ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Can't Hold Lead But Beat Trenton 3-2 in a Shootout

Published on March 8, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. (March 8, 2005) – After giving up a two-goal lead in the third period, the Peoria Rivermen found themselves in an uncomfortable position... in a shootout.

Coming into the game, the Rivermen were 1-5 in six shootout opportunities, but left wing Randy Rowe scored in the sixth round for a 4-3 shootout victory over the Trenton Titans before 3,003 on Tuesday night.

After neither team could score in overtime, the teams went to a shootout. Igor Valeev, though, got the Rivermen on the board in the first shootout round, before Stephen Wood equalized in the third round. Rivermen left wing Randy Rowe won it in the sixth round, the first of sudden death, pumping a shot into the upper left corner from the low slot.

The Titans had gotten within one on the power play at 11:47 of the third. Rosario Ruggeri, at the right point in the Peoria zone, found Leon Hayward just off the left goal post for a low one-time slap shot goal past a diving Rivermen netminder Alfie Michaud. It was Hayward's 10th goal of the season.

Prior to that opposition power play tally, the Rivermen had killed off 87 of 90 opposition man advantage chances, including a Peoria professional hockey record and ECHL record 71 in a row.

Trenton tied the game 3-3 with its second power play goal in a row. Nick Deschenes' shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle was stopped by Michaud, but the rebound popped right to Bryce Cockburn, who – from the bottom of the left face-off circle – lofted the puck over the stick of a sliding Michaud. It was Cockburn's 14th goal of the year.

Peoria (29-18-7, 65 points) set a season-best with six straight wins and finished a Peoria professional hockey record 11 in a row with an 8-1-2 mark. The Rivermen improved to 5-0-0 against the Titans this season and 19-7-5 at Carver Arena this season. Peoria (.601) is now mathematically in the playoffs because it owns a better point-making percentage than Trenton (.598) and Toledo (579). The Rivermen are one point back of Toledo with three games in hand and two points back of Trenton with two games in hand. Trenton (29-18-9, 67 points) is winless in its last three games (0-1-2) and dropped to 12-10-5 on the road.

Michaud (21-8-4) stopped 27 of 30 Trenton chances in regulation and overtime, and then stopped five of six in the shootout. He is now 15-1-2 in his last 20 appearances. Trenton netminder Chris Houle (18-9-4) turned away 36 of 39 in regulation and overtime with four stops on six Peoria shootout chances.

In the fifth contest between the clubs, the Titans took their first lead in a game against the Rivermen this season at 8:04 of the opening session. In the center-ice, face-off circle, Scott Bertoli found a breaking Deschenes, who took the pass, came down the right side of the slot, cut in underneath Rivermen defenseman Warren Toews and roofed the puck into the upper left corner from the top of the goal crease. Deschenes, who posted a four-goal game last Friday in an 8-7 shootout loss to the Greenville Grrrowl at home, notched his 17th goal of the season.

Peoria tied the game 1-1 with just 56 seconds remaining in the first. Igor Valeev maneuvered into the Trenton zone down the right wing boards, pushing to the top of the face-off circle and wristing a cross-ice feed to a streaking Brian McCullough for a one-time chip shot inside the left post. It was McCullough's team-leading 29th marker of the season.

The Rivermen took their first lead of the night at 13:36 of the second stanza on the power play. Ed Hill sent a cross-ice feed from the right point to Reggie Stringer, who was in the face-off circle and tried power his way to the goal. As he was stood up in the low slot by the Trenton defense, the puck popped right out to the high slot for McCullough, who launched it into the upper right corner for his second goal of the game and 30th of the season.

It became a 3-1 Peoria advantage with 2:35 remaining in the second. Rowe drove in down the left side of the Trenton zone, rifling a shot toward Houle and the Trenton net. Houle made the stop but the puck perfectly saucer-ed off him to the low slot, where Captain Trevor Baker had slipped by the Trenton defenseman Michael Schutte and swept in an easy back hand goal. It was his 13th tally of the season.

On Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12, the Rivermen open a grueling five-city, seven-game, nine-day road trip in Toledo, Ohio, against the archrival Storm. Game time both nights is 6:30 p.m. CT.

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