Rivermen Frustrated by Hot Evansville Goaltender in 3-0 Loss
SPHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Frustrated by Hot Evansville Goaltender in 3-0 Loss

Published on February 21, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


EVANSVILLE, IN - The Peoria Rivermen (32-12-1) were frustrated on Saturday night by a lights-out performance by Evansville goaltender Kristian Stead, who made 31 saves and held the Rivermen off the board while his Evansville Thunderbolts (22-14-6) skated to a 3-0 victory at the Ford Center, their third consecutive victory over Peoria. Peoria netminder Jack Bostedt made 29 saves on 32 Evansville shots in the loss.

The loss is the second consecutive for the Rivermen this weekend, and it marks the first time in 2026 that the Rivermen have failed to win back-to-back games. Peoria will look to earn some payback against the Thunderbolts on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm when they face the Thunderbolts again at the Ford Center.

FIRST PERIOD

The Rivermen started off strong in the opening minutes of the first period, out-shooting the Thunderbolts 4-2 in the first five. But Evansville quickly recovered and took the play to Peoria, out-shooting the Rivermen 10-5 by period's end. The Thunderbolts netted the first goal of the game while on the power-play courtesy of Joey Berkopec's wrist-shot from the high-slot. Berkopec's goal marked the third consecutive meeting that the Rivermen had surrendered the first goal to Evansville. Late in the period, though, Alec B aer drew a tripping call that put Peoria on the power play heading into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

That power play was unsuccessful, as the Rivermen had multiple chances to tie the game in the second period. None better than Connor Szmul's penalty shot midway through the period. Szmul had gon on a breakaway in a similar fashion to his goal on Friday before he was hooked in front of the net. Unlike Friday night, when Szmul was able to tie the game in the second, he came up empty on a forehand-backhand deke. Not long after, Peoria embarked on the power play that they hoped would yield that elusive tying goal. The Thunderbolts had other ideas as Myles Abba te continued his scoring streak against the Rivermen by snapping home a quick shot on a short-handed rush to put the Thunderbolts up 2-0. It was Abbate's fourth goal in his last five games.

THIRD PERIOD

Despite coming out stronger in the third period, the Rivermen failed to find a goal to get momentum. This was in spite of a couple of key chances in front of the net as well as a power play midway through the period. Instead, the Thunderbolts extended their lead to 3-0 thanks to an Aiden MacIntosh one-timer in the low slot late in the game. Peoria was frustrated as Evansville netminder Kristian Stead and his defense held the Rivermen in check for the entirety of the contest and for the second consecutive game in Evansville.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



SPHL Stories from February 21, 2026


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