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Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Game Notes: Peoria (0-0-0) at Quad City (0-0-0) October 20, 2018

October 20, 2018 - SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


HERE WE GO AGAIN

The Rivermen come into tonight's contest to begin their 37th season of professional hockey in Peoria and the team's 6th year in the SPHL. In their previous five SPHL seasons, the Rivermen have finished the regular season no lower than third, winning three of the last four William B. Coffey Trophies. The Rivermen have advanced to the President's Cup Finals in each of the last three seasons but have yet to hoist the President's Cup.

RIDING THE STORM OUT

Tonight's game is the first game ever for the Storm and the first of 16 meetings this season between Peoria and Quad City, to be split evenly between Carver Arena and the TaxSlayer Center.

Peoria opens the regular season with games at Quad City tonight and October 26 before splitting a home-and-home pair beginning in Peoria November 2. The Rivermen and Storm will go over a month before the Storm come to Carver Arena for a pair of games December 13 & 14. The Rivermen will travel to the TaxSlayer Center for games December 21, 22, and 31. The Storm play in Peoria January 18 & 19, and February 8 before a rematch in Moline the following night. The Storm come to Peoria March 3 before the teams split their final games, at Quad City March 22 and in Peoria March 23.

A FAMILIAR FOE

First-year Quad City Storm coach Dave Pszenyczny spent the final three seasons of his playing career with the Rivermen, serving as team captain and earning SPHL Defenseman of the Year honors during the 2017-18 campaign. In his SPHL career, Pszenyczny skated in 136 regular-season games, logging 108 points, a +57 rating, and 299 penalty minutes. In three postseasons with the Rivermen, the Sterling Heights, MI native posted 14 points and a +6 rating in 22 games. Quad City's roster also includes former Rivermen Eric Levine, Peter Di Salvo, Don Olivieri, Kristaps Nimanis, and Joe McKeown.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

2017-18 Rivermen leading scorer and newly named 2018-19 team captain Alec Hagaman returns to Peoria this year for his fifth pro season with his hometown Rivermen after he earned First-Team All-SPHL honors last season, setting career highs with 26 goals, 35 assists, five game- winning goals, and a +37 rating, the last of which was good for best among all SPHL skaters. In 201 regular-season SPHL games, the graduate of nearby Dunlap High School has tallied 65 goals, 85 assists, a +60 rating, and 487 penalty minutes, adding nine goals, 10 assists, and a +9 rating in 25 career postseason contests, all with Peoria.

MOVING ON UP

The Rivermen enter play tonight without the services of defensemen Chris Rygus and Cody Smith after each were loaned to ECHL teams this week. Rygus, loaned to ECHL Fort Wayne on Tuesday, was in training camp with the Rivermen this season after skating in three postseason games with ECHL Indy last season, while Smith joined the Rivermen and notched four goals and 11 assists in 29 games last season after a mid-year trade with Huntsville before he was loaned to the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers yesterday.

ROAD WARRIORS

Last season the Rivermen boasted the best road record in the SPHL, going 17-7-4 away from Carver Arena en route to their third Coffey Trophy in the last four years. The Rivermen also fielded the league's second-best road power-play unit in 2017-18 with a 21.1% conversion rate away from Carver Arena.

WHAT'S ON DECK

After tonight's tilt the Rivermen will return to the Taxslayer Center to rematch the Storm in Moline next Friday, October 26. Peoria will travel to Evansville, IN for a morning game against the Thunderbolts October 30 before returning to Carver Arena November 2 as part of a home-and- home pair with the Storm.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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