Rivermen Fall 5-2 to Ice Flyers
Published on March 5, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Rivermen (33-15-1) started strong with the first goal, but lost 5-2 to the Pensacola Ice Flyers (24-17-7) on Thursday night at Carver Arena. Tyler Ryder and Alec Baer scored for the Rivermen, while goaltender Connor McAnanama (who relieved Jack Bostedt in the second period) made 20 saves on 22 shots.
The Rivermen will lick their wounds and prepare for a rematch on Friday night as they welcome Rivermen legend Tony Twist back to Peoria and rebrand as the Peoria Twisters in his honor. The face-off is set for 7:15 pm, with autographs available from Twist for a $15 donation to St. Jude.
FIRST PERIOD
Peoria opened scoring just 84 seconds into the contest. Matt Wiesner collected a dumped puck at the right-wing corner, then passed it into the high slot, where Tyler Ryder advanced. Ryder fired a hard wrist-shot into the top left corner, marking his second goal in three games and giving Peoria a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Sam Rhodes intercepted a shot, broke away, and quickly wristed the puck past goaltender Jack Bostedt to tie the game 1-1.
SECOND PERIOD
Pensacola aggressively began the second period, taking the lead just 82 seconds in. This ended Bostedt's night as he was replaced by Connor McAnanama, who had recently returned from an ECHL call-up. The Ice Flyers maintained momentum with two goals from Shane Bull, leading 4-1 by midway through the period. Peoria responded with strong shifts, culminating in Alec Baer's goal. Kyler Fenton sent a wrist-shot from the right-wing point, causing a rebound from Pensacola's Troy Kobryn. Baer seized the loose puck and scored, narrowing the lead to 4-2. Peoria controlled the remainder of the period but could not reduce the deficit further, entering the third trailing 4-2.
THIRD PERIOD
Despite Peoria's efforts, the Ice Flyers' solid defense limited opportunities, and Rhodes sealed his hat-trick with an empty-net goal. Pensacola claimed a 5-2 victory, leaving Peoria looking to regroup for Friday's rematch.
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