Rivermen Upend Toledo 6-3 at Home
March 4, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
Peoria, Ill. (March 4, 2005) â Leading scorer Brian McCullough scored the insurance goal late in the third period and added two assists, as the Peoria Rivermen beat the archrival Toledo Storm 6-3 in front of 4,506 on Friday night at Carver Arena.
McCullough gave Peoria a 5-3 lead with 4:39 left in regulation. Ed Hill's clearing attempt from back in the Peoria end near the left face-off circle was caught up to by McCullough near the Toledo blue line. It was not ruled a two-line offside pass, and McCullough darted by Toledo defenseman Sylvain Dufresne, streaking in on goaltender Drew MacIntyre and snapping his team-leading 27th tally of the season through the five-hole. McCullough was named the game's No. 1 Star.
Igor Valeev sealed the win at 19:03 with an empty-net goal from the slot after he stole the puck from the Toledo defense for his second tally of the night and seventh of the season.
Peoria (26-18-7, 59 points) has won three in a row and registered its first points against the Storm at home this season in four opportunities (1-3-0). The Rivermen improved to 16-7-5 at Carver Arena and are now 5-1-2 through eight games of a Peoria professional hockey record 11 in a row at home. Toledo (31-21-4, 66 points) has lost two in a row and four of its last six games. The Storm dropped to 13-13-3 on the road this year.
Rivermen goaltender Alfie Michaud (18-8-4), who was reassigned earlier in the day from the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate â the Worcester IceCats, stopped 18 of 21 chances in the win. MacIntyre (0-1-0) turned away 18 of 23 shots in the loss.
Randy Rowe's 15th goal of the season gave the Rivermen a 1-0 lead at 6:54 of the first period. Trevor Baker tried to maneuver the puck through traffic down the middle of the Toledo zone before dropping the puck off the Randy Rowe. Rowe raced down the right side of the slot and pulled the puck from his forehand to his backhand, causing MacIntyre to dive out of position for an easy backhand tally inside the right post.
The Rivermen gave themselves a 2-0 just 1:58 later. McCullough carried the puck into the Toledo zone on left wing and fed Reggie Stringer in the high slot. Stringer quickly snapped a pass to Valeev, who â from just inside the right face-off circle â slapped the puck inside the left goal post. It was his sixth tally of the season.
Peoria pushed its lead to 3-0 at 10:02 of the first on Jake Riddle's fifth goal of the season. Riddle, who was activated from the 30-day injured reserve earlier in the day and parked at the right side of the low slot, took a pass from McCullough, who was stationed behind the net, and lifted it into the upper left corner. It was Riddle's first goal since January 23.
Toledo got on the board for the first time in 86:24 at 4:04 of the second period. Jason Maleyko wristed the puck toward the Peoria net from along the left-wing boards near the face-off circle and it slipped inside the left post. It was Maleyko's fourth goal of the year.
The Storm got within one just 1:38 later on the power play. Captain Sam Paolini circled out to the right side of the slot from behind the net and wristed his 13th goal of the season into the upper right corner. It was just the third power play goal Peoria had surrendered in its last 82 penalty-kill chances.
The Rivermen got back on the board at 7:35 of the middle stanza. Tyler Rennette took a pass from Rowe and broke into the Toledo zone on right wing, rifling a low shot about a foot off the ice inside the left goal post from above the face-off circle. It was Rennette's 14th marker of the year and would prove to be the game winner.
Toledo would get within one goal for the second time in the second just 36 seconds later. Steve Slonina stole the puck behind the Rivermen net and fed Pierre-Luc Sleigher at the right side of the slot. Sleigher, who was playing in his first game since December 31, 2004, fired the puck through the legs of Michaud. It was Sleigher's fifth goal of the season.
The Rivermen and the archrival Toledo Storm face off again tomorrow night â Saturday, March 5 â at 7:00 p.m. It is Church Night, presented by the Berean Bookstore, and "Jars of Clay" will perform in a post-game concert. It is also Circle K Team Photo Night, as the first 4,000 fans will receive a Rivermen Team Photo.
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ECHL Stories from March 4, 2005
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