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ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen add four more wins for five-game overall streak

March 29, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Wednesday, March 24, 2004 @ Cincinnati Game #68 ECHL Game #1030

Rivermen 4 Cincinnati 3

The Peoria Rivermen needed just the first period to beat the Cincinnati Cyclones on Wednesday night but spent the next two holding them off in a 4-3 win before 1,205 at U.S. Bank Arena.

In Peoria's four-goal first period, the line of Tyler Rennette (2g, 1a), Colin Hemingway (3a) and Igor Valeev (1g, 1a) combined for eight points.

Hemingway – who had his four-game, goal-scoring streak snapped at six tallies – has points in each of his last five games with 10 (6g, 4a).

Earlier in the day, Valeev was reassigned to the Rivermen from the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate – the Worcester IceCats. Valeev notched two points (1g, 1a) and 24 penalty minutes (PIM) in six games with the Rivermen during a conditioning stint from December 11-21. In 31 games with Worcester, he posted four points (1g, 3a) and 68 PIM.

Peoria (41-18-9, 91 points) improved to an ECHL-best 22-7-6 on the road with the victory. The Rivermen finished 9-4-0 against the Cyclones in the 13-game season series, including a 6-1-0 mark at U.S. Bank Arena. With the win, Peoria remained in second place in the nine-team Northern Division, as the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies lost at home to the Johnstown Chiefs 5-2. Cincinnati (25-41-3, 53 points) dropped to 13-19-3 at home in the loss.

Friday, March 26, 2004 vs. Dayton Game #69 ECHL Game #1042

Rivermen 6 Dayton 0

Rivermen goaltender Levente Szuper turned away all 26 Dayton Bombers' shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season, as the Peoria Rivermen powered through Dayton 6-0 in front 5,330 on Friday night at Carver Arena.

Szuper stopped four shots in the first period, nine in the second and then 13 in the final session for his 20th victory of the season (20-8-1); it is the first 20-win season of his four-year career. It was the 12th shutout of Szuper's career and the eighth by a Rivermen netminder this season. Szuper is one shutout away from his career season-high of five.

At 9:12 of the final session, the Rivermen made it 5-0. An Igor Valeev shot from the right face-off circle was stopped by Dayton goaltender Andrew Penner, but Rivermen Captain Trevor Baker was at the top of the goal crease and used a second effort to chip his 16th tally of the season over Penner, who went down to make the initial save.

Valeev, who was reassigned to the Rivermen from the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate – the Worcester IceCats – on Wednesday, has five points (3g, 2a) and a +5 plus/minus in the last two games.

Peoria completed the scoring at 11:17 of the third. Scott Crawford took a pass from Tyler Rennette in the right face-off circle, pushed the puck ahead and then found Valeev for a tip-in at the top of the goal crease. It was Valeev's second tally of the night and fourth in a Rivermen uniform. Rennette finished the night with three assists.

Peoria (42-18-9, 93 points) has won three in a row overall and a season-best seven straight at home, improving to 20-11-3 at Carver Arena this season. The Rivermen improved to 5-3-1 against the Bombers with two games remaining in the season series. Peoria remained in second place in the nine-team Northern Division, three points in front of the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies and the rival Johnstown Chiefs. Dayton (25-38-5, 55 points) had its four-game winning streak snapped in the loss and dropped to 10-22-3 on the road.

Saturday, March 27, 2004 vs. Dayton Game #70 ECHL Game #1060

Rivermen 8 Dayton 2

Eight was a magic number on Saturday night at Carver Arena for the Peoria Rivermen. The Rivermen registered eight goals in a game for the first time this season and have won a season-best eight in a row at home in an 8-2 victory over the archrival Dayton Bombers before a crowd of 7,184.

Tyler Rennette gave the Rivermen a 6-1 lead at 5:03 of the third period, converting a Colin Hemingway rebound from just off the left goal post. It was Rennette's 29th of the season.

The Bombers added their second tally of the night at 9:57 of the final period. Jason Deskins fed Janne Jokila in the slot, as Jokila roofed his 17th tally over Rivermen goaltender Levente Szuper.

Peoria made it 7-2 at 14:01 of the third. Joe Vandermeer took a Colin Hemingway pass, walked down the right wing boards, cut in underneath the Dayton defenseman, pulled the puck from his backhand to his forehand and slipped it past Bombers goaltender Dave Marlin, who replaced starter Andrew Penner at 7:37 of the second. Penner stopped 12 of 16 Peoria chances in his 25th defeat of the season (14-25-2); Marlin stopped 12 of 16 in relief.

Vandermeer and Jason Norrie led all scorers with three points (1g, 2a) each.

The Rivermen finished the onslaught with their eighth tally of the game just 41 seconds later. Norrie fired a shot from the high slot that Marlin turned away, but David Kaczowka was on the doorstep to chip home his sixth goal of the season and fourth in a Rivermen uniform.

Peoria (43-18-9, 95 points) has won four in a row overall and improved to 21-11-3 at Carver Arena. The Rivermen remained in second place over the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies and the rival Johnstown Chiefs by three points; Peoria has played three more games than Atlantic City and one more than Johnstown. The Rivermen improved to 6-3-1 against the Bombers this season with a road game on Friday, April 2 remaining between the clubs. Dayton (25-39-5, 55 points) dropped to 10-23-3 on the road in the loss.

Sunday, March 28, 2004 vs. Toledo Game #71 ECHL Game #1068

Rivermen 8 Toledo 2

For the second game in a row, eight different Peoria Rivermen players scored goals in an 8-2 home victory. This win came against the archrival Toledo Storm in front of 5,488 on Sunday afternoon at Carver Arena. Last night, Peoria beat the archrival Dayton Bombers 8-2.

With the victory, the Rivermen finished the regular season with nine straight wins on home ice, outscoring the opposition 51-17 over the span.

Peoria added two goals in the third period, the first of which came at 7:30. At the bottom of the right face-off circle, Adam Edinger set up Scott Crawford at the left side of the slot for an easy, one-time slap shot goal. It was Crawford's seventh goal of the season.

The Rivermen completed their onslaught with 6:23 remaining in regulation. Trevor Baker took a pass from Jason Norrie and broke in alone on the Toledo goal and finished inside the left goal post for his 17th tally of the season.

Toledo scored its second goal at 16:46 of the third. Rookie Chris Vail converted a Derek Campbell rebound in the lower slot for his first professional goal.

Peoria (44-18-9, 97 points) has also won five in a row overall and improved to 22-11-3 at Carver Arena to finish out the 2003-2004 home schedule. The Rivermen remain in second place in the Northern Division by three points. Peoria averaged 5,101 fans over its 36 home games this season. Toledo (23-35-11, 57 points) is winless in its last five games (0-3-2) and fell to 12-16-5 on the road.

The Captain's Log

Playing For Playoff Positioning

The second-place Rivermen (44-18-9, 97 points), who have won their last five games in a row, are three points ahead of the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (44-18-6, 94 points) with three more games played and three points in front of the rival Johnstown Chiefs (44-20-6, 94 points) with one more game played in the nine-team Northern Division. With one game remaining in its regular season, Peoria is looking for a win to finish in third place or better and avoid a Wild Card game between the fourth and fifth place finishers in the Division. The magic number to finish in third place is two points, either earned by Peoria or lost by Johnstown. The Wild Card winner will take on the Division Champion in a five-game Northern Division semifinal series. The Rivermen battle the archrival Dayton Bombers (25-40-5, 55 points) on Friday, April 2 to finish out the 2003-2004 regular season in the 11th and final meeting between the clubs.

A Fine Nine To Finish

The Rivermen closed the 2003-2004 regular season with nine straight wins on home ice, outscoring the opposition 51-17 over the stretch. Over its nine-game home winning streak, Peoria averaged 5.67 goals per game. The Rivermen, who finished the year 22-11-3 at home, were 13-3-0 over their final 16 contests at Carver Arena. Over each of their 22 home wins, the Rivermen are averaging 4.68 goals per game (103 goals); they have posted 20 or more wins at home in each of their eight ECHL seasons. Peoria is averaging 1.21 goals per game (17 goals) over 14 home defeats, which include three overtime losses. For the first time in their eight-year ECHL tenure, the Rivermen have lost more than nine games in regulation in one season at Carver Arena. Peoria owns a 197-57-30 lifetime ECHL record (75 percent point percentage) after eight ECHL seasons.

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Road Royalty

Peoria made it two straight wins on the road last Wednesday in a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Rivermen continue to own the ECHL's best road record at 22-7-6 (71 percent point percentage). The Rivermen lost just their seventh road game in regulation in 35 road opportunities on March 17 against the Trenton Titans (4-2). Peoria's seven losses are one shy of an ECHL record for the fewest by a team in one season; the Richmond Renegades had just six in 1995-1996. The 22 Rivermen road wins are four shy of an ECHL record for road victories in one season; Louisiana had a record 26 in 2001-2002. Peoria could equal its own ECHL team mark for road victories (23) with a win on Friday in Dayton.

Zone Defenders

The Rivermen posted a collective 1.75 goals against average (GAA) over four straight wins last week. They rank third in the ECHL with a 2.42 GAA behind Louisiana (2.31) and Atlantic City (2.25). Over the last 29 games, Peoria has given up two goals or less in 17 of those games, including five one-goal games and four shutouts. Last season, Peoria ranked first in the League, allowing 2.51 goals per game. Peoria goaltenders Levente Szuper and Mike Valley (currently on call-up with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Hartford Wolf Pack) have posted 2.22 (5th in the ECHL) and 2.28 (7th in the ECHL) GAAs, respectively.

And The Winner Is...

With one game left in the regular season, the Peoria Rivermen handed out some of their team awards (determined by a vote of the players or by statistics earned) before Sunday's final regular season home game. Tyler Rennette, who currently leads the club in goals (T-30), points (65) and plus/minus (+33), was named Team MVP. Randy Rowe, currently on call-up with the American Hockey League's (AHL) St. John's Maple Leafs, earned the Three Star Award for the most No. 1 stars. Second-year defenseman Scott Crawford, who has 42 points (7g, 35a) and a +25 plus/minus, was named Most Improved Player. Veteran Joe Vandermeer, who the team's current assist leader (40) and has 45 points, was named Best Defenseman. And Colin Hemingway, who has 42 points (19g, 23a) and +27 plus/minus in 35 games on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats, was named Rookie of the Year. Still to be determined with one game remaining in the regular season are Leading Scorer, Most Goals and Most Assists.

Szuper Sensational

Goaltender Levente Szuper – a 23-year-old native of Budapest, Hungary – has won 11 of his last 12 starts with a 1.75 goals against average (GAA) and a .935 save percentage. With a 6-0 home shutout of Dayton last Friday, he posted the first 20-win season of his four-year career. After opening the season with an 0-3-1 record, a 4.53 GAA and a .818 save percentage, he has notched a 22-5-0 mark with a 1.92 GAA (52 GA) and a .929 save percentage (684/736). For the season, he has a 22-8-1 record with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Rivermen defenseman Chad Starling has been reassigned to the Houston Aeros (AHL), 03/28/04.

· Rivermen goaltender Mike Valley remains on call-up to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), 03/27/04.

· Brian Hamilton has been added as an emergency back-up goaltender, 03/27/04.

· Assistant Coach Luke Gruden has been released as an emergency back-up goaltender, 03/27/04.

· Rivermen left wing Randy Rowe remains on call-up to the St. John's Maple Leafs (AHL), 03/11/04.

· Rivermen right wing Ken Goetz remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 03/07/04.

· Rivermen center Brendan Brooks remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 01/14/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

PRACTICE:

· The Rivermen will practice Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 1 at Owens Center at 10:00 a.m. The team will depart after practice Thursday for Dayton, Ohio. Practice times are subject to change.

GAMES:

· On Friday, April 2, the Rivermen travel to Dayton, Ohio, to battle the archrival Bombers in the 11th and final meeting of the season. Peoria took both meetings between the clubs last weekend at Carver Arena, winning 6-0 on Friday and 8-2 on Saturday. The Rivermen are 6-3-1 against the Bombers this season with a 2-1-1 record at the Nutter Center. Peoria's lifetime ECHL record against Dayton is 45-25-9. Dayton (25-40-5, 55 points) is in eighth place in the nine-team Northern Division. The Bombers are led by center Jason Deskins, who has 49 points (24g, 25a) in 63 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:50 p.m. from the Nutter Center. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

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