ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Come Back in the Third in Wheeling, Winning 5-2

Published on March 13, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Wheeling, W. Va. (March 13, 2005) – The Peoria Rivermen conquered fairly uncharted territory on Sunday evening in Wheeling, W.Va., winning 5-2 in front of 3,001 at WesBanco Arena.

Coming into the game, the Rivermen were 2-6-1 when trailing after two periods, but they registered four third-period goals and five unanswered in all to snap a mild two-game losing skid.

The Rivermen tied the game 2-2 on a misplay in the slot in the Wheeling zone at 10:53 of the third. Ed Hill chipped the puck into the Nailers end and Wheeling defenseman Cliff Loya tried to glove it down in the high slot but lost an edge. Reggie Stringer was there to collect the puck, moved in on the Wheeling net and lifted a backhand chance into the upper left corner past Wheeling goaltender Andy Chiodo. It was Stringer's 16th tally of the season and his third goal in as many games.

Peoria took its first lead of the game just 1:30 later. Former Nailers rookie Jake Riddle beat Wheeling defenseman Randy Perry out of the left-wing corner and powered the puck to the low slot, where he beat Chiodo on a backhand chance inside the right goal post. It was Riddle's eighth tally for Peoria this season.

The Rivermen gave themselves a two-goal cushion with Wheeling on the power play with 1:59 left in the game. Chiodo miscommunicated with defenseman Ray DiLauro on a clearing attempt. Randy Rowe held the puck in and barreled down the right side of the slot with DiLauro all over him. Rowe connected with a backhand chance for his 17th marker of the season.

Peoria would add another shorthanded tally 39 seconds later with Wheeling's net empty; it was the 11th shorthanded goal by the Rivermen this season and the third game this year in which they tallied two. Tyler Rennette stole the puck along the left-wing boards in the Peoria end near the face-off circle, spun and rifled the puck down the ice into the Wheeling goal. It was Rennette's 16th marker of the season.

Peoria (30-20-7, 67 points) picked up its first win in four opportunities in Wheeling this season and improved to 2-3-1 in the season series. The Rivermen moved to within two games of .500 on the road with an 11-13-2 mark. Peoria had scored just five goals in its previous five contests against the Nailers this season. The Rivermen are five points behind the Toledo Storm for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. Wheeling (35-21-4, 74 points) has lost two of its last three and dropped to 20-7-2 at home this year.

Rivermen rookie goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu (9-10-3) stopped 21 of 23 shots in the win, and Chiodo (7-5-1) turned away 36 of 41 chances in the loss.

Wheeling opened the scoring with 3:49 remaining in the first period. A face-off in the right circle was won by Cam Paddock, as the puck was then pushed to the net and Stefan Brannare was stopped on an initial chance by Beckford-Tseu. The rebound, though, was scooped into the upper right corner of the goal by Pascal Morency, who finished his eighth of the season with a Rivermen defenseman draped all over him.

A power play goal by the Nailers at 4:23 of the second gave them a 2-0 lead. Morency found DiLauro, just inside the blue line between the center and right points, for a slap shot about a foot and a half off the ice that made its way through a maze of players and past Beckford-Tseu. It was DiLauro's 11th tally of the season.

The Rivermen got on the board with just 40 seconds left in the middle stanza. Stringer, along the left-wing boards, sent a feed to the front of the goal for Brian McCullough. McCullough backpedaling toward the right-wing corner was stopped on an initial save by Chiodo but stayed with the play and chipped the rebound over his left pad from just off the right goal post. It was McCullough's team-leading 31st marker of the season.

On Tuesday, March 15, the Rivermen travel to Reading, Pa., to battle the Royals. Game time is 6:00 p.m. at the Sovereign Center.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 13, 2005


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