ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Score Early & Often, Beating San Diego 5-2 on the Road

January 6, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


San Diego (January 5, 2005) – The Peoria Rivermen scored three goals in the first period and never looked back on Wednesday night, beating the defending Brabham Cup Champion San Diego Gulls 5-2 before a crowd of 3,427 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

With the win, the Rivermen remain unbeaten in regulation in their last six games (5-0-1), all of them coming against the West Division.

The Gulls got within two with 1:49 remaining in regulation. Peoria defenseman Chris Bogas stickhandled the puck into his own goal from just off the left goal post with San Diego's Brian Gornick getting credit for his 10th tally of the year.

Peoria, though, would finish with a three-goal lead, as defenseman Trevor Byrne potted his fourth goal in six games with the Rivermen just four seconds later by firing in an empty-net goal from the Peoria blue line. Reggie Stringer won the center-ice face-off back to Byrne for his third assist on the night.

Peoria (12-13-4, 28 points), now just a game under the .500 mark overall, improved to 6-8-2 on the road and 11-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this year. The Rivermen improved to 10-2-1 lifetime in the ECHL against West Division opponents. San Diego (15-10-4, 34 points) is winless in its last four in a row overall (0-2-2) and in its last two straight at home (0-1-1).

Peoria goaltender Alfie Michaud (6-5-2) stopped 22 of 24 Gulls shots in the win, while his counterpart Eddy Ferhi (2-1-0) turned away 31 of 35 in the loss.

The Rivermen took a 1-0 lead on the power play at 4:24 of the first period. After Peoria worked the puck into the San Diego zone, Rivermen Captain Trevor Baker darted into the play late from the Peoria bench, taking a pass from Stringer and rifling a low shot on net that Ferhi stopped with his stick. The puck, though, popped straight up in the air and dropped in behind Ferhi for Baker's seventh goal of the season.

Baker, who had been recovering from sports hernia operation on December 16, was skating in his first game since December 11. He would finish the night with a goal and an assist.

San Diego tied the game up 1-1 just 20 seconds later. Gulls Captain Mike Garrow, stationed just inside the Peoria blue line from straightaway, whistled a low shot through a maze of players that deflected off Rivermen tough man Mark Jerant's stick and through the legs of Michaud. It was Garrow's sixth tally of the year.

The Rivermen grabbed their lead back at 12:23 of the first period. Stringer won a face-off in the left circle back to Warren Toews, who pushed the puck into the high slot and sent a low shot inside the right post past a screened Ferhi. It was Toews' first goal of the season.

Peoria pushed its lead to 3-1 with just 1:14 left in the opening session. Baker stole the puck along the left-wing boards and waited before finding Randy Rowe in the high slot for a blistering slap shot that deflected in off the inside of the left post about a foot of the ice. Ferhi was again screened on the shot. It was Rowe's eighth tally of the year and first of two in a row on the night.

The Rivermen registered the second period's only tally with San Diego on the power play. Rowe corralled a loose puck in the Peoria zone, maneuvered the puck through neutral ice and broke into the Gulls zone on left wing. Rowe skated the puck to the top of the left face-off circle and sent a seeing-eye slap shot into the far upper right corner. It was his ninth goal of the season and Peoria's third shorthanded goal this season.

Rowe, along with Stringer, led all scorers with three points (2g, 1a); both posted a +4 plus/minus.

On Friday, January 7 & Saturday, January 8, the Rivermen travel to Las Vegas to battle the Wranglers in two straight matchups. Game times are 9:00 p.m. CT at the Orleans Arena.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



ECHL Stories from January 6, 2005


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