AHL Peoria Rivermen

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Published on January 29, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


WEEK 17 - RIVERMEN ACTION (0-2-0-0)

Saturday, January 27, RIVERMEN 3 @ Milwaukee 4: The Peoria Rivermen continue to struggle, as they lost their fifth game in six contests, stumbling to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday night in front of 10,579 at the Bradley Center. It was the second night in a row in which the Rivermen lost after striking first. Prior to Friday's game against Iowa, in which Peoria fell 2-1 after taking a 1-0 advantage in the first period, the Rivermen had a record of 14-2-1-1 when opening the scoring. Although no goals were registered in the first frame, there was plenty of excitement. Rivermen forward Rocky Thompson and Milwaukee defenseman T.J. Reynolds traded blows after a Thompson slash at 3:59. Less than three minutes later, at 6:46, Peoria defenseman Zack FitzGerald, who was recently reassigned from the ECHL Alaska Aces, battled Admirals left wing Kelsey Wilson. The Rivermen (23-19-1-2, 49 pts) were finally able to slip one past Milwaukee goaltender Pekka Rinne - who grabbed his first win of the season, while playing in his fourth game after suffering a shoulder injury - to open the scoring at 10:25 of the second stanza. Right wing Mike Glumac brought the puck into the zone along the left wing boards and then cut into the left face-off circle, where he fired a shot that flew over the left shoulder of Rinne. The goal was Glumac's 12th of the season. Milwaukee (23-17-3-5, 54 pts) pulled even at 14:24 of the middle session on center Rich Peverley's team-leading 19th marker of the year. Defenseman Sheldon Brookbank launched a shot from the left point that was initially stopped by Peoria netminder Jason Bacashihua. The rebound slid behind the net to the right, where Peverley quickly knocked the puck off the right leg of Bacashihua and it barely trickled across the goal line before the goalie could swat it away. The Admirals took a 2-1 lead when center Cal O'Reilly scored his ninth goal of the season at 4:50 of the final period. Defenseman Ville Koistinen snapped a shot from the left point that was redirected just in front of the goal mouth by O'Reilly, but Bacashihua was able to stop the puck with his right pad; however, it settled in the crease and O'Reilly was able to poke it into the net. Milwaukee registered its third unanswered tally on a wild goal on the power play at 15:47 of the third frame. From the center point, Brookbank dished the puck to Koistinen at the top of the left face-off circle, where he blasted a one-timer that sailed over the net, hit the glass and bounced back into the crease. While the puck was still in the air, Peverley dove and swatted it in the net. It was the second marker of the contest and 20th of the 2006-07 campaign for Peverley. Peoria cut the deficit to 3-2 at 17:32 of the last period, but that was as close as they would come. Left wing Michal Birner whipped a shot from the right point that pin-balled off the skates of a couple of players in the slot and landed in front of center Konstantin Zakharov's stick. Zakharov popped the puck in the air toward the net, and it traveled over the left shoulder of Rinne, who did not appear to see it due to all the traffic in the slot. The goal was the sixth of the year for Zakharov.

Friday, January 26, 2007, RIVERMEN 1 vs. Iowa 2: The Peoria Rivermen, who have now lost a season-worst four games at home, were clipped by the Iowa Stars 2-1 in front of 4,435 on Friday night at Carver Arena. With the loss, the Stars (24-19-2-1, 51 pts) overtook Peoria (23-18-1-2, 49 pts) for fourth place in the West Division but have played two more contests than the Rivermen. Tonight also marked the first time all season in which Peoria lost when leading after the first period (14-1-0-0). Peoria got on the board first on right wing Jon DiSalvatore's 12th goal of the season at 4:55 of the opening period. Center Trent Whitfield skated down the left-wing boards and from the hash marks sent a pass to DiSalvatore in the slot, where he was fighting for position with an Iowa defender and managed to get his stick on the puck to tip it into the top right corner past the Stars goaltender Tobias Stephan. After Peoria failed to convert on a two-man advantage in the first period, Iowa netted a 5-on-3 opportunity at 4:55 of the second session. Starting at the top of the right circle, defenseman Marty Wilford fed defenseman Mark Ardelan at the top of the left circle, where he quickly dished the puck to the bottom of the left circle for right wing Junior Lessard. Lessard held the puck until Rivermen netminder Marek Schwarz knelt to block the lower corner then popped it over the goalie's left shoulder for his team-leading 17th marker of the year. The Stars took a 2-1 lead on their eighth shorthanded goal of the season at 13:17 of the middle frame. Peoria defenseman Roman Polak mishandled the puck at his own blue line, which allowed right wing Marius Holtet to skate in one-on-one with Schwarz. Once Holtet reached the slot, he veered to his right and roofed a wrist shot over the pads of a sliding Schwarz for his seventh tally of the 2006-07 campaign.

OMINOUS OPENING SALVO? NOT USUALLY

The Rivermen were 14-0-0-0 when leading after the first period heading into this past Friday night's home game against the Iowa Stars, and unable to hold a 1-0 advantage after the first stanza, Peoria dropped its first contest of the year in those situations in a 2-1 home loss to the Stars. Peoria has been outscored by the opposition 34-43 in first periods this season.

FIRST STRIKE FAILURE(S)

Entering this weekend, the Rivermen were 14-2-1-1 when scoring the game's first tally. Despite netting the first marker in each of their two games this weekend, Peoria lost both contests to drop to 14-4-1-1.

ONE-GOAL WINS WANING

Peoria, who entered weekend play with a point-making percentage of more than 75 percent (78.1) this season in 17 one-goal opportunities, failed for just the fourth and fifth times in one-goal contests in two weekend games, dropping to 11-5-1-2.

BEST AND WORST AGAINST THE WEST

It is feast or famine for the Peoria Rivermen when it comes to taking on their fellow West Division opponents. Against the San Antonio Rampage (3-1-0-0), the Iowa Stars (5-2-0-0), the Omaha Ak-Sar Ben Knights (5-0-0-0) and the Houston Aeros (2-1-0-0), the Rivermen are a combined 15-4-0-0. Against the Chicago Wolves (1-4-0-1) and the Milwaukee Admirals (1-3-1-0), Peoria is 2-7-1-1 this year.

HARRIED HOCKEY HALTED

Peoria just completed a stretch of 16 games (9-7-0-0 record) in 30 days (more than a game every other day) from December 15-January 13. The Rivermen now play just six games in a stretch of 18 days (a game every third day, January 17-February 3) or seven games in 22 days (January 17-February 7).

RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS

January 26, 2007 LW D.J. King recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 25, 2007 LW Peter Sejna recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) under emergency conditions.

January 24, 2007 RW David Backes recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 23, 2007 RW Ryan MacMurchy returned on loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).

January 23, 2007 D Stephen Wood returned on loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).

January 23, 2007 G Chris Beckford-Tseu reassigned to the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 23, 2007 D Zack FitzGerald reassigned from the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 23, 2007 RW David Backes returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 21, 2007 LW D.J. King returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues (NHL) upon the termination of emergency conditions.

January 21, 2007 LW Peter Sejna returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 16, 2007 C Yan Stastny loaned from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

RIVERMEN ACTION THIS WEEK

Home Games in BOLD; all times are local

DAY DATE TIME OPPONENT

Saturday February 3, 2007 6:00 PM @ Grand Rapids Griffins

Radio: The Rivermen will be broadcast TAPE DELAY on Saturday, February 3 on Classic Country 1290 AM (WIRL-AM), the flagship radio station of the 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 Web cast of each game is available for a pay-per-view fee of $6.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS

National Hockey League Parent Club: Grand Rapids Griffins

Record Entering This Week: 21-20-4-2

Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 48 (-1)

Western Conference Standing: 9th Place

North Division Standing: 4th Place

Rivermen Record vs. Griffins: 3-2-0-0

Leading Scorer: C Kip Miller (47 GP, 16 G, 32 A, 48 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Jimmy Howard (28 GP, 12-12-1, 2.89 GAA, .904 SV PCT., 2 SO)

AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 26th (13.6%)

AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 13th (82.8%)

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2007


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