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ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen push win streak to four games at home

February 16, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 @ Cincinnati Game #47 ECHL Game #738

Rivermen 3 Cincinnati 2

The Peoria Rivermen used two early third-period goals, scored in a 1:36 span, to beat the Cincinnati Cyclones 3-2 in front of 1,023 on Tuesday night at U.S. Bank Arena.

The first tally came at 5:22 of the third period, giving Peoria a 2-1 lead. Marty Johnston grabbed a loose puck behind the Cincinnati goal and tried to cut out front of the net for a wraparound. Johnston was stopped and then Peoria defenseman Scott Crawford was turned away in front on the rebound. On the third rebound, though, Johnston – just off the right post – slammed his 11th of the season past Cincinnati goaltender Randy Petruk.

The Rivermen made it 3-1 at 6:58 of third. Adam Edinger won a face-off in the left circle back to Chad Starling at the point. Starling sent the puck toward the net and it found its way through a maze of players and between the legs of Petruk. It was Starling's first goal back in a Rivermen uniform and proved to be the game winner.

The Cyclones made it interesting, getting within one at 13:20 of the final session. Jason Norrie, falling down in the high slot, one-handed a backhand pass to a streaking Richard Naumann, who fired his 14th of the season through the legs of Peoria goaltender Mike Valley.

Peoria (27-12-8, 62 points) built on their ECHL-best road record, improving to 16-4-5 away from Carver Arena. The Rivermen, unbeaten in regulation in their last five games overall (4-0-1), are 5-1-0 at U.S. Bank Arena this season and 8-4-0 against the Cyclones with one game remaining in the season series. Cincinnati (20-27-3, 43 points) is winless in its last six games overall (0-5-1) and dropped to 11-14-3 on home ice.

Friday, February 13, 2004 vs. Idaho Game #48 ECHL Game #752

Rivermen 3 Idaho 1

It took 23 games but the Peoria Rivermen won three games in a row on home ice for the first time season with a 3-2 win over the Pacific Division's Idaho Steelheads before a Friday night crowd of 4,718 at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen, victorious in four of their last five home games, are 12-8-3 at Carver Arena this season.

Mike Valley, making his fifth start in the last six games, turned away 27 of 28 shots in the win, including 16 of 17 in the second period. Valley pushed his record to 16-5-6 on the year.

Peoria (28-12-8, 64 points), unbeaten in regulation in its last six games (5-0-1), remains five points in front of the rival Johnstown Chiefs (27-15-5, 59 points), who won 4-3 in overtime tonight in Toledo, with one more game played. Idaho (28-15-5, 61 points) has lost two of its last three games and dropped to 11-10-3 on the road.

Saturday, February 14, 2004 vs. Idaho Game #49 ECHL Game #768

Rivermen 5 Idaho 2

Marty Johnston registered his first career hat trick and added an assist, as the Peoria Rivermen knocked off the Pacific Division's Idaho Steelheads 5-2 before a crowd of 6,142 on Saturday night at Carver Arena.

Peoria grabbed its three-goal lead back and a 4-1 advantage on Johnston's hat trick goal at 17:44 of the second period. Johnston scored his third in similar fashion to his first. Johnston took a pass from Scott Turner behind the Idaho net and beat Scott Kabotoff on a wraparound goal, his 14th of the year.

Kabotoff, who was with the Rivermen earlier in the season, relieved starter Blair Allison at 14:57 of the second. Allison turned away 26 of 29 shots in the game, and Kabotoff stopped 11 of 13 shots.

The Rivermen pushed their advantage to 5-1 at 3:54 of the third. Scott Crawford broke into the Idaho zone on right wing and maneuvered in alone on Kabotoff, slipping his fifth tally of the season through Kabotoff's legs.

Crawford had two assists to go along with his tally, extending his assist and point streak to seven games. The assist streak, which includes nine assists, is a season high. He has 10 points (1g, 9a) over the seven-game stretch.

Johnston had an assist on the goal, making him the second Rivermen player to tally four points in a game this season. Baker collected four assists on October 24 in a 7-0 home win over the Wheeling Nailers.

Brett Draney recorded his second tally of the night and fourth in a Steelheads uniform on rebound effort in front of the Peoria goal with 1:33 remaining in the game to complete the scoring.

Peoria (29-12-8, 66 points) has won four in a row overall and on home ice. The Rivermen are undefeated in regulation in their last seven games (6-0-1). Peoria remains just four points behind the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (33-12-2, 70 points). Idaho (28-16-5, 61 points) has dropped three of its last four games overall and fallen to .500 on the road (11-11-3).

The Captain's Log

Consecutive Wins Continue

The Rivermen (29-12-8, 66 points) are in midst of a four-game winning streak after posting a 3-2 road win over the Cincinnati Cyclones on Tuesday and two home wins – 3-1 and 5-2, respectively – over the Pacific Division's Idaho Steelheads on Friday and Saturday. Peoria's season-high for consecutive wins is six games, which was from January 2-13. With a 7-2-1 record over their last 10 games, the Rivermen are now just four points behind the defending Kelly Cup Champion Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (33-12-4, 70 points) and six points behind the first place Wheeling Nailers (35-13-2, 72 points) with a game in hand on the Nailers.

Need To Keep It Up At Carver

With wins on Friday and Saturday on home ice against the Idaho Steelheads, Peoria has posted four straight wins at Carver Arena for the first time this season. Prior to this winning stretch, the Rivermen had only won two in a row at home twice (November 27 & 28 and January 2 & 4). Peoria is 13-8-3 at home this season. Over their 13 home victories, the Rivermen are averaging 4.08 goals per game (53 goals), while collecting just 1.09 goals per game (12 goals) over 11 defeats – which include three overtime losses. With eight home regulation losses this season, Peoria will look to hold off losing more than nine, which they have never done in seven prior seasons over their ECHL tenure. The Rivermen own a 188-54-30 lifetime ECHL home record (75 percent point percentage) 24 games into their eighth ECHL season. Last season, Peoria posted a 26-5-5 home mark with the second fewest home losses in one season in ECHL franchise history. Peoria notched a 27-4-4 record at home in its first ECHL season (1996-1997).

Exceptional Away Play

The Rivermen continue to maintain the ECHL's best road record at 16-4-5 (74 percent point percentage) after a 3-2 road win last Tuesday in Cincinnati. The Rivermen have posted six straight road wins this season along with an 11-game, unbeaten-in-regulation streak (7-0-4).

Putting Our Pacific Play To Bed

Peoria completed seven games against Pacific Division opponents on Friday and Saturday, defeating the Idaho Steelheads 3-1 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday. With the victories, the Rivermen finished with a 5-2-0 record against Pacific Division this season. Peoria was 2-0-0 against Idaho, 2-0-0 against the Las Vegas Wranglers and 1-2-0 against the Alaska Aces. The remaining 23 games for Peoria will be played against its own Northern Division; the Rivermen are 24-10-8 against their own Division.

Here's Another Hat Trick

Second-year left wing Marty Johnston tallied the team's third hat trick of the season and the first of his career on Saturday night in the team's 5-2 victory over the visiting Idaho Steelheads. Tyler Rennette registered a hat trick on October 24 in a 7-0 home win over the Wheeling Nailers, and Randy Rowe tallied a hat trick on December 27 at home against Cincinnati. In addition to his three goals, Johnston also added in an assist in Saturday's game, becoming just the second Rivermen player this season to tally four points in a game. Trevor Baker collected four assists on October 24. With 31 points (14g, 17a), Johnston is tied for third on the team in points among active players with Adam Edinger. Over his last three games, Johnston has six points (4g, 2a) and a +6 plus/minus.

Crawford Continues To Collect

Rivermen defenseman Scott Crawford has at least an assist in each of his last seven games with nine; he has 10 points (1g, 9a) over the seven-game stretch. The second-year professional has 29 points (5g, 24a) in 49 games to lead all Rivermen defensemen in scoring. He also has a team-leading +19 plus/minus.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Rivermen defenseman George Halkidis has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 02/15/04.

· Defenseman Brett Scheffelmaier has been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 02/15/04.

· Rivermen center Trevor Baker has been activated from ECHL suspension (one game), 02/14/04.

· Rivermen right wing Joe Pereira has been activated from the 30-day injured reserve, 02/13/04.

· Defenseman Mike Hoffman has been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 02/13/04.

· Rivermen right wing Kenny Goetz remains on ECHL suspension (nine games), 02/10/04.

· Forward Colin Hemingway and center Greg Black have been activated on team suspension, 02/10/04.

· Rivermen left wing Randy Rowe remains on call-up with the St. John's Maple Leafs (AHL), 01/27/04.

· Rivermen center Brendan Brooks remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 01/14/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Craig Olynick remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 01/11/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

PRACTICE:

· The Rivermen will practice on Thursday, February 19 and Friday, February 20 at Carver Arena at 10:00 a.m. CT.

GAMES:

· On Monday, February 16, the Rivermen face off against the rival Johnstown Chiefs in the first of two in a row between the clubs and the seventh of eight meetings on the season. The games are make-ups for those postponed on Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7 because of water and ice damage to one of the walls at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The Rivermen own a 3-2-1 season mark against the Chiefs after splitting two games in Peoria on January 16 & 17. Peoria owns a 32-14-6 lifetime ECHL record against the Chiefs. Johnstown (27-16-5, 59 points) is in fifth place in the Northern Division, four points back of the Reading Royals (28-15-7, 63 points) with two games in hand. The Chiefs are led by rookie forward Jason Notermann, who has 34 points (16g, 18a) in 47 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:50 p.m. from the Cambria War Memorial Arena. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

· On Tuesday, February 17, Peoria and Johnstown do battle again in the second of two in a row between the teams and the eighth and final meeting on the season. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:50 p.m. from the Cambria War Memorial Arena. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

· On Friday, February 20, the Rivermen host the archrival Dayton Bombers for the fourth time this season in the eighth of the 11 total meetings on the season. The Rivermen are 4-2-1 against the Bombers this season and 2-1-0 against them at Carver Arena. In the last two meetings between the clubs, which came in Dayton, Peoria prevailed 3-1 on January 23 for its season-high sixth straight road win before falling 4-2 the following night. Peoria owns a 43-24-9 lifetime ECHL record against the Bombers. Dayton (18-28-5, 41 points) is in ninth place in the nine-team Northern Division, two points behind the Cincinnati Cyclones with two games in hand. The Bombers are led by center Olivier Proulx, who has 37 points (14g, 23a) in 51 games. It is another Coca-Cola Finally Friday. Fans receive a 2-for-1 Upper Bowl admission when they present a Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke can at the Carver Arena Box Office. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 6:50 p.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 7:00 p.m. CT.

· On Sunday, February 22, Peoria opens a two-game set against the first place Wheeling Nailers in the sixth and seventh meetings between the teams on the year. The Rivermen own a 3-1-1 season mark against the Nailers after a 4-3 shootout win in Wheeling on December 28. Peoria owns a 30-19-8 lifetime ECHL record against the Nailers. Wheeling (35-13-2, 72 points) is in first place in the nine-team Northern Division and sits atop the ECHL in a tie with the Pacific Division-leading San Diego Gulls (34-11-4, 72 points). The Nailers are led by J.F. Dufour, who has 61 points (20g, 41a) in 43 games. It is another Journal Star/Insight Media Family Day. Kids 12 and Under receive a $2 admission. The first 1,000 Kids' Meals, which are available for $2.50, contain a Levente Szuper player card. SpongeBob SquarePants appears courtesy of Nickelodeon. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS 1290 AM, Insight Communications (Peoria-44; Bloomington-Normal-22; Pekin, Morton & Galesburg-70) and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 2:50 p.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 3:00 p.m. CT.

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