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ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Outscore Dayton 8-5 in Regular Season Finale

April 2, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. (April 2, 2004) – For the third straight game, eight different goal scorers contributed for the Peoria Rivermen, as they beat the archrival Dayton Bombers 8-5 in front of 3,050 on Friday night at the Nutter Center.

With the victory, Peoria finished out the regular season with six consecutive victories overall and three in a row on the road.

The Bombers got within two at 10:27 of the final period, making it 6-4. Scooter Smith held the puck in along the right wing boards, feeding Scott Cameron in the high slot. An off-balance Cameron snapped a low slap shot inside the left goal post for his 14th goal of the season and second of the night.

Peoria wrestled its three-goal lead back just 1:11 later. Tyler Rennette took a feed in the high slot from Igor Valeev and rifled his team-leading 31st goal of the season past Dayton goaltender Andrew Penner.

The Rivermen finished their eight-goal barrage at 15:28 on a 4-on-3 power play. Joe Vandermeer took a Valeev pass at the inner part of the right face-off circle and rocketed a low shot inside the near post. It was Vandermeer's sixth goal of the season.

The Bombers completed the 13-goal output between the teams with 15 seconds in regulation. Justin Kinnunen snapped in his second goal of the game and his career unassisted from the right face-off circle.

Peoria (45-18-9, 99 points) completed its season series with the Bombers with a 7-3-1 record. The Rivermen finished with an ECHL-best 23-7-6 road record, matching a Rivermen ECHL record for road wins in one season and coming one short of an ECHL road record for fewest losses in one season. With the win, Peoria remains in second place in the Northern Division and will have an opportunity to remain there, depending on the outcome of Atlantic City's home game against the first place Wheeling Nailers on Saturday. Dayton (25-41-5, 55 points) fell to 15-18-2 at home and will conclude its regular season tomorrow at home against Cincinnati.

Rivermen goaltender Levente Szuper – who has been in goal for all six straight Peoria wins – completed the regular season at 23-8-1, stopping 32 of 37 shots. Penner turned away 27 of 35 Peoria chances in his 27th loss of the season (14-27-3).

David Kaczowka duked it out with Dayton's Riley Cote for the second weekend in a row just 2:05 into the game; the two went toe-to-toe.

The Rivermen opened the scoring at 4:12 of the first period. Jason Norrie's shot from the inner part of the left face-off circle was stopped by Penner, but the rebound was collected by Rivermen Captain Trevor Baker, who backhanded the puck through the legs of Penner for his 18th goal of the season.

The Bombers tied it just 1:36 later. Cameron won a face-off in the left circle back to Grady Moore, who snapped his fifth tally of the season past a screened Szuper.

Peoria took its second lead of the game at 15:36 of the first session on Colin Hemingway's 20th tally of the season. Defenseman Mike Hoffman chased a puck down at the right face-off circle and fed Hemingway in the high slot. Hemingway whistled the puck just inside the left post. He has points in his last nine games.

Just 1:12 later, Dayton tied the game again, making it 2-2. Brian Ridolfi stole the puck behind the Peoria goal and sent a no-look backhand pass to Cameron, who tapped the puck in off the right goal post with Szuper at the opposite side of the net.

Peoria finished the first with the lead, scoring with 45 seconds remaining to take a 3-2 lead into the intermission. Baker sent a pass to the left point for George Halkidis, who floated a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Penner for his fifth goal of the season.

The Rivermen pushed the lead to 4-2 at 5:01 of the second. After taking a pass from Kaczowka, Norrie broke into the Dayton zone down the left wing, faked a pass back to Kaczowka and whistled a wicked wrist shot into the upper left corner. It was Norrie's 14th marker of the season.

Kaczowka dropped the gloves again at 6:50 of the second, manhandling Dayton defenseman Nate Kiser.

Peoria made it 5-2 at 9:39 of the second. Stationed at the bottom of the left face-off circle, Hemingway fed Scott Crawford, who was alone at the top of the goal crease and slipped his eighth tally of the season through the legs of Penner.

The Bombers got back within two at 12:11 of the second. Kinnunen brought a Peoria clearing attempt back into the zone right wing, snapping his first professional goal inside the left goal post from the face-off dot.

The Rivermen grabbed their three-goal lead back at 16:58 of the second on Marty Johnston's 24th goal of the year. Adam Edinger, fighting for the puck behind the Dayton goal with Joe Pereira, sent a pass to the top of the goal crease for Johnston, who snapped the puck off the inside of the left goal post.

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