Rivermen Close Road Schedule Wth Last-Second Loss
April 19, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
The deciding goal in the game didn't come until 12.9 seconds left in regulation when Tomas Jurco slipped in a power-play goal to give Grand Rapids a 3-1 win over the Peoria Rivermen on Friday night at Van Andel Arena. Jan Mursak added an empty-netter with 1.9 seconds left to increase the margin of victory.
The Griffin clinched the Midwest Division title with the win while the Rivermen finished their road schedule with a record of 13-22-3-0. They are now 33-33-4-4 heading into their final two games at Carver Arena.
Peoria jumped on the scoreboard first just 3:31 into the game. Nathan Longpre flipped an airborne pass up the ice into the Grand Rapids' defensive zone. T.J. Hensick collected the puck and backhanded a shot past Petr Mrazek's blocker side for his 19th goal of the season. Evgeny Grachev also earned an assist on the play.
The Griffins tied the game in the second period. Brian Skinner took a shot from the blue line that went past Mike McKenna's blocker to tie the game 1-1 at 9:04. Jeff Hoggan and Riley Sheahan assisted on the game-tying goal.
After neither team earned a penalty in the first two frames, it was a delay of game penalty that cost the Rivermen. Grand Rapids responded with a power-play goal with 12.9 seconds remaining in regulation to take a decisive 2-1 lead. Jurco was able to push in a rebound, which was reviewed by officials, for his 14th goal of the season. Hoggan and Landon Ferraro earned assists on the game-winning goal.
Mursak's empty-netter was his fourth of the season.
The Rivermen went 0-for-1 on the powerplay, while Grand Rapids was 1-for-3. The Griffins outshot the Peoria 43-19, including a 17-6 advantage in the third period.
The Rivermen open their last homestand of the season against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. All tickets to both Saturday and Sunday's game are available for as little as $5 and all merchandise has been marked down 50 percent. Following Saturday's game the team will auction off their white jerseys. For tickets or more information call 309-676-1040.
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