ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Outscored by Alaska 6-4 at Home

February 24, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. (February 24, 2005) – The Peoria Rivermen could not hold an early third-period lead and surrendered its first hat trick of the year to the ECHL's leading scorer, losing 6-4 to the Alaska Aces before 3,679 on Thursday night at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen took that early third-period advantage just 2:25 into the session, making it 4-3. Brian McCullough circled out from the right-wing corner to the high slot and wristed his team-leading 24th tally inside the right goal post with Tyler Rennette creating traffic in front of the goal.

The Aces tied the game for the third time on the power play at 5:51. Chris Minard broke in down the right side of the Peoria zone and took a backhand shot with a Rivermen defenseman draped all over him that was stopped by Peoria goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu. The rebound came right to Charles Linglet at the top of the goal crease for the easy stuff-in. It was Linglet's 22nd tally of the year.

The goal marked the end of Peoria's ECHL record and Peoria professional hockey record penalty-killing streak. The Rivermen finished with 71 straight kills from January 8 to February 24.

Alaska took their first lead of the game in a four-on-four situation at 13:02 of the third, making it 5-4. NHLer Scott Gomez stole the puck behind the Peoria goal and fed the ECHL's leading scorer, Chris Minard, in front of the net. Minard roofed the hat trick tally and his 37th marker of the season into the upper left corner.

The Aces completed the scoring with Peoria's net empty. Joe Talbot raced around Peoria's Tyler Rennette at the Rivermen blue line, slapping in his 22nd goal of the season.

Peoria (23-18-7, 53 points) dropped its first home game in regulation in six games (2-1-3) and its first in five games (2-1-2) of a Peoria professional hockey record 11 in a row. The Rivermen fell to 13-7-5 at home in the loss and 1-1-1 in three games with the Aces. Alaska (33-15-5, 71 points) moved to within two points of first place in the West Division and has won four in a row. The Aces, who improved to 16-7-2 away from Sullivan Arena, are 7-0-1 in their last eight games and 14-2-1 in their last 17 contests.

Beckford-Tseu (7-10-3) stopped 26 of 31 shots in the loss. Alaska's Lance Mayes (13-6-0) turned away 35 of 39 Peoria chances in the win.

The Rivermen opened the scoring at 7:25 of the first period. Defenseman Ed Hill, who pushed the puck close to the center point from the right point, rifled a low shot that was tipped by Randy Rowe past Mayes into the upper right corner. It was his 12th goal of the season and first in nine games.

Rowe connected again just 58 seconds later from the slot with his leg. Rookie defenseman Aaron Forsythe fired a shot on net from the left point that Rowe, tangled up with a defenseman in the slot, deflected past Mayes inside the left post. It was Rowe's 13th tally of the year.

The Aces got on the board just 24 seconds later on Jordan Cameron's fifth marker of the season. Cameron, just off the left post, took a pass from Chris Heisten out of the left-wing corner and, with a maze of players off the left post, shoveled the puck past Beckford-Tseu.

Alaska tied it 2-2 with Peoria on the power play at 10:45 of the second session. The puck was pushed out of the Alaska zone toward the Peoria blue line, and Minard caught up with the puck and broke in alone on the Rivermen goal, snapping an ankle-high snap shot inside the left goal post. It was his 35th goal of the year.

The Rivermen grabbed the lead back at 12:37 of the second. Justin Maiser worked into the Alaska zone down the left wing to the bottom of the face-off circle, wristing a shot toward the goal that was deflected by Alaska defenseman Ryan Moren. Moren was darting back to the circle to get his stick in on the play and deflected the puck over a sliding Olivier Filion in behind Mayes and into the upper right corner. It was Maiser's 12th goal of the year.

The Aces tied it 3-3 with just 15 seconds remaining in the period. Linglet's shot from the left side of the slot was initially stopped by Beckford-Tseu, but the rebound came right to Gomez, who fed Minard just at the right side of the low slot for the easy one-timer by a diving Beckford-Tseu. It was Minard's 36th tally of the season.

The Rivermen host the Reading Royals tomorrow night – Friday, February 25 – at 7:30 p.m. at Carver Arena.

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ECHL Stories from February 24, 2005


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