Sports stats



SPHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Dominate ThunderBolts 6-3

February 9, 2025 - SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


PEORIA, IL- In a physical, hard-hitting battle, the Peoria Rivermen dominated the Evansville Thunderbolts on Saturday night, securing their eighth consecutive victory with a commanding 6-3 win. Tensions flared throughout the contest, featuring several fights and continued physicality. Peoria's offense was firing on all cylinders, with goals from Carlos Fornaris, Michael McChesney, Alec Baer, Griffen Fox, Garrett Devine, and Jordan Ernst.

The physical plays started three seconds into the contest as Tristan Trudel and Jordan Simoneau dropped the gloves in a heavy weight fight right at center ice. Trudel got the better of Simoneau knocking him down to the ice after an exchange of blows. Peoria struck first when Carson Baptiste flew down the right wing and delivered a perfect pass to Carlos Fornaris, who crashed the net from the left side and buried the puck past Thunderbolts goaltender Cole Ceci.

Evansville answered minutes later as winger Scott Kirton found space in front of the net and slipped the puck past Rivermen netminder Jack Bostedt to even the score. But Peoria quickly regained the lead when Michael McChesney fired a shot from the right circle that found its mark. The Rivermen extended their lead late in the period after a scramble in front of the Thunderbolts' net led defenseman Bronson Adams to fall on

the puck, resulting in a penalty shot. Alec Baer capitalized with a confident finish, giving Peoria had a 3-1 lead heading into the second period.

The Rivermen continued their dominance into the second period, outshooting Evansville 15-3 and adding two more goals to extend their lead. Peoria's first tally of the frame came when Tyler Ho sped down the right wing and delivered a crisp pass to Griffen Fox in the slot, who buried the puck with a quick finish. The Rivermen struck again when JM Piotrowski set up Garrett Devine in front of the net, and Devine made no mistake, slipping it past the Thunderbolts goaltender. Despite Evansville only managing to g et off three shots on goal, they did capitalize on one as Isaac Chapman found the back of the net in the later stages of the period.

The third period turned into a defensive battle, with physicality continuing to be a theme. Evansville managed to cut into the deficit when Aidan Litke struck on the power play. But Peoria responded once again, as Jordan Ernst delivered the dagger with a goal at the front of the net, displaying slick stick work off a feed from McChesney. With the victory, the Rivermen completed a three-game weekend sweep, improving to 27-5-2-3 and extending their winning streak to eight games. Peoria will look to keep the m omentum rolling as they return to action in Evansville, Indiana on Sunday, February 16th. Face-off is set for 12:00 pm central time.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

• Discuss this story on the SPHL message board...

SPHL Stories from February 9, 2025


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.

OurSports Central