Rivermen Bounce Back to Beat IceGators
February 14, 2016 - SPHL (SPHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
PEORIA, Ill. - What started as a sweet Valentine's Day weekend for the Louisiana IceGators ended on a sour note.
The Peoria Rivermen played the role of a scorned lover Sunday, exacting revenge on the IceGators in the form of a 6-2 victory to avenge two losses earlier in the weekend. Two former IceGators, Chris Wilson and Adam Stuart, each scored twice lead Peoria to the win.
The IceGators return to the Frozen Swamp next weekend after spending the last five weeks playing on the road, hosting the Huntsville Havoc on Friday at Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and the Mississippi RiverKings on Sunday at 3:05 p.m.
"It's a tough loss," IceGators head coach Drew Omicioli said. "I thought we played well for about 30 minutes, but then sheer fatigue set in. These guys battled all weekend with short rosters, and they played their hearts out. All things considered, grabbing four points on the weekend is a plus for us."
The Rivermen and the IceGators exchanged goals in the first period. Wilson scored his first goal on a power play off assists from Dave Pszynyczny and Connor Toomey at the three-minute mark of the frame. Zac Frischmon tied the game at the 9:58 mark after taking a feed from Jake Hauswirth.
Peoria jumped ahead in the second period. Stuart gave the Rivermen a 2-1 lead 86 seconds into the period off assists from Walker Wintoneak and Ben Power. Dan Bremner increased the lead to two when he scored at the 8:21 mark off feeds from Matt Summers and Alec Hagaman.
The IceGators cut the lead down to a goal before the intermission when Blake Hietala scored off a John Daniels assist with 3:30 remaining in the period.
Peoria sealed their victory early in the third period. Wilson, Stuart, and Toomey all scored in the first seven minutes of the frame to put the game on ice.
"Once again, the game got chippy," Omicioli said. "The use of the sticks got our of control, but we knew going in that's how these games would be. Shame on us for allowing it to affect the outcome."
Omicioli says he's pleased with the overall performance of his team this weekend, but he says there's some unfinished business between the IceGators and the Rivermen.
"Overall, we gave a decent effort, but I'm disappointed we gave them a game," Omicioli said. "This is a great rivalry. I'm really looking forward to playing (the Rivermen) in the playoffs."
• Discuss this story on the SPHL message board...
SPHL Stories from February 14, 2016
- Rivermen Bounce Back to Beat IceGators - Louisiana IceGators
- Mayhem Lose to Havoc - Macon Mayhem
- Rivermen Pile on Late, Beat IceGators 6-2 Sunday - Peoria Rivermen
- RiverKings Pepper Jaeger, Fall 3-2 in Columbus - Mississippi RiverKings
- Rivermen Game Notes vs Louisiana - Peoria Rivermen
- IceGators Win Again over Rivermen - Louisiana IceGators
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
