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ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen lose four in a row, again

November 30, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Thursday, November 25, 2004 vs. Reading Game #12 ECHL Game #185

Rivermen 1 Reading 2

The Peoria Rivermen were held to a goal or less for the fourth game in their last five, losing 2-1 to the Reading Royals before a crowd of 3,958 on Thanksgiving at Carver Arena. The Rivermen – who have been shut out twice over the span and been held to one goal twice – have lost six of their last seven games in regulation, while Reading has won eight in a row after an 0-5-0 start to the year.

After falling behind 2-0 after one period, the Rivermen – despite outshooting the Royals by a 2-to-1 margin over the final two sessions 26-13 – could not solve rookie Barry Brust (4-1-0), who stopped 31 of 32 shots in the victory.

Peoria (3-7-2, 8 points) dropped a game below .500 at home with a 2-3-1 mark. Reading (8-5-0, 16 points), which moved back to the .500 mark on the road at 4-4-0, is in a four-way tie for third place with Wheeling, Trenton and Johnstown in the tightly-packed North Division.

Friday, November 26, 2004 vs. Reading Game #13 ECHL Game #196

Rivermen 2 Reading 3

The Peoria Rivermen scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation but it was not enough to overcome the Reading Royals in a 3-2 loss in front of 4,981 on Friday night at Carver Arena.

Peoria started its comeback on the power play with 7:25 remaining in regulation. Captain Trevor Baker was stopped just off the right goal post by Royals rookie netminder Barry Brust, but rookie Justin Maiser walked into the right face-off circle and rifled his fourth of the season into the upper left corner.

With 2:23 left in the game and their rookie goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu pulled, the Rivermen got within one goal on rookie defenseman James Sanford's first professional tally. Sanford sneaked in from the left point, collected a Trevor Johnson rebound off a right point shot and chipped the puck in from just off the left goal post.

Peoria nearly tied it with one second left on the clock and its goaltender still on the bench. Trevor Baker corralled a rebound off the right goal post and tried to roof it over Brust, but Baker didn't lift it enough, putting it right into Brust's glove and sealing the outcome.

Peoria (3-8-2, 8 points) has lost three in a row and seven of its last eight games in regulation. The Rivermen, who have been held to two goals or less in six of their last seven games, dropped to 2-4-1 at home and 0-3-0 against the Royals this season. Reading (9-5-0, 18 points) has won a franchise-record nine in a row after opening the season with five straight regulation losses.

Saturday, November 27, 2004 @ Dayton Game #14 ECHL Game #200

Rivermen 2 Dayton 5

The Peoria Rivermen led 2-1 nearly halfway through the game on Saturday in Dayton, but the scoring stopped there as it has in seven of the team's last eight games, as the Bombers scored four unanswered goals for a 5-2 win before 3,019 at the Nutter Center.

The Rivermen, who have now lost four in a row twice in the last nine games, have been held to two goals or less in seven of their last eight games with two shutouts against, two one-goal games and three two-goal games.

Dayton gave itself a two-goal lead with 8:38 left in the game. Aaron Foster and Scott Cameron forced a turnover in the Peoria zone along on the endboards. Cameron slid the puck out to the top of the goal crease for Janne Jokila, who slipped his second tally of the game and seventh of the season between the pads of Rivermen rookie netminder Chris Beckford-Tseu.

The Bombers finished the scoring with 3:54 left in regulation. Tyler Kolarik pushed the puck into the Peoria end down the middle of the ice, used a defenseman as a screen and fired his eighth tally of the season low and inside the left post.

Peoria (3-9-2, 8 points) dropped to 1-5-1 on the road and 1-1-1 against the Bombers this season. Dayton (7-10-0, 14 points) snapped a three-game losing streak in the win and improved to 4-3-0 on home ice.

The Captain's Log

Logging Too Many Losses

The Rivermen (3-9-2, 8 points), after opening the season with a 2-1-2 record, have lost eight of their last nine games with two four-game losing streaks sandwiching their last win – a 5-2 road victory (their first and only away from Carver Arena this season) in Toledo. Peoria, ranked 27th out of 28 ECHL teams with a one-point advantage over the expansion Victoria Salmon Kings, owns a 2-4-1 home record through seven opportunities and a 1-5-1 road mark through seven games.

Egad! Goals Gone Away

With the Rivermen (3-9-2, 8 points) having lost four in a row for the second time in four games, their struggles can be directly translated to goal scoring. Peoria has been held to two goals or less in seven of its last eight games – getting shut out 1-0 twice (November 14 @ Wheeling & November 20 vs. Toledo), being held to one goal twice (3-1, November 16 @ Reading & 2-1, November 25 vs. Reading) and being held to two goals three times (5-2, November 13 @ Johnstown; 3-2, November 26 vs. Reading; & 5-2, November 27 @ Dayton). The Rivermen are averaging 2.36 goals per game, ranking them 25th in the 28-team ECHL.

Give It Up For Our Goaltending

Despite a team record six games under .500 (3-9-2, 8 points), sixth-year goaltender Alfie Michaud, the 2003 ECHL Goaltender of the Year and an ECHL First Team All-Star, and rookie Chris Beckford-Tseu have a collective goals against average (GAA) under 3.00 (2.97) and a save percentage over .900 (.905). Michaud – currently on reassignment with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Worcester IceCats – owns a 2-3-1 record with a 2.97 GAA and .913 save percentage through six starts this year. He recorded a win in his first start for Worcester last Saturday, stopping 22 of 24 shots in a 4-2 home win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Currently in the middle of a six-game losing streak, Beckford-Tseu, who spent the majority of last season with the Major Junior "A" Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), has a 1-6-1 record in eight starts with 2.86 GAA and a .901 save percentage.

Fraudulent In The First Period

Through 14 games this season, the Rivermen have been outscored by the opposition in the first period 18-7. They have also tallied the first goal between either team to open a contest just twice, winning one of those games (5-2 @ Toledo, November 19).

Still Popular With Penalty Minutes

Peoria, as it has traditionally been, is ranked near the top of the ECHL in penalty minutes (PIM) assessed. The Rivermen rank fourth in the 28-team League, averaging 23.7 PIM per game behind Bakersfield (25.3), Victoria (29.8) and Fresno (32.8).

Shorthanded Shame

The Rivermen have given up a shorthanded goal in each of the last two games and have allowed four through 14 games this season. Peoria surrendered four all of last season through 72 games.

Penalty Kill Prominence

Despite Peoria's struggles, its penalty-killing has been near perfect over the last seven contests, snuffing out 37 of the last 40 opponent power play opportunities (92.5 percent). On the season, the Rivermen own a 86.4 percent efficiency rating (70 of 81) on the penalty kill, ranking them 10th in the 28-team ECHL.

No Other Way Than Against The North

The Rivermen play their first 23 games of the season against teams in their own North Division with 60 of their 72 total games coming against the North. Peoria (3-9-2, 8 points) is ranked eighth in the eight-team North Division and 27th in 28-team ECHL.

Sanford Sends A Couple Home

Twenty-year-old (20) rookie James Sanford potted his first two professional goals this past weekend. Sanford netted his first on Friday, November 26, scoring in the waning moments of a 3-2 home loss to the Reading Royals. Then on Saturday, November 27, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound native of Alma, New Brunswick, gave Peoria a 2-1 lead midway through the second period before its 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Dayton Bombers.

Persistence Will Get Him To Pat

With 198 regular season and playoff wins to his credit, Rivermen Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jason Christie is just 11 wins away from tying and 12 wins away from breaking the Rivermen All-Time ECHL/International Hockey League (IHL) Franchise Coaching Wins record held by former Rivermen IHL Head Coach and ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Pat Kelly, who has 209. In his fifth season, Christie – a 35-year-old native of Gibbons, Alberta – owns the best regular season winning percentage (.682) of any coach in Rivermen ECHL history with a record of 180-75-34. He is one of just two head coaches in ECHL history to win 40 or more games in each of his first four seasons in the League; Pensacola's Dave Farrish is the other.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Defenseman Brett Scheffelmaier has been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL) by the NHL's St. Louis Blues, 11/26/04.

· Rivermen right wing Joe Pereira has been activated from the 30-day injured reserve, 11/26/04.

· Rivermen forward Colin Hemingway has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve, 11/25/04.

· Rookie forward Jake Riddle has been claimed off waivers from the Wheeling Nailers, 11/25/04.

· Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 11/23/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Chad Starling remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 11/16/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Warren Toews remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 11/05/04.

· Left wing/defenseman Mark Jerant remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 11/04/04.

· Rivermen left wing David Kaczowka remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 11/04/04.

· Forward Colin Hemingway remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL), 11/03/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

PRACTICE:

· The team will practice Tuesday, November 30 through Thursday, December 2 at Owens Center (1019 West Lake Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614) at 10:00 a.m. The team will practice Friday, December 3 at Carver Arena at 10:00 a.m. Practice times are subject to change.

GAMES:

· On Friday, December 3, the Rivermen host the Wheeling Nailers for the first time this year. It will be the first of four meetings in Peoria and the second of nine on the season. On November 14 in Wheeling, W.Va., the Rivermen were shut out 1-0 by Nailers on the strength of 29 saves by Dany Sabourin. The Rivermen own a 30-23-8 lifetime ECHL regular season record against the Nailers. Wheeling (10-6-0, 20 points) is tied for second in the North Division with the Johnstown Chiefs (7-3-6). The Nailers are led by centers Mark Kosick (6g, 6a) and Kenny Corupe (4g, 8a), who each have 12 points in 16 games. It is Stanley Steemer Central Illinois Soccer Night. MLS stars and formerly Bradley standouts Bryan Namoff & Tim Regan will be on hand signing autographs from 6:30-9:00 p.m. The first 750 kids 12 and Under will receive a regulation Stanley Steemer soccer ball. The IHSA State Champion Peoria Notre Dame Soccer Team will be honored during the second intermission, and there will be soccer-related games and concourse activities taking place throughout the night. It is also a Sprite/Barq's Root Beer/Pibb Xtra Finally Friday, presented by 99x and Insight Media. Fans may bring one of those three cans to the Carver Arena Box Office and receive a Buy One, Get One Free Upper Bowl Ticket offer. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 7:15 p.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m. CT.

· On Saturday, December 4, Peoria travels to Toledo, Ohio for the third of six road meetings with the archrival Storm. It is the fourth of a season-high 11 meetings with them. Peoria owns a 1-1-1 record against the Storm this season, losing 2-1 in overtime on October 29 in Toledo, winning 5-2 on November 19 in Toledo and getting shut out 1-0 at home on November 20. The Rivermen own a 55-23-6 lifetime ECHL regular season record against the Storm. Toledo (8-5-3, 19 points) is tied for fourth place in North Division with the Trenton Titans (8-2-3), having played three more games. Toledo is led by forward Nick Parillo, who has 16 points (3g, 13a) in 16 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 6:15 p.m. from the Toledo Sports Arena. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CT.

· On Sunday, December 5, the Rivermen face off against the Nailers for the second time in three games and the third of nine matchups on the year. It is the first four Peoria Journal Star/Insight Media/InPlay Family Days. Kids 12 and Under receive a $2 Upper Bowl admission, and there are $2.50 Kids Meals available. Arnold of "Hey, Arnold!" will also be on hand. It is also a Kaufman Wellness Center Night. Fans may receive a free spinal check and back massage, courtesy of the Kaufman Wellness Center staff, by making a donation to the Children's Hospital of Illinois. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 3:00 p.m. from Carver Arena without a pre-game show due to Chicago Bears football. Game time is 3:00 p.m. CT.

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