AHL Peoria Rivermen

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Published on February 26, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


WEEK 21 - RIVERMEN ACTION (0-0-0-2)

Friday, February 23, RIVERMEN 3 vs. Grand Rapids 4 Shootout: The season-high crowd of 6,804 at Carver Arena saw the Peoria Rivermen come back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, but they were unable to get over the hump as Peoria lost for the second straight home contest in a shootout, falling to the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 on Friday night. Although the first frame was scoreless, the Rivermen (28-20-2-4, 62 pts) had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:12, but failed to capitalize. Prior to tonight's game, Peoria had converted on 11 of 38 power play chances versus Grand Rapids. The Griffins (28-21-4-2, 62 pts) wasted little time after the first-period break, tallying the first goal of the game at 1:04 of the second stanza just 17 seconds into a power play. Defenseman Tom Galvin started the play at center point, where he dished the puck off to the left face-off dot for center Matt Hussey, who centered a pass to center Matt Ellis in the slot. Ellis quickly turned and fired a one-timer that slipped past the outstretched left leg of Rivermen goalie Jason Bacashihua for his team best 21st marker of the year. Grand Rapids increased its lead at 10:12 of the middle session while both teams had only four skaters on the ice. Center Kip Miller won the face-off in the left circle, which was tapped back to defenseman Derek Meech by defenseman Dan Smith. Meech, who was stationed at center point, launched a shot through a screen that found the upper left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Peoria failed to convert on another two-man advantage in the middle of the second, but at 18:23 potted an even-strength tally. At the hash marks along the left-wing boards, center Gavin Morgan fed center Ryan Ramsay, who was just to the right of Griffins netminder Stefan Liv. Ramsay was unable to pull the trigger right away, so he circled behind the net then lifted a shot from the bottom of the right circle that bounced of the left shoulder of Liv and into the net. The goal was Ramsay's ninth of the year. Just 10 seconds into the final frame, the Griffins regained a two-goal lead. Along the right-wing boards, center Eric Himelfarb worked into the Rivermen zone on a two-on-one. Once he reached the top of the right circle, Himelfarb sent the puck into the slot for right wing Jamie Tardif, who quickly tipped it back to Himelfarb at the bottom of the right circle, where he blasted a shot into the net past a flailing Bacashihua for his 12th tally of the 2006-07 campaign. The Rivermen cut their deficit to 3-2 as Ramsay notched his second goal of the night and 10th overall at 10:28 of the final session. From the left point, defenseman Tomas Mojzis tried to chip the puck into the corner, but it pin-balled off a couple skates and landed in the hand of Ramsay. The center dropped the puck to his stick and thought about flipping a backhand to the right, but Ramsay saw that Liv had covered the cage well. Ramsay stopped, cut back to his left, and while falling to the ice wrapped the puck around the right leg of Liv. Ramsay netted the first hat trick of the year for Peoria on a power play goal at 16:16 of the final period. Morgan wrapped around the net from left to right and found Ramsay in the right circle, where he skated back and to the left, waiting for an open lane to take the shot. When Ramsay reached the top of the right circle, he whipped a shot that sneaked through the legs of Liv. For the second game in a row, the Rivermen took the game to a shootout, but were unable to pull out a victory as Grand Rapids netted two goals to Peoria's one. The game-winner came off the stick of Miller, who beat Bacashihua with a wrist shot inside the left post.

Wednesday, February 21, RIVERMEN 3 vs. Omaha 4 Shootout: The Peoria Rivermen fell to the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights for the first time in 14 games, losing 4-3 in a shootout in front of a crowd of 3,021 on Wednesday night at Carver Arena. It was only the second time in 22 contests (20-0-0-2) in which the Rivermen were unable to hang on to their third period lead. The Knights (32-19-3-1, 68 pts) got on the board first while on a 4-on-3 advantage at 8:18 of the first frame. Defenseman Brett Skinner, who was recently loaned from NHL Anaheim, began the play at center point, where he dished the puck to right wing Carsen Germyn at the left face-off dot. Germyn wound up as if to shoot but fired a pass to defenseman Chris Lee, who was just to the left of Peoria netminder Chris Beckford-Tseu for the easy tap-in. It was the second marker of the year for Lee. Peoria (28-20-2-3, 61 pts) evened the contest on center Ryan Ramsay's eighth tally of the season at 6:43 of the middle period. Right wing Jon DiSalvatore poked the puck away from a Knight defender at the Omaha blue line and fed it ahead to Ramsay alone in the high slot. When Ramsay turned to face the net, he fell to one knee but maintained control of the puck, and then he lifted it over the shoulder of Omaha goalie Curtis McElhinney as he was returning to his feet. The Rivermen took the lead with a power play goal from left wing Charles Linglet, his team-leading 26th overall, at 12:48 of the second stanza. Linglet sent a laser through a screen in the slot by right wing Mike Glumac, who hopped out of the way of the shot. The puck flew over the right shoulder of McElhinney and into the top left corner of the net. Omaha capitalized on two simultaneous Rivermen penalties, one of them being a five-minute major on defenseman Zack FitzGerald for high sticking. The Knights tallied a goal at 8:06 of the last session while on a two-man advantage. Lee waited for some traffic to form around the net and then whipped a shot from the left face-off circle. The shot clanked off the right post, but the rebound landed in front of center Dustin Boyd in the slot, where he chipped the puck past Beckford-Tseu for his 18th goal of the season. While FitzGerald was still in the box, the Knights took the lead at 12:10 of the third frame. Center Andrei Taratukhin fired a pass from behind the net to center point for defenseman Brad Ference, who ripped a shot that was redirected in the slot by Boyd over the right leg of Beckford-Tseu. It was the second power play goal of the game for Boyd and 19th marker overall, which leads the team. Peoria tied the contest with an extra attacker at 19:35 of the third period. Glumac faked a shot from the top of the left face-off circle then fired a pass just to the left of McElhinney to center Yan Stastny, who quickly tapped the puck through the goal mouth to center Trent Whitfield for the easy tip-in and his 21st goal of the 2006-07 campaign. After a scoreless extra period, it took six rounds in the shootout for Omaha to finish the game. The game-winner came off the stick of Boyd, who skated down the middle, and once he reached the slot, he faked to the right, his backhanded side, and brought it back to the forehand to lift the puck over the right leg of Beckford-Tseu.

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 (5-1-1-0), the Iowa Stars (5-2-0-0), the Houston Aeros (3-1-0-0) and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (6-0-0-1), the Rivermen are a combined 19-4-1-1. Against the Chicago Wolves (1-4-0-1) and the Milwaukee Admirals (1-4-1-0), Peoria is 2-8-1-1 this year.

THREE IS FOR ME... USUALLY

Peoria is 26-5-0-2 (81.8 percent point-making percentage) when scoring three or more goals in a game. In the last two games, the Rivermen have scored three goals only to lose in a shootout each time. In games in which they score two goals or less, the Rivermen are 2-15-2-2 for a 19.0 percent point-making percentage.

DEATH MARCH

Peoria plays a season-high, er season-worst, 18 games in the month of March, before finishing the month of April with eight games over 15 days. Thirteen (13) of Peoria's March games are on the road, including a season-long, seven-game road swing from March 6 in Grand Rapids (make-up for February 3 postponement) to Saturday, March 17 in Omaha.

RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS

February 14, 2007 RW Kevin Croxton recalled from loan to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).

February 13, 2007 LW D.J. King recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 9, 2007 G Chris Beckford-Tseu reassigned from the Alaska Aces (ECHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 1, 2007 D Jamie Rivers loaned from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 31, 2007 LW D.J. King returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 31, 2007 LW Peter Sejna recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 30, 2007 LW Peter Sejna returned on loan from the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

January 29, 2007 D Jeff Woywitka recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

RIVERMEN PROMOTIONS THIS WEEK

Saturday, March 3

- Peoria Air National Guard Team Poster Night - First 5,000 Fans

- St. Patrick's Day Celebration, presented by Kelleher's Irish Pub

- Team to wear special St. Patrick's Day jerseys with post-game auction to benefit Children's Hospital of Illinois

Sunday, March 4

- Insight Family Day - four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) Cokes & four (4) bags of Kitchen Cooked chips for JUST $38 (a $70 value!)

- U.S. Cellular 25 Greatest Rivermen of All-Time continues with Trevor Baker cards to the first 2,500 fans; Baker will appear and sign autographs

RIVERMEN PRACTICE THIS WEEK

Monday, February 26-Wednesday, February 28; Saturday, March 3

- 10:00 a.m. - Carver Arena

Radio: The Rivermen will be broadcast LIVE on this week 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 STARS

National Hockey League Parent Club: Dallas Stars

Record Entering This Week: 30-24-3-1

Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 64 (+2)

Western Conference Standing: T-7th Place

West Division Standing: 4th Place

Rivermen Record vs. Stars: 5-2-0-0

Leading Scorer: RW Vojtech Polak (49 GP, 17 G, 22 A, 39 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Dan Ellis (36 GP, 19-14-1, 3.16 GAA, .886 SV PCT., 2 SO)

AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: T-19th (15.5%)

AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: T-10th (83.4%)

SCOUTING THE AEROS

National Hockey League Parent Club: Minnesota Wild

Record Entering This Week: 21-28-3-6

Standings Points (Relative to Rivermen): 51 (-11)

Western Conference Standing: T-12th Place

West Division Standing: 7th Place

Rivermen Record vs. Aeros: 3-1-0-0

Leading Scorer: RW Matt Foy (49 GP, 23 G, 19 A, 42 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Dieter Kochan (12 GP, 2-9-1, 3.33 GAA, .900 SV PCT.)

AHL Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 25th (14.2%)

AHL Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: T-6th (85.4%)

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2007


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