ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Hang On in Dayton for a 4-3 Victory

December 10, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Fairborn, Ohio (December 10, 2004) – The Peoria Rivermen lost two players in the first period but gutted out a 4-3 win over the Dayton Bombers on the road on Friday night at the Nutter Center.

Chad Starling went down to an ankle injury early in the first period, and rookie Kris Kasper was ejected for apparently jumping the bench to start a fight with Dayton's Steve Dix midway through opening session.

Peoria has now won three in a row and remain unbeaten in regulation in its last four contests.

The Bombers had gotten within one just 1:51 into the third period. Justin Kinnunen, after taking a pass out of the left-wing corner from Tyler Kolarik, rifled a one-time slap shot by Rivermen rookie goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu.

Peoria grabbed its two-goal lead back just 1:18 later on Brian McCullough's seventh goal of the season. Just after Randy Rowe was stopped in front of the Dayton goal and the puck cleared to center ice, Rowe intercepted the puck just out at center ice and dropped a backhand pass to McCullough. McCullough worked back into the zone to the left face-off circle and whistled a rifle shot off the stick of a Dayton defender inside the near post.

Dayton made it 4-3 on the power play at 11:15 of third. Michael Schutte, stationed at the top of the right face-off circle fired his second tally of the season inside the right post off a pass from Kolarik.

The Rivermen (6-9-3, 15 points) improved to 3-5-1 on the road and 2-1-1 against the Bombers this season. Dayton (9-11-0, 18 points) had its three-game winning streak snapped in the loss and dropped to 6-4-0 at the Nutter Center this season.

Beckford-Tseu (4-6-1) stopped 32 of 35 in the win – his third in a row. Dayton rookie netminder Mike Ayers (3-4-0) turned away 20 of 24 Peoria chances in the loss.

There was no scoring in the opening period, but each team had a quality scoring opportunity late in the session. Peoria rookie Travis Rycroft had a chance in front of the Dayton net late in a shift. Trevor Johnson fired a shot from the right point that Rycroft deflected off the shaft of his stick at the top of the goal crease, but rookie Dayton goaltender Mike Ayers got enough of it with his glove to keep it out of the net. With little more than a minute remaining in the first, Dayton's Grady Moore took a slap shot from the right point in the Peoria zone with a maze of players in front of the goal. Somehow Chris Beckford-Tseu saw the puck through the screen, kicking the shot out with his right skate.

Peoria opened the scoring just over one minute into the second period. Rookie Patrick Wellar held the puck in the Dayton zone at the right point, dumping it into the corner for Igor Valeev. Valeev fought through a check along the boards and then the ice opened up for him to cut in front of the goal for a snap shot between the legs of Ayers at 1:04. It was Valeev's third goal of the year.

The Rivermen made it 2-0 on Tyler Rennette's third tally of the season at 5:37 of the second. Dayton got caught on a line change with its defensive zone at the opposite end of the ice from its bench. Justin Maiser intercepted a clearing attempt and maneuvered into the Dayton zone on left wing before sending a cross-ice pass to breaking Tyler Rennette, who had just come off the bench. Rennette rifled the puck into the upper right corner.

Peoria pushed its lead to 3-0 at 9:54 of the middle stanza on the power play. Rookie James Sanford, after taking a pass from Ed Hill in the high slot, fired a shot on goal that rookie Justin Maiser, stationed at the top of the goal crease with his back to the net, deflected past Ayers for his sixth goal of the season.

The Bombers were able to get on the board with 3:37 remaining in the second. Janne Jokila slipped through a Patrick Wellar check at the Peoria blue line on right wing, cut down to the face-off dot, maneuvered in behind a Peoria defender and a Dayton forward and snapped his ninth tally of the season past a helpless Beckford-Tseu.

Tomorrow night – Saturday, December 11, the Rivermen host the Bombers in the back end of a home-and-home set between the clubs. Special game time is 6:00 p.m. at Carver Arena. It is the first of two Church Nights this season with a post-game, double-bill concert, featuring ZOEgirl and Tree63. Tickets start at just $16. It is also O'Brien Automotive Night. An O'Brien Automotive Team vehicle will displayed on the main concourse outside Section 6 during the game.

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ECHL Stories from December 10, 2004


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