AHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Get by Houston 4-3 in a Shootout on the Road

Published on January 4, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Houston (January 4, 2007) - The Peoria Rivermen posted their first shootout win of the season in three chances this season, beating the Houston Aeros 4-3 in front of a Thursday-night crowd of 3,356 at the Toyota Center.

The Rivermen (20-12-1-2, 43 pts), who lost their previous two shootout opportunities by 3-2 scores against Albany on the road on October 18 and Chicago on the road on November 19, got shootout tallies from left wings Peter Sejna and Jon DiSalvatore, who scored in the second and third rounds, respectively. Rivermen rookie netminder Marek Schwarz, who was making his first start in four games, stopped all four Houston chances he faced. It was just the seventh Rivermen game decided beyond regulation this season.

Houston (15-17-0-4, 34 pts), who dropped to 4-4 in shootouts this season, opened the scoring at 10:10 of the first stanza on left wing Danny Irmen's 10th marker of the season. Center Bryan Lundbohm grabbed his own rebound in the left-wing corner of the Peoria zone and fed defenseman Ryan Stokes at the left point, where Stokes sent a shot on net that Irmen tipped through the legs of Schwarz.

The lead was short-lived as the Rivermen struck for their first tally just 32 seconds later. Left wing D.J. King took a pass from center Gavin Morgan along the end boards near the left-wing corner. King then motored his way to the front of the Houston goal, where he slipped a backhand, wrap-around chance inside the right post for his third goal of the season.

Lundbohm had a shorthanded breakaway two minutes later after intercepting a Trent Whitfield pass, but Schwarz was up to the task as he moved from his left to his right to shut down the scoring opportunity on the doorstep.

Peoria grabbed its first lead of the night with just its second shorthanded tally of the season at 15:18 of the middle stanza. Sejna stole the puck from Aeros right-wing Mattias Weinhandl near the center point and was off to the races on a two-on-one break with rookie center Michal Birner. Sejna held the puck as he skated into the zone, got to the right face-off dot and centered to Birner at the left side of the slot for a one-time snap shot pass Kopriva before he could get across the goal mouth to the left post. It was Birner's fourth goal of the season.

Houston tied the game 2-2 with just 42 seconds left in the second. Just seven seconds after getting out of the penalty box for a hooking minor, defenseman Peter Ratchuk was sprung on a breakaway by Irmen, maneuvering in on Schwarz and roofing his fifth marker of the season into the upper left corner.

The Rivermen took their second lead of the game with 9:06 left in regulation. Right wing Mike Glumac broke into the Houston zone on left wing. As he got to the top of the face-off circle, he faked as if he was going to drive the net, while center Ryan Ramsay did just that. In the mean time, Glumac dropped the puck off at the top of the circle for left wing Charles Linglet, who rocketed his team-leading 18th of the season through the legs of Kopriva.

The Aeros tied it 3-3 just 1:20 later on the power play. Left wing Roman Voloshenko converted his sixth tally of the season from in close just off the left post during a goal-mouth scramble.

The Rivermen continue their four-game road trip in San Antonio on Saturday, January 6 at 7:05 p.m. at the AT&T Center.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2007


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