ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Go .500 for the Second Week in a Row

Published on December 15, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Thursday, December 11, 2003 @ Dayton Game #21 ECHL Game #334

Rivermen 4 Dayton 5 Shootout

The Peoria Rivermen surrendered three one-goal leads in a seesaw affair on Thursday night, falling 5-4 in a shootout at the hands of the archrival Dayton Bombers before a crowd of 1,893 at the Nutter Center.

There was no scoring in overtime as the Rivermen entered a shootout for the third time in the last five games.

Peoria's Adam Edinger and Dayton's Jason Deskins exchanged shootout goals in the first round. After Alex Kim hit a goal post for the Rivermen in the second round, the Bombers' Jamie O'Leary converted what would be the eventual game winner. Tyler Rennette and Brendan Brooks both missed in third and fourth rounds for Peoria, as Janne Jokila made it three straight shootout tallies for Dayton in the third round.

Peoria (10-6-5, 25 points) earned one point for the shootout loss and remains unbeaten in regulation in its last eight road games (5-0-3). Dayton (8-10-2, 18 points) moved within two games of the .500 mark. The Bombers have won five of their last six games.

Friday, December 12, 2003 vs. Johnstown Game #22 ECHL Game #345

Rivermen 5 Johnstown 2

After tying the game just 17 seconds into the second period, the Peoria Rivermen never looked back, powering their way past the rival Johnstown Chiefs 5-2 before a Friday night crowd of 4,214 at Carver Arena.

Peoria pushed its advantage to 4-2 at 7:03 of the third. Defenseman Brett Scheffelmaier, on reassignment to the Rivermen from the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate – the Worcester IceCats – for conditioning, took a pass from Rennette at the right point and rocketed a shot just under the crossbar for his first professional goal.

The Rivermen sealed the victory with an empty net goal with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Igor Valeev took a pass from Randy Rowe, stickhandled into the Johnstown zone, backing in a Chiefs defender before sliding the puck home from the slot. It was Valeev's first goal of the year.

Randy Rowe led all scorers with three points (1g, 2a), including his team-leading 13th tally of the season (which came shorthanded).

Peoria (11-6-5, 27 points) took sole possession of fifth place in the Northern Division with the victory. For just the second time this season, the Rivermen tallied five or more goals on home ice; Peoria beat Wheeling 7-0 on October 24. The Rivermen improved to 5-4-2 at home and to 10-4-5 against the Northern Division. Johnstown (14-7-2, 30 points) has lost two straight and is winless in its last three games (0-2-1). The Chiefs dropped to 4-5-1 on the road.

Saturday, December 13, 2003 vs. Johnstown Game #23 ECHL Game #358

Rivermen 0 Johnstown 2

Two bounces went the Johnstown Chiefs' way on Saturday night and in the interim, rookie Cory Campbell stopped 40 shots, including 17 in the final period, as the Chiefs shut out the Peoria Rivermen 2-0 front of 4,442 on Saturday night at Carver Arena.

On the way to his second shutout of the season and of his career, Campbell stopped 10 Peoria shots in the first period and 13 in the second. He improved to 6-1-1 on the season, rebounding after allowing a season-high four goals the previous night in a 5-2 loss to the Rivermen. It was the third team shutout for Johnstown.

The Rivermen were shutout for the second time this season. Reading shut out Peoria 5-0 on November 8 on the strength of 44 saves by Cody Rudkowsky.

Peoria (11-7-5, 27 points) fell to .500 at home with the loss (5-5-2). In their seven losses at home, which includes two overtime defeats, the Rivermen are averaging just .714 goals per game. The Rivermen are 2-1-1 through four meetings with the Chiefs. Johnstown (15-7-2, 32 points) snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) and improved to .500 on the road (5-5-1).

The Captain's Log

Nothing For Granted Against The North

The Rivermen (11-7-5, 27 points) remain in fifth place in the highly-competitive, nine-team Northern Division – two points in front of the Cincinnati Cyclones (12-12-1, 25 points) with two games in hand. Peoria is five points back of the rival Johnstown Chiefs (15-7-2, 32 points) and the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (16-9-0, 32 points), both in a second place tie; the Rivermen have a game in hand on Johnstown and two games in hand on Atlantic City. Peoria is just six points behind the Wheeling Nailers (16-8-1, 33 points) and the Reading Royals (15-7-3, 33 points), both in a first place tie, with two games in hand on both clubs.

Day After Day Against Our Division

Peoria is 8-4-4 through 16 games of 26 straight against Northern Division opponents and own a 10-5-5 mark for the season against the Northern Division. The Rivermen do not play outside their division until January 9-10, when they face off against the Las Vegas Wranglers, one of three Pacific Division opponents they take on this season. On Thursday, the Rivermen let three one-goal leads slip away, losing 5-4 in a shootout on the road to the archrival Dayton Bombers. Peoria, 42-22-9 lifetime in the ECHL against the Bombers, remains undefeated in regulation through four meetings (3-0-1) with them; there are seven matchups remaining. On Friday, the Rivermen powered past the Johnstown Chiefs in a 5-2 win with their second highest goal scoring output in a home game this season. On Saturday against the Chiefs, Peoria was shut out by rookie Cory Campbell, who turned away 40 shots for his second shutout of the year. The Rivermen, 31-13-6 lifetime in the ECHL against Johnstown, are 2-1-1 through four of eight battles this season. The Rivermen play 65 of 72 regular season games against Northern Division opponents – half of which come against close geographic rivals Cincinnati (13), Toledo (12) and Dayton (11).

Still Rollin' On The Road

The Rivermen are undefeated in regulation in their last eight road games (5-0-3). Peoria has the best road point percentage (68 percent) of any Northern Division team with a 6-2-3 record. They are fourth in the Division with six road wins and own the fewest road regulation losses (2).

Can't Stay Consistent At Carver Arena

Peoria hasn't been able to establish consistent success at Carver Arena this season as it finished the week 1-1-0 at home and now owns a 5-5-2 mark at home for the season. When the Rivermen win at home, which has been five times this season, they are averaging 4.6 goals per game. When they lose at home, which has been seven times and includes two overtime losses, they are averaging just .714 goals per game. For the year, the Rivermen are averaging just 2.14 goals per game on home ice. Peoria owns a 180-51-29 lifetime ECHL home record (75 percent point percentage) 12 games into their eighth ECHL season. Last season, the Rivermen posted a 26-5-5 home mark with the second fewest home losses in one season in ECHL franchise history. Peoria notched a 27-4-4 record at home in its first ECHL season (1996-1997).

Special Teams Time

Special teams have been significant for the Rivermen of late. After enduring a 1-for-36 stretch on the power play over nine games, the Rivermen went 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) over three games last week. Peoria ranks 25th in the ECHL with a 12.6 percent conversion rate. On the penalty kill, the Rivermen have tallied three shorthanded goals over their last seven games and are tied for the ECHL lead at 7 with Alaska, Atlantic City and Charlotte. Peoria is tied for 14th in the ECHL on the penalty kill with Louisiana, Long Beach and Roanoke with an 83.9 efficiency rating.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Goaltender Scott Kabotoff has been acquired as compensation from the Greenville Grrrowl, 12/12/03.

· Goaltender Daniel Boisclair has been reassigned by the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes to the Greenville Grrrowl, 12/12/03.

· Rivermen right wing Jeremy Yablonski has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve, 12/11/03.

· Defenseman Brett Scheffelmaier and left wing Igor Valeev have been reassigned from Worcester(AHL) by St. Louis (NHL), 12/10/03.

· Rivermen left wing Daisuke Obara has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve and released, 12/09/03.

· Defenseman Brian Gaffaney has been activated from the 30-day injured reserve and has decided to retire, 12/08/03.

· Rivermen defenseman Craig Olynick remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 12/05/03.

· Rivermen goaltender Levente Szuper remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 11/17/03.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

PRACTICES:

· The Rivermen will practice at the Owens Center at 10:00 a.m. CT on Tuesday, December 16 and Wednesday, December 17.

GAMES:

· On Friday, December 19, Peoria will battle the Wheeling Nailers on the road in the first of two in a row between the clubs at the Wheeling Civic Center. The teams split a two-game set at Carver Arena during the second weekend of the season (October 24-25) in lopsided games; Peoria won the first game 7-0 on the strength of 23 saves by Mike Valley, while the Nailers won convincingly 5-1 the following night. Peoria, 28-19-7 lifetime in the ECHL against Wheeling, has six meetings left in the season series. Wheeling (16-8-1, 33 points), 8-2-0 in its last 10 games, is tied for first place in the Northern Division with the Reading Royals (15-7-3, 33 points). They are one point in front of the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (16-9-0, 32 points) and the Johnstown Chiefs (15-7-2, 32 points). The Nailers are led by 2003 ECHL Rookie of the Year Jason Jaffray, who leads the team in goals (12), power play goals (5), assists (16), points (28) and power play points (10). The game broadcast can be heard on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 6:20 p.m. from the Wheeling Civic Center. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT.

· On Saturday, December 20, The Rivermen battle the Nailers in the second of two straight between the clubs. The game broadcast can be heard on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 6:20 p.m. from the Wheeling Civic Center. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT.

· On Sunday, December 21, Peoria travels to Reading, Pa. to face off against the Royals in the third meeting of the season – the third of six on the year. In a two-game set at Carver Arena in early November (November 7-8), the Rivermen dropped both games; they lost 2-1 in overtime in the first and were shut out 5-0 in the next on the strength of a 44-save performance by former Rivermen Cody Rudkowsky. Peoria owns a 21-7-7 lifetime ECHL record against the Royals. Reading (15-7-3, 33 points) has won five in a row and six of its last seven games. The Royals are led by right wing Judd Medak (10g, 11a) and defenseman Jonathan Zion (6g, 15a), who each have 21 points. The game broadcast can be heard on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 3:50 p.m. from the Sovereign Center. Game time is 4:00 p.m. CT.

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