AHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen down Aeros, 3-1

Published on April 2, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Houston, TX (April 2, 2006) - On Sunday evening at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Peoria Rivermen prevailed over the Houston Aeros by the final score of 3-1. The Peoria side's victory was significant in that it was the first win for the Rivermen against the Aeros in five tries this season in Houston.

Entering Sunday's game at the Toyota Center, the Rivermen had experienced little success so far this season against the Aeros, having defeated the Houston side only three times in nine games (3-6-0-0), but the Rivermen had had an especially difficult time in their four previous outings in Houston. On their first visit to Houston this season, the Rivermen took on the Aeros in a two-game set on Friday and Saturday, December 16 and 17, 2005. The Rivermen dropped the first game by the count of 5-3 and then absorbed a 7-2 beating the following night. The Peoria skaters did not fare much better when they ventured to Houston once again on Saturday, January 21, this time losing 5-1. Then last night in their fourth appearance of 2005-06 at the Toyota Center, the Rivermen suffered a 5-0 shutout defeat.

The Rivermen, though, finally came away with a much more positive result on this Sunday afternoon in Houston. Although the Aeros matched the early first-period goal that the Rivermen scored with a goal early on in the second frame, Peoria was able to score twice more in the tilt while holding the potent Houston offense at bay and won by the count of 3-1. The Rivermen finished their 10-game 2005-06 regular season series versus the Aeros with an overall record of 4-6-0-0. In five games played in Houston, the Rivermen went 1-4-0-0.

Overall, the Rivermen are now 43-24-3-4. Away from its Carver Arena home, the team has posted a record of 20-13-3-2. Their loss on Sunday drops the Aeros to an overall mark of 46-23-3-3 and to a home record of 27-6-2-2.

After failing to score at all against the Aeros the previous night, the Rivermen came out on Sunday and got their offense cranked up early. On a nice feed just inside the Houston blueline from his centerman Blake Evans, rookie Peoria right wing David Backes took the puck and charged down the slot without hesitation. As he neared the crease, Backes backhanded the puck up over Aeros netminder Seamus Kotyk to stake the Rivermen to an early 1-0 lead just 1:37 into the contest with his third professional goal.

The Aeros responded to the early first-period goal by the Rivermen with an early second-period marker. After Houston intercepted an errant Peoria clearing attempt in the neutral zone, right wing Kirby Law worked the puck to Aeros left winger Greg Mauldin, who accepted the pass in the left circle and quickly snapped a shot up over the left shoulder of Rivermen goalie Scott Reid to even the score at 1-1 exactly three minutes into the middle session. The tying goal gave Mauldin 13 total tallies on the year.

Just 51 seconds later, the Rivermen re-took the lead at 2-1. After getting the puck from defenseman Mike Mottau in the neutral zone, Peoria center Mike Zigomanis entered the Houston end and came blazing down the right-wing boards. Although an Aeros defender was right there with him, Zigomanis managed to get off a slap shot that beat Kotyk stick side at the 3:51 mark of the second period and that improved Zigomanis' season goal total to 11.

The Rivermen netted another early-period goal just after the start of the third to extend their advantage over the Aeros to 3-1. During a Peoria power play, the Rivermen gained control of the puck in the Houston zone, and forward Ryan Ramsay sent it back to defenseman Trevor Byrne at the left point. Byrne then wired a long shot into the upper portion of the Aeros' cage at the 1:15 mark of the third frame for his third tally of the season.

Having gone 2-1-0-0 on their three-game weekend jaunt through Texas, the Rivermen will now have most of this week off before hosting the Chicago Wolves at Carver Arena this coming Friday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. (CDT).

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American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2006


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