AHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Weekly

February 14, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


RIVERMEN ACTION THIS WEEK

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

San Antonio Rampage @ PEORIA RIVERMEN

7:30 p.m., Carver Arena

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

PEORIA RIVERMEN @ Milwaukee Admirals

1:30 p.m., Bradley Center

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Milwaukee Admirals @ PEORIA RIVERMEN

5:00 p.m., Carver Arena

Radio: All Rivermen games are broadcast LIVE on HOPE 98.5 (WPIA-FM), the flagship radio station of the Peoria Rivermen.

Internet Audio: LIVE streaming audio of all Rivermen games is available for no charge at www.rivermen.net.

Internet Video: LIVE streaming video with the accompanying audio feed is available at www.rivermen.net through the facilities of the b2 networks. The video Webcast of each game is available for a pay-per-view fee of $6.

Friday, February 17, San Antonio Rampage @ RIVERMEN: The Peoria Rivermen have a busy weekend coming up, with a game scheduled on each of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First up for the Peoria squad will be the San Antonio Rampage on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Carver Arena. Thus far this season, the Rivermen and the Rampage have tangled five times, and Peoria has prevailed in each meeting (5-0-0-0). San Antonio serves as the primary affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Entering this week's action, the Rampage stands in seventh place in the West Division of the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) with a 15-30-1-4 overall mark and 35 points. Center Layne Ulmer now leads the Rampage in scoring with 30 total points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 48 appearances. After backstopping San Antonio to a 2-1 shootout win last Friday in Hartford with 49 saves, goalie Karl Goehring now claims a 3-6-1 record, a 2.71 goals-against average, and a .927 save percentage in 12 outings. The Rampage struggle on the power play, as they convert man-advantage opportunities at a rate of only 13.4 percent to rank 26th in the AHL. The club has had more success killing penalties so far in 2005-06, as its 82.6 percent kill ratio ties San Antonio with the Albany River Rats for 17th position in the AHL's penalty-killing standings.

Saturday, February 18, RIVERMEN @ Milwaukee Admirals; Sunday, February 19, Milwaukee Admirals @ RIVERMEN: After hosting the San Antonio Rampage on Friday evening, the Rivermen will travel up to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday afternoon and then return to Peoria for another tilt against the Admirals on Sunday at Carver Arena. The Rivermen and the Admirals have already met on four previous occasions this season, and Peoria has posted a record of 1-2-1-0 in those games. The main developmental squad of the Nashville Predators of the NHL, the Milwaukee club comes into this week as the West Division's second-place team with a record of 33-14-4-1 and 71 points, 12 points ahead of the third-place Rivermen. Right wing Darren Haydar ranks as the Admirals' leading scorer with 22 goals and 36 assists for 58 points in 52 games played. Milwaukee puckstopper Pekka Rinne now ranks highly among AHL goaltenders in wins (23, T-1st), minutes played (2,106, 3rd), saves (921, 3rd), and goals-against average (2.73, 14th). The Admirals are a dangerous team with the man-advantage, as evidenced by their power-play conversion rate of 20.4 percent that ties them with the Houston Aeros for third position in the AHL's power-play rankings. With an efficiency rate of 83.7 percent, Milwaukee presently stands ninth in the League in penalty killing.

RIVERMEN ACTION LAST WEEK

Tuesday, February 7, RIVERMEN 1 vs. Syracuse Crunch 0: The Rivermen got off to a good start last week with a 1-0 defeat of the Syracuse Crunch. The lone goal scored by either team in this contest came fairly early, as Rivermen right wing Brendan Brooks buried a one-timer from the high slot area at the 6:01 mark of the first period. The rest of the way, the Rivermen hunkered down and played solid team defense, highlighted by numerous blocked shots by blueliners Aaron MacKenzie and Mike Stuart. The fact that Peoria mustered only one goal against Syracuse was not a problem for the Rivermen because goalie Reinhard Divis turned in an outstanding performance for the team, stopping all 24 shots that he faced to earn his first shutout of the season. The Rivermen out-shot the Crunch on the evening 29-24. Peoria's goal came during one of the club's five man-advantage opportunities in the game, while Syracuse ended up zero for eight on the power play.

Saturday, February 11, Grand Rapids Griffins 4 vs. RIVERMEN 2: In their first-ever venture to Van Andel Arena, the Peoria Rivermen came up short, losing 4-2 to the Grand Rapids Griffins last Saturday. The Griffins jumped out to an early lead in the contest on a goal by left wing Nate DiCasmirro just one minute in. Rivermen centerman Gavin Morgan, however, put Peoria on the board just over two minutes later with an unassisted goal that tied things at 1-1 at the 3:21 mark of the first frame. Because Grand Rapids right wing Darryl Bootland lit the lamp at 10:45 of the first, the Griffins held a 2-1 advantage at the first intermission. Following a scoreless middle period, the Rivermen tied the score at 2-2 on center Blake Evans' 11th goal of the season at the 9:20 mark of the third session. DiCasmirro, though, gave Grand Rapids its third lead of the tilt at 3-2 with his second marker of the night at 16:10 of the third period. He then set up center Donald MacLean for a Griffins insurance goal at 17:37 of the third that produced the final score of 4-2 in favor of Grand Rapids. Goaltender Reinhard Divis absorbed the loss for Peoria, turning aside 27 of Grand Rapids' 31 shots on goal. Neither team scored on the power play in this contest, as the Rivermen missed on five man-advantage opportunities, and the Griffins failed to convert nine power-play chances.

Sunday, February 12, RIVERMEN 4 vs. Iowa Stars 3 (SO): After having a four-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Grand Rapids Griffins last Saturday night at Van Andel Arena, the Rivermen returned home to Carver Arena and got back on the winning track against the Iowa Stars on Sunday afternoon. Right wing Jon DiSalvatore opened the scoring in this game with a strike midway through the first period for Peoria. Left wing Charles Linglet then extended the lead for the Rivermen to 2-0 by lighting the lamp at 18:27 of the initial period. By the midpoint of the contest, however, the Stars had tied things up at 2-2 on second-period goals by right wingers Marius Holtet (7:41) and David Oliver (9:54). As they had in the first period, the Rivermen tallied late in the middle session, this time on a goal by defenseman Mike Mottau at the 18:10 mark that gave Peoria a 3-2 advantage. Iowa responded by forging a tie with Peoria once again, as Stars right wing Vojtech Polak evened the score at 3-3 at 13:37 of the third frame. Because the score still stood at 3-3 when regulation time in this game expired, the game moved into a five-minute period of four-on-four sudden-death overtime. When neither squad was able to score in the overtime session, the game moved to a shootout tournament to decide a winner. The Rivermen took a 1-0 lead in the shootout after the first round on a shootout tally by Linglet. The next three shooters for each team then failed to convert their attempts, and Peoria held on to its 1-0 advantage after four rounds. Because Stars center Toby Petersen missed his fifth-round shootout try against Rivermen goaltender Reinhard Divis, Peoria did not have to put out a fifth shooter and claimed a 4-3 shootout victory in the game. Through regulation and overtime, Divis registered 21 saves on 24 shots, then stopped all five shootout attempts by the Iowa squad. The Rivermen (31) squeezed off more shots on goal than did the Stars (24), and each team tallied one power-play goal in the game, as Peoria went one for five, and Iowa ended up one for six.

DARN THOSE GRIFFINS!

If not for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Rivermen might now be riding a seven-game winning streak. As it is, Peoria is 5-2-0-0 over its last seven outings, with both losses coming at the hands of the Griffins. A 4-2 loss to the Griffins on Saturday, January 28, at Carver Arena started Peoria's latest seven-game run, and then the Rivermen suffered another 4-2 loss to the Griffins in Grand Rapids last Saturday.

SHUTOUT-O-METER

Reinhard Divis' shutout of Syracuse last Tuesday was his first blanking of the season and the sixth whitewash for the Rivermen thus far in 2005-06. Current St. Louis Blue Curtis Sanford earned the first shutout in the history of the AHL Peoria Rivermen franchise back on Friday, October 21, 2005, at Manitoba. Jason Bacashihua, also now of the Rivermen parent club St. Louis Blues, then put up two consecutive shutouts on October 29 and 30, followed by another whitewash by Sanford on Friday, November 4. The Rivermen then did not shut out any team until Patrick Lalime came through with a 33-save effort against Houston on Tuesday, January 24, prior to Divis' 24-save performance last Tuesday.

QUITE A WEEK FOR PEORIA PENALTY KILLERS

In three games last week, the Rivermen allowed only one goal during the 23 shorthanded situations that they faced. Last Tuesday versus Syracuse, Peoria went eight for eight on the penalty kill. The Rivermen then held scoreless the Grand Rapids Griffins' AHL-leading power-play unit in nine man-advantage chances last Saturday. Last Sunday versus Iowa, the Peoria penalty killers stymied five of the six power-play opportunities that the Stars had. The Rivermen now rank seventh in the AHL in penalty killing with an efficiency rate of 84.5 percent.

RAGING RIVERMEN

D Mike Mottau has scored one goal and dished out six assists in his last six tilts...D Brendan Buckley has picked up one assist in four of the last six games...C Gavin Morgan notched one goal and one assist last Saturday night at Grand Rapids...RW Jon DiSalvatore has registered two goals and two assists in his last seven outings...D Mike Stuart has distributed three assists over the course of the last five games...C Blake Evans has registered two goals and two assists in the last seven tilts...RW Brendan Brooks has notched four points (3 goals, 1 assist) in the last six outings...LW Timofei Shishkanov has reeled off five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his first five games with Peoria...LW Charles Linglet has notched one goal and one assist in his last two appearances...C Mike Zigomanis recorded his first two points with the Rivermen with two assists on 2-12 vs. IOW...D Jeff Woywitka has picked up two assists in the last four games...G Reinhard Divis has gone 6-1-0-0 in his last seven starts in goal.

RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS

February 12, 2006 RW Mike Glumac returned on loan to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 12, 2006 RW Lee Stempniak returned on loan to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 12, 2006 C Trent Whitfield returned on loan to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 8, 2006 G Matt Underhill recalled from his loan to the ECHL Alaska Aces by the AHL Peoria Rivermen.

February 8, 2006 D Patrick Wellar reassigned from ECHL Alaska to AHL Peoria by NHL St. Louis.

February 8, 2006 G Chris Beckford-Tseu reassigned by NHL St. Louis from AHL Peoria to ECHL Alaska.

February 7, 2006 D Patrick Wellar reassigned from the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) to the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 6, 2006 RW Reed Low reassigned by NHL St. Louis from UHL Missouri to AHL Peoria.

February 6, 2006 C Mike Zigomanis loaned to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2006


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