ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Force Overtime but Fall to Wheeling 3-2 at Home

December 3, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. - The Peoria Rivermen forced overtime but it wasn't enough to collect just their second win 10 games, as they lost 3-2 to the Wheeling Nailers in front of 4,150 on Friday night at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, and they have been held to two goals or less in eight of their last nine games with two shutouts, two one-goal games and four two-goal efforts.

Brendan Hodge netted the game winner for the Nailers at 2:39 of overtime. Mark Kosick tugged and hooked at Rivermen Captain Trevor Baker in the high slot in the Peoria zone, stealing the puck and feeding Hodge, who circled out high and wristed a screen shot inside the left goal post past Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud. It was Hodge's third tally of the year and first game winner.

The Rivermen had tied the game 2-2 early in the third period with their second power play goal of the game. Rookie James Sanford fired a slap shot from the high slot that Wheeling goaltender Andy Chiodo stopped, but the rebound popped out to the top of the left face-off circle, where Chad Starling tracked it down. Starling, darting toward the puck with his back to the goal, spun and fired a wrist shot into the upper right corner for his first tally of the season at 3:01.

Peoria (3-9-3, 9 points) earned a point for the overtime defeat, their second of the season in two opportunities, to move to 2-4-2 at Carver Arena. The Rivermen snapped a four-game overall losing streak and a three-game home skid with the overtime decision. Wheeling (11-7-0, 22 points) has won seven of its last eight contests and moved a game under .500 on the road in nine chances (4-5-0).

Michaud (2-3-2) turned away 22 of 25 shots in the loss, while his counterpart Chiodo (1-1-0) turned away 28 of 30 in the victory.

The Nailers opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the game. Drew Fata - reassigned two days ago from Wheeling's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - intercepted a cross-ice clearing attempt from Warren Toews at the Peoria blue line and worked down the left-wing boards to the bottom of the face-off circle. Fata found Chris MacKenzie in the low shot for a quick snap shot through the legs of Michaud. It was MacKenzie's third goal of the season.

Wheeling gave itself a 2-0 lead at 11:49 of the second period on the power play. MacKenzie took a pass from Kenny Corupe at center ice, broke into the Peoria zone on right wing, cut to the high slot and - while using a Peoria defender and a Wheeling forward as a screen - wristed a low shot inside the left goal post for his second of two tallies on the night and fourth of the season.

The Rivermen got on the board with the man advantage with just 1:40 left in the middle stanza. Baker, who maneuvered the puck down the left-wing boards, found Igor Valeev for a shot that was partially fanned on but found its way across goal line along the ice and inside the right goal post. It was Valeev's second goal of the season and the first since team's home opener - a 5-2 win on October 22 over the Dayton Bombers.

Tomorrow night - Saturday, December 4, the Rivermen travel to Toledo, Ohio to battle the archrival Storm. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT at the Toledo Sports Arena.

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ECHL Stories from December 3, 2004


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