Rivermen Alone in 1st After Split
February 7, 2015 - SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
PEORIA - The Peoria Rivermen took sole possession of first place in the Southern Professional Hockey League with a 3-1 win to complete a suspended game, but could not add cushion to the lead with a 3-1 loss in the regularly scheduled contest to the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday at Carver Arena.
The Rivermen began the night by sealing their 2-1 advantage going into the resumption of a suspended game from Oct. 35 with an empty net goal by Dan Bremner assisted by Josh Harris with 11.5 seconds remaining for a 3-1 victory.
In the regularly scheduled contest, the Havoc opened the scoring 6:07 into the game when Nick Wheeler threaded the puck from the right circle into a narrow opening in the top right corner. Huntsville received a fortunate bounce to go ahead 2-0 with 8:01 left in the first period when Stuart Stefan threw a hard centering pass from the right wing that deflected into the net off a Rivermen leg.
The Rivermen cut the margin to 2-1 just 3:39 into the second period during 4-on-4 skating when Steve Morra took a feed from Garrett Vermeersch on a 2-on-1 break and scored after a move on the doorstep.
The Havoc sealed the win with an empty net goal as Luke Greiner won a race to a loose puck in the Peoria zone with 57.1 seconds remaining.
Kyle Rank took the decision in both games for the Rivermen, as did Havoc goalie Kevin Genoe. The Rivermen outshot the Havoc 36-17 in the nightcap.
The Rivermen (24-12-3, 51 points) move into sole possession of the Southern Professional Hockey League lead thanks to the victory in the suspended game, as Knoxville lost 2-1 at home to Columbus. The Havoc remain in eighth place with a record of 6-25-5 for 17 points and won for the first time since Jan. 8 and took their first point since Jan. 10.
The weekend concludes with a 3:05 p.m. Sunday face-off against the Havoc on PJ Star Family Fun Day. Kids 12 and under are admitted for $1 in certain sections and $5 everywhere else, and kids meals (hot dog, chips, drink) are $3 each. The Family Fun Zone in the Great Hall from 2 p.m. till 3 p.m. includes face painting by Wild Style Design, balloon creations from Unique Twist and the Twisting Crew and inflatables from Fun on the Run. Fans of all ages are invited to skate with the Rivermen after the game. The game can be heard on 93.7 FM in Carver Arena and on www.rivermen.net and viewed via subscription at SPHLLive.com.
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 February 7, 2015
- Ice Bears Split Weekend with Cottonmouths - Knoxville Ice Bears
- RiverKings Run Winning Streak to Six - Mississippi RiverKings
- IceGators fall 5-4 - Louisiana IceGators
- Rivermen Alone in 1st After Split - Peoria Rivermen
- IceGators Appealing Loss to FireAntz - Louisiana IceGators
- 3-2 Loss for Ice Flyers in Southaven vs. RiverKings - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Knoxville Uses Shootout to Best Columbus, 2-1 - Columbus Cottonmouths
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