ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen sweep four-game homestand

March 30, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 vs. Johnstown Game #62 ECHL Game #883

Rivermen 5 Johnstown 3

The Peoria Rivermen picked up their seventh home win in a row on Tuesday, beating the rival Johnstown Chiefs 5-3 before 3,424 at Carver Arena.

The win moved the Rivermen to within two points of the Toledo Storm for fifth place in the eight-team North Division with a game in hand. Peoria is just three points behind the Wheeling Nailers, a team they host twice this weekend, for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Rivermen gave themselves a 5-3 advantage at 7:21 of the third period. Defenseman Ed Hill, at the top of the goal crease, chipped in his fourth tally of the season on a rebound after a Kris Kasper shot from just off the right goal post.

Johnstown's Joe Tallari wristed home his second goal of the game and 28th marker of the year from the left side of the face-off circle on a pass from Jean Desrochers with 6:20 left in the game.

Peoria (33-22-7, 73 points) improved to 20-7-5 at home in the victory and 4-2-1 against the Chiefs this season. Peoria has kept the opposition to three goals or less in 29 of the last 34 games. Johnstown (20-29-14, 54 points) has dropped its last two and is 1-11-3 in its last 15 contests. The Chiefs fell to 8-17-6 on the road.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 vs. Johnstown Game #63 ECHL Game #890

Rivermen 6 Johnstown 2

The Peoria Rivermen said goodbye to the Johnstown Chiefs after nine years of competition in the ECHL and hello to a possible playoff spot, beating the rival Chiefs 6-2 before a Wednesday-night crowd of 3,417 at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen finished their regular season ECHL tenure against Johnstown with a 38-17-7 record, while moving into a tie for fifth place in the eight-team North Division with the archrival Toledo Storm and moving within one point of the Wheeling Nailers for the fourth and final playoff spot.

Peoria added its sixth goal of the game 3:14 into the final period. Brian McCullough maneuvered into the Chiefs' end on right wing on a two-on-one break with Justin Maiser. After a McCullough feed to the left circle, Maiser was stopped on his shot by diving Johnstown goaltender Mark Scally, but the puck trickled toward the goal line, where two Johnstown defenders kicked it into the net. It was Maiser's second goal of the game, 19th of the season and fifth in the last five contests.

Johnstown registered its second goal right off a face-off in the left circle. Peter Trovato won the puck back to Joe Tallari, who was stationed behind Trovato to his right at the top of the circle. Tallari wasted no time, quickly wristing his 29th marker of the season inside the right goal post.

Peoria (34-22-7, 75 points) has won a season-best eight in a row at home and has improved to 21-7-5 at home. The Rivermen have held the opposition to two goals or less in 19 of their last 35 contests. Johnstown (20-30-14, 54 points) has lost three in a row and fell to 1-12-3 in its last 16 games.

Friday, March 25, 2005 vs. Wheeling Game #64 ECHL Game #902

Rivermen 2 Wheeling 1 Shootout

Fighting to move into a playoff spot for the first time this season, the Peoria Rivermen did just that by beating the Wheeling Nailers 2-1 in a shootout in front of 4,813 on Friday night at Carver Arena.

With the win and two points, the Rivermen moved into a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot in the eight-team North Division with eight games left to play, six of which come on the road. Peoria is tied with Wheeling, who they face off against at home again tomorrow night, and Toledo.

Brian McCullough scored the shootout winner in the second round. He brought the puck in down the right side of the Wheeling zone, cut across the low slot to the left post and pulled Wheeling goaltender Andy Chiodo out of position for a flip shot just inside the right post. Newcomer Phil Lewandowski, who was acquired from Long Beach on Tuesday at the ECHL trade deadline, sealed the win with a shootout tally in the third round, beating Chiodo through the legs.

The Nailers tied the game 1-1 on the power play. Ed McGrane slapped a low shot on net from the top of the right face-off circle that Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud stopped with his right pad. The rebound popped to the left side of the goal crease, where Pascal Morency was stopped, but Brendan Hodge converted a second chance from just off the left goal post. It was his 14th tally of the season.

Peoria (35-22-7, 77 points) has won a season-best nine in a row at home and has +improved to 22-7-5 at Carver Arena this season. The Rivermen are now 3-4-1 against the Nailers on the year. It was the 20th game in the last 36 that the Rivermen held the opposition to two goals or less. Wheeling (36-23-5, 77 points) is 1-3-1 in its last five games and dropped to 15-14-3 on the road.

Saturday, March 26, 2005 vs. Wheeling Game #65 ECHL Game #918

Rivermen 3 Wheeling 0

Alfie Michaud pushed his Rivermen records for shutouts in one season and a career to six and seven, respectively, as the Peoria Rivermen beat the Wheeling Nailers 3-0 before 6,656 on Saturday night at Carver Arena.

Michaud (26-10-4) stopped four Wheeling shots in the first period, 10 in the second and eight in the final session for a 22-save performance.

Team-leading scorer Brian McCullough added an insurance tally, his second goal of the contest, with 3:23 left in regulation. Reggie Stringer took a dump-in behind the Wheeling net and waited for a play to develop in front. McCullough swept in off the right-wing boards to the post, sneaking in on Wheeling goaltender Andy Chiodo and quickly tapping a Stringer pass through Chiodo's legs.

Peoria (36-22-7, 79 points) has won four in a row overall and pushed its season-best home winning streak to 10 games. The Rivermen, who have held the opposition to two goals or less in 21 of the last 37 games, finished their regular season series with the Nailers with a 4-4-1 mark. Wheeling (36-24-5, 77 points) is winless in its last two games (0-1-1) and dropped to 15-15-3 on the road.

The Captain's Log

Poised For The Playoffs

Coming out of the third-to-last week of the season, the Rivermen (36-22-7, 79 points) have finally pounded their way into playoff position, sitting tied for the fourth and final spot in the eight-team North Division with the archrival Toledo Storm (37-23-5). They are two points behind the third-place Trenton Titans (36-20-9, 81 points), four points behind the second-place Reading Royals (38-20-7, 83 points) and five back of the first-place Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (38-21-8, 84 points), who have played two more games than all of the other contending teams. Peoria has scratched and clawed its way back into the playoff picture with a torrid 29-10-4 record (72 percent point-making percentage) in the 43 games following the Christmas Holiday.

Don't Dare Our Defense

The Rivermen have held the opposition to two goals or less in the last three straight games and 21 of the last 37 contests. Over that stretch, Peoria has kept their opponents to three goals or less in 32 of those games. On average, the Rivermen are allowing 2.38 goals per game, good for third in the ECHL.

Collecting Wins At Carver Arena

Peoria has won a season-best 10 in a row at home after this past Saturday's 3-0 shutout over the Wheeling Nailers. It is the second winning streak of seven games or more since January 28 and the third-longest win streak in 23 years of Peoria professional hockey. After opening the season 2-4-2 at Carver Arena, the Rivermen are 21-3-3 in their last 27 home games. Peoria owns a 220-64-35 (74 percent point-making percentage) lifetime ECHL regular season record at Carver Arena.

Shutout Shaman

With his second shutout in the last 10 games last Saturday in a 22-save, 3-0 win over the Wheeling Nailers, Alfie Michaud registered his sixth shutout this season and the seventh of his Peoria career, setting a 23-year Peoria professional hockey record for shutouts by a goaltender in a regular season and a career. Michaud has equaled his personal best of six in one season, registered in his third professional campaign (2001-2002). He ranks second in the ECHL in goals against average (GAA) at 1.96 and is tied for fourth in the League in wins with 26. For the season, he is 26-10-4 with a .931 save percentage.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Rivermen left wing Igor Valeev has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 03/26/05.

· Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard has been signed and added to the roster, 03/26/05.

· Left wing Justin Maiser and goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu have been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 03/26/05.

· Forward Bo Cheesman has been waived, 03/25/05.

· Center Ryan Ramsay has been returned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 03/25/05.

· Defenseman Tim Branham has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve, 03/25/05.

· Rivermen defenseman Ed Hill has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 03/22/05.

· Left wing Phil Lewandowski has been acquired from the Long Beach Ice Dogs as part of a three-team deal with the South Carolina Stingrays, 03/22/05.

· Defenseman Tim Branham has been acquired from the Florida Everblades in exchange for financial and future considerations, 03/22/05.

· Defenseman Ian Forbes has been acquired from the San Diego Gulls in exchange for defenseman Aaron Forsythe and future considerations, 03/22/05.

· Defenseman Trevor Byrne remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 03/17/05.

· Right wing Colin Hemingway remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 03/02/05.

· Rivermen left wing David Kaczowka has been suspended by the ECHL (two games), 02/16/05.

· Rivermen left wing David Kaczowka remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 02/14/05.

· Left wing Igor Valeev remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 02/10/05.

· Rivermen rookie center Troy Riddle remains on reassignment to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 12/01/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

GAMES:

· On Wednesday, March 30, the Rivermen visit Sovereign Bank Arena to battle the Trenton Titans in the first of two games between the clubs over four days. Both teams lead the North Division with current four-game winning streaks. Peoria beat the Titans twice at home on March 6 (3-0 W) and March 8 (4-3 SOW) to improve to 5-0-0 in the seven-game season series. The Rivermen own a 13-4-1 lifetime ECHL regular season record against the Titans. Trenton (36-20-9, 81 points) is in third place in the tightly-packed, eight-team North Division, two points behind the Reading Royals (38-20-7, 83 points) and three points back of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (38-21-8, 84 points). The Titans are led by left wing Scott Bertoli, who has 65 points (26g, 39a) with five game-winning goals in 63 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WIRL, Classic Country 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:45 p.m. from the Sovereign Bank Arena. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

· On Friday, April 1, Peoria travels to Atlantic City, NJ, to battle the Boardwalk Bullies in the eighth and final regular season meeting of the year. The Rivermen are 3-0-0 at Historic Boardwalk Hall this season and have won six in a row against Atlantic City this season after a 5-2 home loss on November 5. Most recently, Tyler Rennette's game-winning tally on March 18 pushed Peoria to a 4-2 victory at Boardwalk Hall. Atlantic City is atop the North Division (38-21-8, 84 points) by one point over the Reading Royals (38-20-7, 83 points), having played two more games. The Boardwalk Bullies are led by center Derek Edwardson, who has 61 points (22g, 39a) in 64 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WIRL, Classic Country 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:45 p.m. from Historic Boardwalk Hall. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

· On Saturday, April 2, the Rivermen and the Titans face off again in the seventh and final meeting of the regular season. It will be Peoria's third trip to the Sovereign Bank Arena this season. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WIRL, Classic Country 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 5:45 p.m. from the Sovereign Bank Arena. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.

· On Sunday, April 3, Peoria opens a two-game set with the Reading Royals in a span of three days. It will be the seventh and eighth matchups of the year between the teams. The Rivermen have yet to earn a point in two tries at the Sovereign Center this season, losing by 3-1 decisions on both November 16 and March 15. Peoria finished its home work against the Royals this season with 2-2-0 record. Reading (38-20-7, 83 points) is in second place in the eight-team North Division, one point back of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (38-21-8, 84 points) with two games in hand. The Royals are led by center Graig Mischler, who has 54 points (9g, 45a) in 52 games. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WIRL, Classic Country 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 11:45 a.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 12:00 p.m. CT.

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ECHL Stories from March 30, 2005


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