Rivermen Outscore Archrival Toledo 6-4
October 15, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
Peoria, Ill. (October 15, 2004) â After taking an early lead and then falling behind in the second period, the Peoria Rivermen tallied four of the final five goals and six players notched two points each in a 6-4 win over the archrival Toledo Storm in a preseason game before a crowd of 2,900 on Friday night at Carver Arena.
Rookie winger Justin Maiser â who played last season with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) â led the way with two goals, while rookie center Kris Kasper and rookie defenseman Patrick Wellar each had a goal and an assist. Reigning Team MVP Tyler Rennette, left winger Igor Valeev and newcomer and second-year defenseman Warren Toews each registered two assists.
Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud â the ECHL's 2003 Goaltender of the Year, who returned to the Rivermen after a stint last season in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers â turned away 26 of 30 Toledo shots in the victory. Toledo rookie Logan Koopmans, who played last season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL), stopped 39 of 44 chances in defeat.
Peoria opened the scoring in a hurry. Stationed in front of the Toledo net, Maiser slammed home a rebound off a left-point shot from Toews, who spent last season competing for the Texas Wildcatters under former Rivermen Robert Dirk.
The Rivermen made it 2-0 at 2:00 on the first power play of the game. Wellar, who notched a career-best 132 penalty minutes (PIM) last season with the Calgary Hitmen (WHL), rifled home a slap shot from the center point through the legs of Koopmans.
The Storm got on the board just 39 seconds later on a 2-on-1 break. Ty Hennes, a rookie from Boston College, broke into the Rivermen zone on right wing and fed a streaking David Wyzgowski, who snapped the puck off the inside of the right goal post.
Hennes figured in three of Toledo's four goals with a goal and two assists.
At 8:03, Rivermen pest Kenny Goetz dropped the gloves with Toledo rookie Chris Kovalcik. The grappling match ended in a draw.
Toledo tied the game up at 6:58 of the second. Hennes broke in toward the Peoria goal from the left face-off circle, taking a pass from Tomas Jelinek and snapping a one-time shot in off the right pad of Michaud.
The Storm grabbed a 3-2 lead at 11:19 of the second on a Noah Whyte goal. Whyte picked up a rebound just off the right goal post and lifted a backhander over Michaud, who was down on the ice and scrambling.
Peoria tied the game back up just after its second power play of the night expired at 16:01. Maiser took a pass from Valeev and from just off the right post, he lifted it up over Koopmans for his second of the night.
Twenty-nine seconds later, the Rivermen took their second lead of the night on fluky deflection off Kasper, who is from the same hometown â Gibbons, Alberta â as Rivermen Head Coach Jason Christie. Kasper, who was skating through the crease and looking to skate in behind the Toledo goal, had Toews' shot from left point deflect just inside the right post.
Peoria pushed its lead to 5-3 at 14:41 of the third on rookie Travis Rycroft's first goal. Rycroft, the younger brother of St. Louis Blues winger Mark Rycroft, took a pass from Kasper in the low shot and hammered the puck while being checked to the ice. The goal proved to be the game winner.
Toledo moved back to within one a little more than two minutes later. Anthony Purchase stole the puck in the slot, maneuvered in alone on Michaud for the tally.
The Rivermen finished the scoring with three seconds left in the game and Toledo's net empty. After Rennette was stopped on a leg save by a Toledo defenseman, rookie Troy Riddle, a graduate of the University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers), snapped in the rebound from the right face-off circle.
On Friday, October 22, the Rivermen host the archrival Dayton Bombers in their season and home opener. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Carver Arena.
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