Rivermen Defeat Iowa 5-4 on the Road
January 20, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
Des Moines, IA - One of the keys to winning many games is to grab an early lead; this is especially true for the Peoria Rivermen, as they are undefeated when leading after the first period (14-0-0-0), scoring twice in the opening frame and surviving a late flurry by the Iowa Stars to win 5-4 on Saturday night in front of 6,791 at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Rivermen wasted little time to get on the board as newly acquired center Yan Stastny, who played 51 games for Iowa last year, tallied his first goal with Peoria and fourth overall. From the neutral zone, defenseman Jeff Woywitka dumped the puck off the left-wing boards and it caromed into the high slot, where Stastny quickly wristed a shot over the left shoulder of Iowa netminder Steve Silverthorn. The time of the goal was 41 seconds into the opening session.
Peoria took a 2-0 lead as it tallied its fourth shorthanded goal of the year at 7:20 of the first period. Left wing Michal Birner gathered an arrant Stars pass in the neutral zone and hurried down the right-wing boards for a one-on-one opportunity; once Birner reached the slot, he faked right then lifted a forehand shot over the right pad of Silverthorn for his fifth goal of the season.
The Rivermen were as efficient as you could get in the first period, as the two goals registered were the only two shots on net.
Peoria continued its efficiency when it notched its third goal on its fourth shot of the game at 6:38 of the middle frame. From the Stars blue line, center Trent Whitfield poked the puck to the right point, where defenseman Roman Polak took it and skated into to the right face-off dot and flicked a shot into the top right corner of the net. The goal was Polak's fourth of the year and first point in ten contests.
The Stars recorded their first marker of the game with a man-advantage tally at 18:05 of the second stanza. Defenseman Marty Wilford launched a shot from the right point that was redirected past Rivermen goaltender Marek Schwarz in the slot by left wing Janos Vas for his seventh goal of the 2006-07 campaign.
With three seconds left in the second period, the Rivermen responded with a power play goal of their own. Polak blasted a shot from the left point that was saved by Silverthorn; however, before Silverthorn was able to cover up the loose puck, left wing Jon DiSalvatore was able to jam it between the goalie's legs for his 11 th marker of the season.
Iowa cut the Rivermen lead in half at 9:37 of the final frame on the second goal of the game and eighth of the year by Vas. Defenseman Mario Scalzo dropped the puck off to Vas from the top of the right face-off circle and from the right point, Vas snapped a shot that flew over the right shoulder of Schwarz.
The Stars cut the deficit to 4-3 when right wing Vojtech Polak scored his 11th goal of the season at 12:17 of the last period. Polak collected the puck in the left-wing corner then skated behind the net and when he crossed the goal line chipped a shot that bounced off of the right arm of Schwarz and into the net.
Stastny, who earned first star honors, tallied the eventual game-winner at 13:14 of the final period. From the neutral zone, DiSalvatore sent a beautiful pass to Stastny past an outstretched stick of a Stars defenseman; Stastny skated alone with the new Iowa goaltender Tobias Stephan, who replaced Silverthorn at the start of the third period. At the top of the crease, Stastny hit the brakes, tried to jam the puck past Stephan, but was blocked by the left pad. Stephan's momentum sent him into the net and Stastny was able to pick up the rebound and this time was able to slide it in.
Iowa added another goal with 17 seconds left while on the power play and with its netminder pulled to put a bit of a scare in the Rivermen, but that was as close as they would get. Defenseman Mark Ardelan fired a shot from the right point, which was redirected in the slot by left wing Francis Wathier past Schwarz for his fourth marker of the year.
The Rivermen improved to 10-7-1-2 on the road and will face-off against the Iowa Stars again, this time at Carver Arena on Friday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.
American Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2007
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- Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Vanquish Americans, 2-1 - Abbotsford Heat
- Bulldogs rout Griffins - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Rivermen Defeat Iowa 5-4 on the Road - Peoria Rivermen
- Wolf Pack Trump Devils, 3-2 - Albany Devils
- Sound Tigers Get Another Sweet Win in Hershey - Bridgeport Islanders
- Sound Tigers rally to down Bears in shootout - Hershey Bears
- Bulldogs Upend Griffins Again, 5-1 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Admirals Drop Heartbreaker in Wilkes-Barre - Norfolk Admirals
- P-Bruins Defeat Pirates 6-4 - Providence Bruins
- Kings Trade Munce To Tampa Bay - Manchester Monarchs
- Winger's Natural Hat Trick Powers Albany to 4-1 Win - Adirondack Phantoms
- Gilbert returned to Penguins - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
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