SPHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Game Notes: Peoria Rivermen at Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Published on March 31, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


HAVEN'T WE BEEN HERE BEFORE?

The Rivermen come into tonight's rematch with the Rail Yard Dawgs in Roanoke, after a 2-1 win last night, clinching Peoria's third regular season championship in the last four SPHL seasons. The win, Peoria's fourth in their last five games, lifts the Rivermen to 36-12-5 with three games, all against Roanoke, remaining in the regular season.

THE SERIES SO FAR

Tonight marks the third of five games this season between the Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs, and the second of two games the Rivermen will play in Roanoke. The Rail Yard Dawgs made their season's first trip to Carver Arena for a single game, falling 6-1 in their second game under new head coach Dan Bremner, who was hired in mid- December to replace incumbent bench boss Sam Ftorek. After tonight's rematch, Peoria and Roanoke will travel to Peoria to wrap up the regular season April 6 & 7 at Carver Arena.

SCOUTING THE RAIL YARD DAWGS

The Rail Yard Dawgs enter tonight's game 25- 24-4 on the season, tied with the Mississippi RiverKings for seventh in the SPHL standings, five points ahead of ninth-place Birmingham with three games remaining in the regular season. Any combination of two points the Dawgs earn or Bulls fail to earn in the SPHL standings from here on out will secure Roanoke their first playoff berth in the franchise's second season of existence. Statistically this season, the Dawgs are paced in point production by center Steve Mele, who has posted team highs with 22 goals, 35 assists, and 57 total points. Rail Yard Dawgs winger Riley Spraggs has chipped in 16 goals and 12 assists, while Colin Murray has notched 14 goals assisted on six others in 32 games played.

In net, Dawgs goaltender Brad Barone has gone 14-13-2 on the season, posting a 2.91 GAA and .919 saves rate behind a defense allowing 35.42 shots per game, third from worst in the SPHL, while the Dawgs offense has mustered a league- low 29.91 SOG per game.

WHAT A (HAGA)MAN

Last night's Rivermen win included a game- winning goal for Peoria winger Alec Hagaman, improving the fourth-year pro's team-leading total to 23 on the season. In just 49 games played this season, Hagaman has logged team highs in goals, points (57), PIM (140), and leads the entire SPHL with a +33 rating. The Peoria native has added five goals, tying him for the Rivermen team lead in that category, and his two short-handed tallies are also tied for the team lead.

SATURDAY IN THE PARKS

Last night's Rivermen win also marked the first SPHL victory for Peoria goaltender Tyler Parks since January 27 at Evansville. Parks was loaned to ECHL Florida February 5, and returned to the Rivermen March 20 after seeing time with the Everblades and the Tulsa Oilers in the ECHL.

With the Rivermen this season, Parks has seen action in 16 games, going 11-3-2 with a 2.68 GAA, a .914 save percentage, and one shutout December 1 at Fayetteville.

KILLER KALISZ

Last night's Rivermen win also included a goal from Rivermen winger Joe Kalisz, giving him 14 tallies on the season to go with nine assists. Since joining Peoria in a mid-January trade with Fayetteville, the Davison, MI native has notched eight goals and six assists in 24 contests, and for his pro career, the UW-Stevens Point product has notched 32 goals and 26 assists in 97 regular- season games between Peoria and Fayetteville.

WHAT'S ON DECK

After tonight's contest in Roanoke, the Rivemren will rematch the Rail Yard Dawgs when they return to Carver Arena to finish the regular- season against the Rail Yard Dawgs April 6 & 7.

Peoria will then participate in the SPHL's first ever Challenge Round Selection Show April 8, where the Rivermen will become the first pro sports team to select their first-round playoff opponent.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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



SPHL Stories from March 31, 2018


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