Rivermen Hold off Storm 7-4 in Morning Contest
Published on February 12, 2026 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
MOLINE, IL - The Peoria Rivermen (31-9-1) held off the Quad City Storm (17-19-5) on Thursday morning at Vibrant Arena at the MARK by a 7-4 score. The win marked Peoria's third straight. Michael McChesney scored a hat trick while Alec Baer added two goals late in the game. Braydon Barker and Dylan Massie also added on goals while Rivermen goaltender Jack Bostedt made 32 saves in his first game back with the Rivermen from an ECHL call-up.
Peoria will take on the Storm two more times this Friday and Saturday night in the final regular-season meetings between the two rivals this year. Friday night's matchup is set for 7:10 pm in Moline.
FIRST PERIOD
The Rivermen came up empty on an early five-on-three power play and that kill by the Storm early in the game seemed to galvanize them. From that moment, Quad City looked faster, more physical, and adopted a "shoot from anywhere" mentality that netted them the first goal of the game off of a deflection in front of the net. It took some time for the Rivermen to respond but respond they did. Late in the first period, Griffin Fox sent a centering pass from the side of the net to Terry Ryder in the high slot. Ryder ripped a wrist-shot over the net, but the puck deflected off the end-glass and right back to the side of the crease. Michael McChesney, the leading goal-scorer in the SPHL, was in the right place at the right time to coral the puck and stuff it into the net as Quad City goaltender Zane Steeves had no idea where the puck was. McChesney's 26th goal of the season tied the game up 1-1 going into the second period.
SECOND PERIOD
If Quad City had the better first period, then Peoria owned the second. It all started just 13 seconds into the second period as Griffen Fox dumped in the puck from the neutral zone and chased after it as the puck deflected back into the slot. Fox was tied up with a Quad City defender, and the two took each other out of the play as the puck slid back to a waiting Michael McChesney in the high slot. McChesney wasted no time before rifling a high-rising wrist-shot into the back of the net to secure his second goal of the game and a 2-1 Rivermen lead. Just a few minutes later, Josh Martin gloved down a shy-hook clear by the Storm and then sent a pass to McChesney from center ice. McChesney stepped into the Quad City zone along the right-wing side and cut to the top of the circle before sending another quick wrist-shot on net. The shot was just as true as his previous one and sailed past the glove of Steeves for McChesney's second straight hat trick against the Storm. McChesney had scored six straight goals against Quad City but was destined to have some company later in the period. While short-handed, Braydon Barker won a zone draw and cleared the puck off the right-wing wall and out to center. After chasing the loose puck down, Barker stepped up on a short-handed two-on-one with Dylan Massie. Barker sent a pass over to his left to Massie, but the feed was behind the intended recipient. Massie, however, was able to throw on the brakes in front of the net to corral the puck that skated back to his right, across the crease, and away from Steeves, who had over-committed to the opposite side to counter a one-timer. Massie then stuffed the puck around the Quad City netminder to extend Peoria's lead to 4-1.
THIRD PERIOD
Quad City did not go away in the third period, down 4-1. Quad City rattled off two goals in the span of seven minutes (one on the power play and the other short-handed) to pull within one of Peoria's lead. For a few tense minutes, it looked as if the Storm were dominating. But then, a turnover forced by Massie at the right-wing offensive circle turned into a mini-turn on one with Barker. Massie sent a quick pass from right to left and over to Barker, who deflected a back-handed shot into the net. Up 5-3, Peoria faced a brutal Storm offensive late in the game that found the back of the net late in the contest. Once again, Quad City pulled within one for the second time in the third period. But Alec Baer put paid to any thoughts of a comeback with two empty-net goals in the final minutes to close out the contest with a 7-4 Rivermen victory and fourth straight against Quad City.
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