ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen drop three in a row

December 20, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Friday, December 17, 2004 vs. Toledo Game #20 ECHL Game #312

Rivermen 1 Toledo 2

Try as they might, the Peoria Rivermen were not able to score over the final two periods on 21 shots, falling to the archrival Toledo Storm 2-1 on Friday night before a crowd of 4,569 at Carver Arena.

Toledo rookie goaltender Logan Koopmans (5-4-1) stopped 12 shots in the second and nine in the final period. On the night, Koopmans stopped a total of 29 shots.

With the defeat, Peoria's season-best, four-game winning streak was snapped, while Toledo ended a season-worst, three-game losing skid.

The Rivermen (7-10-3, 17 points) dropped to 4-5-2 on home ice this year and fell to 2-2-1 against the Storm after five of a season-high 11 meetings on the year. Toledo (10-8-3, 23 points) improved to 5-3-3 away from the Toledo Sports Arena.

Saturday, December 18, 2004 @ Wheeling Game #21 ECHL Game #327

Rivermen 0 Wheeling 2

The Peoria Rivermen remain without a goal after 120 minutes of hockey over two games at WesBanco Arena this season, losing Saturday night 2-0 to goaltender Dany Sabourin and the Wheeling Nailers in front of 3,351.

The Nailers held the Rivermen to 14 total shots, six in both the first and third periods and two in the second. It was Sabourin's ECHL-leading fifth shutout of the season, which is a Wheeling franchise record and two shy of the ECHL record.

Peoria was shut out 1-0 on 29 shots in Wheeling on Sunday, November 14 by Sabourin and the Nailers.

The Rivermen shut out Wheeling 1-0 at home on Sunday, December 5 on 25 saves by Peoria rookie Chris Beckford-Tseu.

There was no scoring in the third period.

The Rivermen (7-11-3, 17 points) dropped to 3-6-1 on the road and fell to 1-2-1 against the Nailers this season. Wheeling (16-9-0, 32 points) has won four in a row and improved to 9-3-0 on home ice.

Sunday, December 19, 2004 @ Wheeling Game #22 ECHL Game #333

Rivermen 2 Wheeling 3

Goals were in short supply on Sunday evening in Wheeling, W.Va. and their only lead lasted all of 15 seconds early in the third period, as the Peoria Rivermen fell to the Wheeling Nailers 3-2 in regulation before a crowd of 2,194 at WesBanco Arena.

The Rivermen broke a 163:49 scoreless streak at WesBanco Arena early in that final session. Tyler Rennette maneuvered into the Wheeling zone and into the high slot, where he rifled his fifth goal of the season into the upper right corner at 3:49.

Peoria took the lead at 6:25 of the final period. Brian McCullough collected a rebound just off the right goal post and chipped a backhand shot into the upper left corner for his eighth tally of the season.

The Nailers tied the game up just 15 seconds later on Evgeny Lazarev's sixth goal of the year and second in as many nights. Armands Berzins fed Lazarev in the low slot for a shot that slipped past Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud with a maze of traffic in front of the net at 6:40.

Wheeling would win it on Brendan Hodge's second game-winning goal against the Rivermen this season. Ray DiLauro fed Hodge at the left point for an unassuming one-time slap shot that found its way past Michaud into the upper left corner. It was Hodge's sixth goal of the year.

The Rivermen (7-12-3, 17 points), who have lost three in a row, dropped to 3-7-1 on the road and 1-3-1 against the Nailers this season. Wheeling (17-9-0, 34 points) has won five straight games, improving to 10-3-0 at WesBanco Arena this year and 4-1-0 against the Rivermen.

The Captain's Log

Falling Back Into A Funk

The Rivermen (7-12-3, 17 points), after posting a 4-0-1 mark to open the month of December, dropped three in a row this past weekend to fall to five games below .500 on year. On Friday at home, the Rivermen were nipped by the archrival Toledo Storm 2-1. Then on Saturday, they were shut out for the second time in Wheeling this season, losing 2-0 on a 14-shot effort and the fifth shutout by the Nailers' Dany Sabourin. On Sunday in Wheeling, the Rivermen notched two early third-period goals to take a brief lead before surrendering the game-tying goal 15 seconds later and then the game winner late in regulation on the power play in a 3-2 defeat to the Nailers. Peoria, with losses in Wheeling on Saturday and Sunday, fell to 3-7-1 on the road this season. With Friday's home defeat, the Rivermen dropped to 4-5-2 at Carver Arena this year.

One More Night Against The North This Time

The Rivermen play their first 23 games of the season against teams in their own North Division with 60 of their 72 total games coming against the North. Peoria (7-12-3, 17 points), with one game left in their North Division stretch before welcoming the Fresno Falcons to Peoria on December 28 & 29 for two straight games, is ranked eighth in the eight-team North Division and 25th out of 28 ECHL teams.

Goal-Scoring Getting Scarce

Over all three losses this weekend, the Rivermen averaged just one tally per game, getting shutout 2-0 on Saturday in Wheeling. After scoring their lone tally late in the first period on Friday in a 2-1 home loss to the archrival Toledo Storm, the Rivermen proceeded to go scoreless for 144:26. Peoria ranks 26th out of 28 ECHL teams in goal scoring, averaging 2.32 tallies per game.

Kaczowka Cranking Them Out

Fourth-year left wing David Kaczowka has registered penalty minutes (PIM), 38 total, in all six games with the Rivermen this season. On Sunday in Wheeling, Kaczowka registered two penalty minutes (PIM). On Friday at home against Toledo and on Saturday in Wheeling, Kaczowka racked up 12 PIM each game. On Friday, the 23-year-old native of Regina, Saskatchewan, hammered Robert Snowball twice, once in the first stanza and another time in the third. While on call-up with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate – the Worcester IceCats – before getting injured, he collected 12 PIM over two contests in early November.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Rivermen left wing David Kaczowka has been reassigned from the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 12/16/04.

· Rivermen Captain and center Trevor Baker remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 12/16/04.

· Right wing Joe Pereira has been re-signed, 12/16/04.

· Left wing/defenseman Mark Jerant has been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 12/16/04.

· Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 12/16/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Chris Bogas has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 12/16/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Chad Starling remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 12/16/04.

· Rivermen left wing Scott Turner remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 12/03/04.

· Rivermen rookie center Troy Riddle remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 12/01/04.

· Rivermen forward Colin Hemingway remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 11/25/04.

· Forward Colin Hemingway remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL), 11/03/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

GAMES:

· On Sunday, December 26, the Rivermen travel to Dayton, Ohio for the third time this season to battle the Bombers in the sixth total matchup between the clubs this year. Peoria took both games of a home-and-home set between the teams on December 10 & 11, winning both decisions by a 4-3 score. The Rivermen are 3-1-1 against the Bombers and own a 49-26-10 lifetime ECHL regular season record against them. Dayton (9-15-1, 19 points) is in seventh place in the eight-team North Division, four points behind the archrival Toledo Storm (11-9-3, 23 points) with two more games played. The Bombers are led by forward Tyler Kolarik, who leads the team in goals (11), assists (T-10) and points (21) after 25 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 12:45 p.m. from the Nutter Center. Game time is 1:00 p.m. CT

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



ECHL Stories from December 20, 2004


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