Rivermen Frustrated in 3-1 Loss to Knoxville
SPHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Frustrated in 3-1 Loss to Knoxville

Published on April 18, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Rivermen had the better chances, they had the better-looking power play, and they played well enough to win. B ut the Rivermen fell in a frustrating 3-1 loss to the Knoxville I c e Bears on Saturday night at Carver Arena. Alec Baer was the onl y goal-scorer for the Rivermen, w hile Nick Latinovich made 24 saves in the loss.

Now tied 1-1, the best-of-five series moves to Knoxville for two games on Thursday and Friday (April 23 and 24) at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

FIRST PERIOD

Knoxville picked up where they left off in the first period on Friday, using their speed to force turnovers in the Rivermen's defensive zone. One of those turnovers resulted in the lead-off goal for the Ice Bears on a back-door play, and for the second game in a row, Knoxville led 1-0 early. But the Rivermen persevered and started generating scoring chances for the remainder of the period. With just over two minutes remaining, Josh Martin corralled the puck at the top of the right-wing circle and rifled a wrist shot toward the net. Martin's shot deflected off the post and right to the side of the net where Alec Baer was waiting. Baer quickly located the rebound and flipped the puck into the back of the net for his first goal of the playoffs to tie the game 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD

Peoria outshot the Ice Bears 15-9 in the second period and had the lion's share of the chances. This included a rebound chance for Alec Baer while on the power play as he tried to stuff home a rebound from almost the exact same spot from which he scored in the first period. But the Rivermen were frustrated by Knoxville goaltender Stephen Mundinger in the second as the score remained tied after forty minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

Throughout the playoffs, the Rivermen have seen that third periods are where playoff games are won or lost, and that was true again on Friday. Knoxville scored just a minute and 11 seconds into the third period. The Rivermen killed off three consecutive penalties and had numerous chances in the off ensive zone. But they continued to be frustrated by Mundinger, who shut down every Rivermen chance in the third. In the end, Knoxville found an empty net goal late in the period to cap a 3 -1 victory to tie the series 1 -1.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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



SPHL Stories from April 18, 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