Sports stats



ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen take two at home against Trenton

January 17, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


THE RECAP:

Friday, January 14, 2005 vs. Trenton Game #32 ECHL Game #470

Rivermen 2 Trenton 0

Veteran goaltender Alfie Michaud (7-7-2) stopped 42 shots, including 16 in the second period, as the Peoria Rivermen beat the Trenton Titans 2-0 in front of 4,525 on Friday night at Carver Arena.

It was Michaud's first shutout of the season and the 10th of his career, as he stopped 13 in both the first and third periods.

The Rivermen broke out of the offensive fog early in the third period. Defenseman Warren Toews, after taking a pass from just inside the blue line from straightaway, fired a shot that deflected off a leg and into the right face-off circle. Kris Kasper, darting off the right-wing boards, collected the puck and pushed it to the bottom of the right face-off circle, where he lifted it into the near upper corner for his third tally of the year.

Peoria made it 2-0 just 58 seconds later. Brian McCullough, on a feed from rookie Jake Riddle, muscled the puck into the Trenton zone down the left side of the slot with a player draped all over him. McCullough got to the bottom of the face-off circle and slipped his team-leading 14th tally of the year through the legs of Trenton goaltender Andrew Allen.

That was all the scoring the Rivermen would need, as they held off the Titans late in regulation with Allen pulled for more than two minutes.

Peoria (13-15-4, 30 points) has won three in a row on home ice for the first time this season and improved to 7-5-2 at Carver Arena on the season. Trenton (19-9-4, 42 points) dropped just its third road game of the season in regulation in 15 opportunities (10-3-2). The Titans have lost two straight and five of their last seven games in regulation.

Saturday, January 15, 2005 vs. Trenton Game #33 ECHL Game #485

Rivermen 6 Trenton 2

The Peoria Rivermen tallied two goals in each period, racing past an undermanned Trenton Titans squad, who had just 13 skaters because of call-ups, in a 6-2 victory before 5,323 on Saturday night at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen made it 5-1 just 1:35 into the third period. Justin Maiser worked into the Trenton zone down the left wing and from the top of the face-off circle fired his second goal of the night into the upper right corner. It was his ninth tally of the season.

Peoria pushed it to a 6-1 advantage seven seconds after a power play expired. Chris Bogas, at the top of the left face-off circle, one-timed a Jake Riddle pass out of the right-wing corner past Trenton goaltender Andrew Allen low inside the left post at 6:51 of the third. It was Bogas' first goal of the year in 33 games.

The Titans netted their second goal of the contest on Scott Bertoli's 13th of the year. Bertoli, falling down in front of the goal, slapped it by Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud to finish the scoring at 7:55 of the third.

Peoria (14-15-4, 32 points), who is just a game under .500 on the year, has won two straight overall and a season-best four in a row at home; the Rivermen are now 8-5-2 on home ice this season. With the victory, Peoria Head Coach Jason Christie tied Pat Kelly, ECHL Commissioner Emeritus, for the All-Time Regular Season & Playoffs Coaching Wins Record at 209. The Rivermen are 12-2-1 when they score three or more goals in a contest. Trenton (19-10-4, 42 points) has lost three in a row overall and six of its last eight contests. The Titans dropped to 10-4-2 on the road on the year.

The Captain's Log

Cashing In At Carver Arena

The Rivermen (14-15-4, 32 points) have won a season-best four in a row at Carver Arena after sweeping a two-game home set on Friday (2-0 W) and Saturday (6-2 W) against the Trenton Titans, who entered the weekend in second place in the North Division and have dropped to fourth. The Rivermen, heading into the second weekend of six in a row at home over three straight weekends, are 8-5-2 at home this season. Peoria hosts North Division-leading Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies this Friday and Sunday.

Just The Second Time When It's Tight

For just the second time this season, the Rivermen won when scoring less than three goals in a contest in last Friday night's 2-0 shutout victory over the Trenton Titans. Peoria's only other victory when scoring less than three tallies was a 1-0 shutout win over the Wheeling Nailers at home on December 5, when 20-year-old rookie goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu stopped 25 shots in the win.

Michaud Is Major-League

Veteran netminder Alfie Michaud has started a season-high five straight games and has posted two straight wins after a 42-save performance last Friday night against Trenton in a 2-0 shutout; it was the 11th of his career. The following night, he turned away 22 of 24 chances in a 6-2 win over the Titans. The 2002-2003 ECHL Goaltender of the Year has started 10 of the team's last 12 contests. For the season, the 28-year-old native of Selkirk, Manitoba, has an 8-7-2 record with a 2.35 goals against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage.

McCullough Cutting Through The Defense

With two goals last Saturday and tallies now in his last three games with four total, three-time ECHL All-Star Brian McCullough has points in eight of his last 10 contests with 16 (8g, 8a) and a +9 plus/minus for the stretch. The 27-year-old native of Burr Ridge, Ill., leads the Rivermen in games played (T-33), goals (16), points (33), power play goals (4) and game-winning tallies (3).

Christie Catches Up To Kelly

With 209 regular season and playoff wins to his credit, Rivermen Head Coach Jason Christie has tied the Rivermen All-Time ECHL/International Hockey League (IHL) Franchise Coaching Wins record held by former Rivermen IHL Head Coach and ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Pat Kelly. The 35-year-old native of Gibbons, Alberta owns the best regular season winning percentage (.660) of any coach in Rivermen ECHL history with a record of 193-90-38.

Three is Key For Wins

The Rivermen are 12-2-1 when scoring three or more goals in a game this season. Last Saturday night at home in a 6-2 win over Trenton and for the eighth time in the last 10 games, Peoria netted three tallies in a contest. The Rivermen are ranked 22nd in the ECHL in goals scored per game, averaging 2.64 goals per contest.

Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report

· Defenseman Trevor Byrne has been returned to the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 01/16/05.

· Rivermen left wing David Kaczowka has been reassigned to the Worcester IceCats, 01/15/05.

· Rivermen left wing Jake Riddle has been activated from the 7-day injured reserve, 01/14/05.

· Rivermen Captain and center Trevor Baker has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve, 01/12/05.

· Left wing/defenseman Mark Jerant remains on the 7-day injured reserve, 01/08/04.

· Rivermen defenseman James Sanford remains on reassignment to the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), 01/03/04.

· Left wing/defenseman Mark Jerant remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL), 12/26/04.

· Rivermen defenseman Chad Starling remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 12/16/04.

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

· Rivermen forward Colin Hemingway remains on the 30-day injured reserve, 11/25/04.

· Forward Colin Hemingway remains on reassignment from the Worcester IceCats (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL), 11/03/04.

Steering Our Way Through The Schedule

GAMES:

· On Friday, January 21, the Rivermen host the North Division-leading Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies in the first of two in a row between the clubs at Carver Arena. The teams did battle on the first weekend of November, splitting two lopsided decisions on November 5 (5-2 W, Atlantic City) and November 6 (6-3 W, Peoria). The Rivermen own a 5-2-3 lifetime record in the ECHL in the regular season against the Boardwalk Bullies. The teams will finish the eight-game season series in Atlantic City on February 2 & 5, March 18, and April 1. Atlantic City (21-9-5, 47 points) leads the North Division by one point over the Wheeling Nailers (22-12-2, 46 points) with a game in hand and by two points over the Reading Royals (21-10-3, 45 points) with one more game played. The Boardwalk Bullies are led by veteran left wing Luke Curtin, who has 38 points (9g, 29a) in 35 games and 15 power points. Former Rivermen, in technical speak only, Jason Notermann leads the team in power play goals (9) and game-winning goals (T-3). The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 7:15 p.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m. CT.

· On Sunday, January 23, Peoria and Atlantic City face off again in the second of two in a row between the clubs. It is another Peoria Journal Star/Insight Media Family Day. Kids 12 and Under receive a $2 Upper Bowl admission. There are also $2.50 Kids Meals available. Angelica from the Rugrats will also appear and interact with fans. The game broadcast can be heard LIVE on WWFS FOX Sports Radio 1290 AM and online at www.rivermen.net, beginning at 2:45 p.m. from Carver Arena. Game time is 3:00 p.m. CT.

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from January 17, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Peoria Rivermen Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central