ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Nip Trenton 2-1 in a Shootout on the Road

February 1, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Trenton, NJ (February 1, 2005) – For the first time this season on the road and just the third time all the year, the Peoria Rivermen won when scoring two goals or less, beating the Trenton Titans 2-1 in front of 3,129 on Tuesday night at Sovereign Bank Arena.

Peoria shut out the Wheeling Nailers 1-0 at home on December 5 and blanked Trenton 2-0 at home on January 14.

The Titans tied the game 1-1 at 9:17 of the third. Stephen Wood fed a breaking Leon Hayward, who drove through the slot to the Peoria net from the left face-off circle with a Rivermen defenseman hanging all over him. Hayward was stopped on his initial shot from just off the right goal post by Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud (11-8-2), who went down on the play, but poked in a second effort for his fifth tally of the season.

Tied 1-1 after regulation, the teams would move to a four-on-four overtime session, in which Peoria had to kill off its fourth Trenton power play of the night. The Rivermen have killed off 33 straight opposition power plays, and Trenton is 0-for-13 with man advantage against Peoria in three games this season.

In the shootout, each team's first shooters, Peoria's Reggie Stringer and Hayward, were stopped in the opening round. In the second round, Colin Hemingway, who saw his first action since Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 25) after undergoing sports hernia surgery, got to the hash marks and launched a slap shot into the upper right corner. After Scott Bertoli was turned away by Michaud to finish out the second round, Tyler Rennette connected on a mirror image of Hemingway's goal. Peoria's Scott Turner missed to open the fourth round, as Michaud sealed the win with stops on Mathieu Brunelle (third) and Matt Zultek (fourth).

Peoria (18-16-4, 40 points), who moved back to two games above the .500 mark, collected its seventh road in 19 chances (7-10-2) this season. The Rivermen, who won their first shootout in three chances (1-2) this season, improved to 3-0-0 against the Titans on the year. Trenton (20-12-6, 46 points) has lost two straight and six of the last eight games (1-6-1). The Titans, who lost just its second shootout decision in six opportunities (4-2), dropped 10-6-3 at home this season.

Michaud stopped 38 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime, while denying all four Titans shootout chances. Trenton's Chris Houle (9-5-3) turned away 27 of 28 shots in regulation and overtime and two of four in the shootout loss.

The Rivermen opened the scoring at 11:38 of the first period on Travis Rycroft's first professional goal. Rookie defenseman Patrick Wellar fed left wing Randy Rowe up the right-wing boards and into the Trenton zone. Rowe ringed the puck in behind the Titans net for Rycroft, who circled out just off the left post and converted on a second effort by stuffing it past Houle.

It was the third game in the last four that a Rivermen player scored his first professional goal. Wellar netted his on Sunday, January 23 vs. Atlantic City (3-1 W), and rookie defenseman Aaron Forsythe notched his first on last Friday, January 28 vs. San Diego (3-0 W). This was the only occasion of the three that the first professional tally did not prove to be a game winner, as Trenton tied the game midway through the final period of regulation.

Tomorrow night – Wednesday, February 2, the Rivermen continue their four-game, eight-day road trip against the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies. Game time is 6:00 p.m. at Historic Boardwalk Hall. The teams will battle again Saturday, February 5 at Historic Boardwalk Hall at 6:00 p.m.

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