Rivermen Game Notes: Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs at Peoria Rivermen
Published on April 6, 2018 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
STREAKING TO THE FINISH
The Rivermen enter play tonight after earning a 5-2 win in Roanoke last Saturday, giving Peoria three straight wins and five victories in their last six outings, dating back to a 2-1 win in Pensacola March 17. For the season, the Rivermen are 37- 12-5 entering play tonight, and with a pair of wins this weekend, Peoria can wrap up its regular season 39-12-5, tying the 2015-16 Rivermen for the best regular-season mark in SPHL history.
THE SERIES SO FAR
Tonight's contest marks the fourth of five meetings this year between the Rivermen and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, and the second of three games scheduled at Carver Arena. The Rail Yard Dawgs fell 6-1 in Peoria on December 23, which was Roanoke's second game under newly minted head coach Dan Bremner. The teams then did not see each other until last weekend, when the Rivermen captured a pair of games at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, 2-1 last Friday and 5-2 on Saturday. After tonight, the Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs will rematch tomorrow night at Carver Arena to wrap up each team's regular season schedule.
WHO LET THE DAWGS OUT
The Rail Yard Dawgs enter play tonight in eighth place in the SPHL standings at 25-25-4, including a 20-14-2 mark since former Peoria captain Dan Bremner took over the coaching reins in late December. Offensively this season, the Dawgs have been paced by center Steve Mele, who has tallied team-highs with 22 goals, 36 assists, and 58 total points in 54 games this season. Roanoke has gotten an additional 14 goals in 33 games from winger Colin Murray, while winger Riley Spraggs has notched 16 goals and 12 assists in 48 games for the Dawgs this season. In net, Roanoke has been led by former Mississippi RiverKings goaltender Brad Barone, who has gone 14-14-2 in net for Roanoke with one shutout to his name, a 2.95 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage over 34 games.
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
After this weekend's games, the Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs will both participate in the SPHL's first ever Challenge Round Selection Show on Sunday, in which the top 3 teams in the league standings will select their opponent for the SPHL Challenge Round, which begins next week.
Top-seeded Peoria will be able to choose their opponent from the teams ranks 5-8 in the standings, the second-seeded team will choose next, and so on until all four Challenge Round matchups are determined. Each Challenge Round series will be Best-of-3, and the winners will move on to the President's Cup Semi-Finals.
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENBERG
Last Saturday's 5-2 Rivermen win in Roanoke included a three-point outburst for Rivermen center Justin Greenberg, who tallied primary assists on three of Peoria's five goals. For the season, the first-year pro out of Miami (OH) has registered 12 goals and 23 assists, good for 35 total points in 34 games to go with a +10 rating and only two penalty minutes.
KILLER KALISZ
Last Saturday's game also saw a game-winning goal scored by Peoria winger Joe Kalisz, giving the second-year pro back-to-back games with a goal and three points in his last four outings. For the season, Kalisz has notched 15 goals and assisted on nine others, including nine goals and six assists in 25 games since joining the Rivermen via a January trade with Fayetteville.
WHAT'S ON DECK
After tonight's game, the Rivermen and Rail Yard Dawgs will rematch tomorrow night at Carver Arena to wrap up the regular season. Then on Sunday, Peoria will partake in the SPHL's first ever Challenge Round Selection Show, where the Rivermen will select their opponent for the Challenge Round from the remaining teams seeded 5-8 in the SPHL playoff field.
SPHL Stories from April 6, 2018
- Havoc Drop 10th OT Game of Season 6-5 to Mississippi - Huntsville Havoc
- Rivermen Walk Dawgs, Cruise to 6-1 Victory - Peoria Rivermen
- Bazevics' Game Winner Silences Havoc, 6-5 - Mississippi RiverKings
- Peter Di Salvo Records Shutout, Mayhem Hammer Bulls 7-0 - Macon Mayhem
- Dawgs Fall to Rivermen, 6-1 - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Ice Flyers Bounce Back with 2-1 Win - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Rivermen Game Notes: Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs at Peoria Rivermen - Peoria Rivermen
- SPHL Challenge Round Broadcast, Jersey Auction Details Announced - SPHL
- Margarita's at Mercer Village to Host Challenge Round Selection Show Watch Party - Macon Mayhem
- Margarita's at Mercer Village to Host Challenge Round Selection Show Watch Party - Macon Mayhem
- Mayhem Game Notes: Mayhem at Birmingham Bulls - Macon Mayhem
- Weekend Preview: Ice Flyers vs. Knoxville Ice Bears - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Marksmen Game against ThunderBolts Postponed - Fayetteville Marksmen
- Rail Yard Dawgs Game Notes: Rail Yard Dawgs (25-25-4) at Rivermen (37-12-5) - Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
- Havoc Game Notes for April 6 - Huntsville Havoc
- RiverKings Announce Challenge Round Selection Show - Mississippi RiverKings
- Tonight's Matchup against Fayetteville Postponed until Sunday - Evansville Thunderbolts
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.
