overtime shootout session, and Houston left wing Peter Olvecky, who had two goals in the game, nabbed the shootout decider in the fifth and final round; Matt Foy had the Aeros' other shootout marker. With the hat trick, Glumac has 15 points (10g, 5a) in his last 12 games with five assists. The Aeros (22-32-3-6, 53 pts) grabbed the game's first lead just over seven minutes into the contest. Right wing Aaron Voros fired a pass from just inside the left part of the right face-off circle to left wing Peter Olvecky, who spun and ripped his seventh tally of the season over the left shoulder of Rivermen goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu. The Rivermen (31-22-2-5, 69 pts), who dropped to 1-5 in shootouts this season, tied it up 1-1 on the power play on Glumac's 20th tally of the season. Left wing Jon DiSalvatore, who was stationed above the right face-off circle, found Glumac at the bottom of the left circle for a one-time slap shot in behind Aeros netminder Dieter Kochan at 16:25 of the first. Houston made it 2-1 exactly four minutes into the second period on a 5-on-3 man advantage. Veteran defenseman Curtis Murphy took a pass from defensive partner Erik Reitz at the left side of the upper slot; found a clear lane to the goal; and when he got even with the top of the left face-off circle, wristed the puck into the upper right corner for his seventh marker of the season. It was Murphy's first power-play goal in 72 games. The Aeros gave themselves a two-goal lead in a four-on-four situation at 13:33 of the middle stanza. Reitz sent a low shot on net from the deep high slot that Olvecky, parked at the top of the Peoria goal crease, tipped past a screened Beckford-Tseu. Glumac struck for the second time in the game to pull the Rivermen to within one of Houston on a delayed penalty call at 16:12 of the second. The puck popped to the right-wing boards for veteran right wing Peter Ferraro, who was skating back up the half wall toward the point. Ferraro quickly dished the puck off to a streaking center Gavin Morgan at the top of the face-off circle. Morgan sidestepped two Houston defenders before finding Glumac at the top of the goal crease. As Glumac accepted the pass, he turned and slapped it past Kochan for his 21st of the year. Glumac tied the game on the power play with his hat trick goal with fewer five minutes to go in regulation. Center Trent Whitfield, at the right side of the Houston goal, found Glumac in the low slot for one-time snap goal, his 22nd of the 2006-07 campaign, at 15:04. It was the second hat trick by a Rivermen player this season and second in the last seven games.
Friday, March 9, RIVERMEN 5 @ San Antonio 7: For those who enjoy offense and lots of it, this game was for you, as the Peoria Rivermen and the San Antonio Rampage combined for 12 goals on 75 shots en route to a 7-5 defeat at the hands of the Rampage in front of 6,437 at the AT&T Center. Tonight's game was only the second time that the Rivermen have lost in regulation against the Rampage; Peoria is now 14-2-1-1 all-time against San Antonio, with both regulation losses coming on the road. The 44 shots on goal for Peoria is the third highest total this season; ironically, the Rivermen have lost in all six games in which they have posted their top six shots-on-goal performances. The Rivermen (31-22-2-4, 68 pts) began a frenetic opening period of play on right wing Peter Ferraro's second goal with Peoria and 12th overall at 4:15. From his own blue line, defenseman Tomas Mojzis whipped a pass down ice to Ferraro standing just in front of the San Antonio zone. Ferraro skated in along the right-wing boards then cut toward the net in the right face-off circle, waited for Rampage netminder Josh Tordjman to go down to a knee and then popped the puck above Tordjman's left shoulder. San Antonio (28-35-1-3, 60 pts) tied the contest with a power-play goal at 8:59 of the first frame. Center Chris Ferraro, who is Peter's twin brother and is playing against him for only the fifth time in the AHL, began the play at the top of the left face-off circle and dished the puck to center point for defenseman Keith Yandle, who blasted a one-timer through a screen from center Donald MacLean that was stopped by Peoria goalie Marek Schwarz. The puck fell to the ice just above the crease, where MacLean chipped it over Schwarz for his team-leading 25th goal of the 2006-07 campaign. Peoria notched its own man advantage goal a little less than two minutes later, at 10:44. Defenseman Jamie Rivers fired a pass cross-ice from the left point to the top of the right face-off circle, where center Yan Stastny sent a one-timer on net. Tordjman made the initial save, but could not locate the puck, which was lying just in front of the goal line along the right post. Center Trent Whitfield hurried from the slot and poked the puck into the net before Tordjman could freeze it for his 25th marker on the season. Just 11 seconds later, the Rampage made the game 2-2 on Ferraro's eighth tally of the year. MacLean walked into the zone through the slot and dumped the puck back to Ferraro, who made a spin move to escape from a Rivermen defenseman and flicked a wrist shot from the right circle through the legs of Schwarz. The Rivermen took their third lead of the beginning session at 17:23. Stastny carried the puck into the Rampage zone along the right-wing boards and flipped the puck behind the net from the right point. Right wing Mike Glumac collected the puck and, while at the left side of the net but still behind the goal line, ricocheted a shot off of the right leg of Tordjman and into the net for his 18th tally of the year. Again Peoria's lead was short-lived as San Antonio scored its first of three unanswered goals at 17:45 of the opening stanza. From the left-wing corner, Ferraro sent a laser to defenseman Alex Leavitt, who was streaking through the slot. Leavitt tipped the pass over the outstretched left leg of Schwarz for his fifth tally of the 2006-07 campaign. The 23 shots on goal the Rivermen posted in the first frame were the most shots in a period so far this season. The first-period barrage chased Tordjman from the net in favor of David LeNeveu. The Rampage captured their first lead of the tilt at 4:35 of the second session on Leavitt's second goal of the game and sixth overall. MacLean fired a shot from the left point that was stopped by Schwarz, but the rebound bounced directly to Leavitt, who was in the slot, where he slid the puck past the right skate of Schwarz. San Antonio increased its lead to 5-3 at 14:55 of the middle frame on MacLean's second tally of the tilt. Ferraro started with the puck at the right point and dished it off to Leavitt, who was in the slot, where he quickly tipped it over to MacLean at the left face-off dot. MacLean cocked and fired a shot that clanked off the right post and into the net. Peoria tallied a goal with just 54 seconds left in the second period to cut its deficit to 5-4. Left wing Jon DiSalvatore raced down the left-wing boards, veered right into the left face-off circle and then sent a pass around a fallen Rampage defenseman in the zone for Whitfield, who snapped a shot past the right arm of LeNeveu for his second goal of the night. Just 1:19 into the third frame, the Rivermen registered a goal, tying the contest. Left wing Charles Linglet whipped a shot from the left face-off dot that was initially stopped by LeNeveu. The puck slipped behind the pads of a sprawled out LeNeveu and Glumac jammed it into the net for his second marker of the game and 19th overall. San Antonio regained the lead at 8:38 of the final period as defenseman Logan Stephenson recorded his third goal of the year. The puck slid into the neutral zone, just as Stephenson was exiting the penalty box; Stephenson grabbed the puck to start a breakaway and once he reached the slot, lifted it over the left shoulder of Schwarz. The Rampage added their second power-play tally of the night at 10:04 of the last stanza. Just to the left of the net, center Daniel Winnik rolled the puck through the crease for center Pascal Rheaume, who had slipped behind the Rivermen defense, to deposit it into the net for his 15th marker of the season.
Tuesday, March 6, RIVERMEN 3 @ Grand Rapids 5: The Peoria Rivermen gave up three unanswered goals in the second period and could not recover, falling on the road 5-3 to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday night at Van Andel Arena. The game opened a season-long, seven-game road trip for the Rivermen. Peoria (31-21-2-4, 68 pts), who had its three-game winning streak and seven-game point streak snapped in the loss, was playing without injured Captain defenseman Aaron MacKenzie, center Ryan Ramsay, left wing Yan Stastny and defenseman Mike Stuart (who left the game prior to its conclusion). Grand Rapids (31-23-5-2, 69 pts) took a 1-0 lead at 5:03 of the opening session. Rookie right wing Jamie Tardif, who has spent the better part of the season with the ECHL Toledo Storm, stole the puck along the left-wing boards and fed it to center Jeff Campbell, who was in behind the Rivermen defense. Peoria goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu came out to meet Campbell, pulling himself out of position, and Campbell easily slipped in his eighth of the year. The Rivermen, who finished their season series with the Griffins at 4-3-0-1, tied the game 1-1 on a 5-3 power play at 13:50 of the first. Veteran defenseman Jamie Rivers rifled a one-timer from the right side of the high slot but broke his stick in the middle of the shot. The broken stick slowed Rivers' shot way down, freezing everyone and allowing center Trent Whitfield to deflect the puck in from off the right post. It was Whitfield's 23rd tally of the season and the first of two in a row with the man advantage. Just 1:20 later in the remaining 5-on-4 man advantage, the Rivermen replayed their first goal in scoring their second, as Whitfield tipped home another Rivers slap shot from the deep high slot. It was Whitfield's 24th marker of the year and gave Peoria a 2-1 lead after one period despite being outshot by the Griffins 14-9 in the session and not registering a shot until the midpoint of the stanza. The Rivermen finished the game 2-for-5 on the power play against the Griffins and 14-for-51 (27.5 percent) for the eight-game season series. Grand Rapids tied it 2-2 early in the second on defenseman Dan Smith's first tally of the season in 61 games. Defenseman Derek Meech fired a shot on net from the left point that Smith tipped home past Beckford-Tseu at 5:28. A little less than five minutes later, Peoria left wing Hans Benson, who is on a 25-game pro try-out on call-up from the ECHL Alaska Aces, manhandled Grand Rapids right wing Adam Keefe in a fight in the Griffins zone at 10:07 of the second. The Griffins then struck quickly with two goals in a 1:09 span inside the last five minutes of the second to grab a 4-2 advantage. The first came off the stick of left wing Ryan Oulahen, who was left uncovered at the left hash marks in the slot for a snap shot goal, his eighth of the season, between the legs of Beckford-Tseu at 15:45; Oulahen got the puck after a slick pass through two Peoria defenders from Campbell, who at the top of the face-off circle. The second tally came at 16:54, when Rivermen rookie defenseman Roman Polak gave the puck up on the doorstep and allowed Miller to roof a backhand shot into the upper right corner for his 19th tally of the season. The Rivermen were able to get within one with just 32 seconds left in regulation on their sixth shorthanded goal of the season. Veteran Rocky Thompson stole the puck outside the Grand Rapids zone and fed a pass to left wing Charles Linglet, who was breaking into the zone along the right-wing boards. Linglet pushed the puck in alone on Liv and clanged it off the inside of the left post from 10 feet for his team-leading 28th tally of the season. The third period remained scoreless until Miller secured the victory for the Griffins with an empty-net tally from the center circle, giving him 20 or more goals in a season for eighth time in his 17-year career.
THREE IS FOR ME... USUALLY
Peoria is 29-7-0-3 (78.2 percent point-making percentage) when scoring three or more goals in a game, having done so in 12 straight games until Sunday's 4-2 loss in Chicago. Prior to that, the Rivermen had hit the three-goal mark in three consecutive games this past week but did not win any of them. In games in which they score two goals or less, the Rivermen are 2-16-2-2 for a 18.2 percent point-making percentage.
BEST AND WORST AGAINST THE WEST
It is feast or famine for the Peoria Rivermen when it comes to taking on their fellow West Division opponents. Against the San Antonio Rampage (5-2-1-0), the Iowa Stars (6-2-0-0), the Houston Aeros (5-1-0-1) and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (6-0-0-1), the Rivermen are a combined 22-5-1-2. Against the Chicago Wolves (1-5-0-1) and the Milwaukee Admirals (1-4-1-0), Peoria is 2-9-1-1 this year.
DEATH MARCH
Peoria plays a season-high, er season-worst, 18 games in the month of March, before finishing the month of April with eight games over 15 days. Thirteen (13) of Peoria's March games are on the road, including a season-long, seven-game road swing from March 6 to Saturday, March 17 in Omaha.
NOT GLUMY BUT GOOD
Fifth-year right wing Mike Glumac has six goals in his last three games, including the team's second hat trick of the year in seven contests on Saturday night, and has 17 points (11g, 6a) in his last 13 contests. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, is second on the team in points (48), and third on the team in goals (23) and assists (25).
RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS
March 10, 2007 D Roman Polak recalled from loan under emergency conditions by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
March 1, 2007 RW Peter Ferraro loaned from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) in exchange for the loan of D Stephen Wood.
March 1, 2007 D Stephen Wood recalled from loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
February 27, 2007 LW Hans Benson signed to a 25-game professional try-out.
February 27, 2007 D Patrick Wellar reassigned from the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
February 24, 2007 G Jason Bacashihua recalled from loan under emergency conditions by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
February 14, 2007 RW Kevin Croxton recalled from loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
February 13, 2007 LW D.J. King recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
February 9, 2007 G Chris Beckford-Tseu reassigned from the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
February 1, 2007 D Jamie Rivers loaned from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
RIVERMEN ACTION THIS WEEK
Sunday, March 18
- Insight Family Day - four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) Cokes & four (4) bags of Kitchen Cooked chips for JUST $38 (a $70 value!)
Radio: The Rivermen will be broadcast LIVE on this week on Classic Country 1290 AM (WIRL-AM), the flagship radio station of the Rivermen.
Internet Audio: LIVE streaming audio of all Rivermen games is available for no charge at www.rivermen.net.
Internet Video: LIVE streaming video with the accompanying audio feed is available at www.rivermen.net through the facilities of the b2 networks. The video Web cast of each game is available for a pay-per-view fee of $6.
SCOUTING THE WOLVES
National Hockey League Parent Club: Atlanta Thrashers
Record Entering This Week: 38-21-2-5
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 83 (+14)
Western Conference Standing: T-1st Place
West Division Standing: 1st Place
Rivermen Record vs. Wolves: 1-5-0-1
Leading Scorer: RW Darren Haydar (59 GP, 32 G, 64 A, 95 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Fred Brathwaite (34 GP, 19-11-4, 2.72 GAA, .903 SV PCT.)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 3rd (20.5%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: T-18th (81.3%)
SCOUTING THE ADMIRALS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Nashville Predators
Record Entering This Week: 32-22-4-6
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 74 (+5)
Western Conference Standing: 6th Place
North Division Standing: 3rd Place
Rivermen Record vs. Griffins: 1-4-0-1
Leading Scorer: C Cal O'Reilly (62 GP, 12 G, 35 A, 47 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Karl Goehring (40 GP, 19-14-4, 2.79 GAA, .904 SV PCT., 1 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 12th (17.3%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 4th (86.0%)
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
National Hockey League Parent Club: Calgary Flames
Record Entering This Week: 38-21-1-3
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 80 (+11)
Western Conference Standing: 3rd Place
West Division Standing: 2nd Place
Rivermen Record vs. Knights: 6-0-0-1
Leading Scorer: C Dustin Boyd (50 GP, 22 G, 26 A, 48 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Curtis McElhinney (45 GP, 27-14-1, 2.11 GAA, .918 SV PCT., 6 SO)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 24th (14.4%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 3rd (86.5%)
SCOUTING THE MOOSE
National Hockey League Parent Club: Vancouver Canucks
Record Entering This Week: 36-17-7-4
Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 83 (+14)
Western Conference Standing: T-1st Place
North Division Standing: 1st Place
Rivermen Record vs. Moose: 0-2-0-0
Leading Scorer: LW Jason Jaffray (61 GP, 31 G, 37 A, 68 PTS)
Number-1 Goaltender: Drew MacIntyre (31 GP, 18-8-2, 2.17 GAA, .926 SV PCT.)
AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 14th (17.0%)
AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 1st (89.4%)
American Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2007
- Wolf Pack Weekly - Connecticut Whale
- Portland Pirates Weekly Report - Portland Pirates
- Rivermen action this week - Peoria Rivermen
- Bulldogs wrap up road trip and head to Montreal this week - Hamilton Bulldogs
- San Antonio Rampage Week 23 report - San Antonio Rampage
- Bulldogs to hold two open practices this week - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Walser Recalled By Columbus - Syracuse Crunch
- Hockey and Heels - Iowa Chops
- Griffins Host Playoff Rival, North Division Leader - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Knights Face Three Tough Foes This Week - Abbotsford Heat
- AHL announces suspensions - AHL
- Record nine straight wins at home for first-place Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Griffins Welcome Kinley to Blue Line - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Jersey Auction Raises $34,260 For MDA - Norfolk Admirals
- Crunch Ask Fans to Wear Orange in Protest of NCAA on March 17 - Syracuse Crunch
- Wolf Pack loan Bruce Graham to Charlotte - Connecticut Whale
- DCU to host Sharks Street Brigade - Worcester Sharks
- Boguniecki Earns AHL Player of Week Award - Bridgeport Islanders
- Stars road trip continues - Iowa Chops
- Sound Tigers' Boguniecki named CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- Albany River Rats Notebook - Albany River Rats
- Penguins-Crunch Game Rescheduled For March 13 - Syracuse Crunch
- Wolves Weekly Notes - Chicago Wolves
- Weekly Sound Tiger News - Bridgeport Islanders
- River Rats players to serve as celebrity bartenders - Albany River Rats
- Monarchs Weekly Report - Manchester Monarchs
- Aeros Weekly Report - Houston Aeros
- Aeros shuffle goalies - Houston Aeros
- Admirals to Visit Children's Hospital March 13th - Milwaukee Admirals
- Crunch Announce Details of Brewerton Speedway Night - Syracuse Crunch
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