AHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Weekly

Published on December 6, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


NEWS AND NOTES

As hot as they come...With five more points over the weekend the Rivermen have remained the hottest team in the AHL The Rivermen have not lost a game in regulation game since Nov. 17. Their 7-0-2 record over their past nine games is the longest point streak by the Rivermen this season and the longest streak since Peoria closed out the 2008-09 season with points in 10 consecutive games (7-0-3 from March 22 ‚¬" April 11).

Keeping it alive...The Rivermen streak has not come easy. Of their nine games during the current streak, four of them have gone beyond regulation and seven of the nine games have been decided by one goal. The Rivermen have played a total of 12 one-goal games and have an impressive record of 8-1-2-1 in those contests.

Down to the wire...Peoria's power play stepped up with timely goals over the weekend. All four of their power-play goals were scored in the half of the third period. On Friday, Graham Mink's goal broke a 1-1 tie with only 3:45 left in regulation to push Peoria past Hamilton 2-1. Derek Nesbitt slammed home a power-play goal with only 13.5 seconds on Saturday to send the game to overtime and help earn the Rivermen a win. On Sunday it was two power-play goals in 13 seconds that helped earn the Rivermen a point in their OT loss to Milwaukee.

Killing the competition... Andreas Engqvist's goal on Friday night ended a stretch of 38 consecutive successful penalty kills for the Rivermen. It was a streak that lasted over seven games and began back on Nov. 17. Over that time Peoria's PK percentage went gone from 84.9 percent (12th) to 89.1 percent (1st). It is now at 88.2 percent, just behind Oklahoma City and Charlotte.

Double-Dip...The Rivermen had two special teams streaks end during Sunday's games, one good and one bad. It marked the first time in 12 games in which they allowed two power-play goals and also the first time in 13 games in which they scored two power-play goals.

North Country...With two more wins against the North Division over the weekend, the Rivermen are now 5-1-0 against the North. They have not lost an interdivisional game since opening night to Manitoba. The Rivermen will play their next seven games, and eight of the next nine, against North Division teams. The next three of them will come against Grand Rapids.

First Blood...Peoria has played 12 of their 13 opponents this season with the lone exception being the Toronto Marlies (who they will meet on Dec. 21). The Rivermen are 9-2-1 when seeing a team for the first time this year with Manitoba, Oklahoma City and Chicago as the only teams to beat the Rivermen in the first matchup.

Busier the better... The Rivermen are finished playing their third consecutive weekend with three games in three days and so far this season the Rivermen are 4-0-1 in the first game, 5-0-0 in the second and 3-1-1 in game three. That is 26 out of a possible 30 points and .866 winning percentage. This year Peoria will play a total of 11 three-in-threes. They are 3-6-1 in standalone games (games that come between two-off days).

Return of the goals... The Rivermen have scored 26 goals and are averaging 2.88 GPG over their current unbeaten streak (7-0-2). In their previous nine games (2-6-0-1) they totaled just 16 goals and averaged only 1.77GPG.

Defensively Minded...With stingy defense in four of their last five games, the Rivermen are still 16-0-0 when keeping the opposition to two goals or fewer. They are still winless when allowing three or more (0-7-2-1).

Glamorous Goaltenders...The Rivermen and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the only two teams with both of their goaltenders in the top 15 in the league in goals-against average. Jake Allen is second (1.59) while Ben Bishop is 14th (2.26). Combined their 2.15 GAA is the best in the AHL.

Supporting Numbers... Ben Bishop started the year 5-1-0 but since then has gone 2-5-1-1. The difference has been his help. In his last 10 starts the Rivermen have scored just 14 goals (1.40 GPG). The Rivermen have scored 17 goals in Allen's last five starts and have scored 29 goals in his 11 starts (2.63GPG).

Rookie Leaders...Center Phil McRae has a goal in three of his last four games and has assumed the team lead with nine tallies on the year. He is tied for fifth among AHL rookies in goals and his 15 points are tied for ninth. Defenseman Mark Cundari is a team-best plus-12 which is also the best among all rookies. He ranks sixth in the entire league in the category.

Allen's Antics...The AHL's goalie of the month for November Jake Allen allowed a season-high five goals in Sunday's overtime loss to Milwaukee. His goals-against average is now second in the league at 1.59 while his save percentage of 0.952 and four shutouts still lead the league.

Hensick's Helpers...T.J. Hensick pitched in five assists this weekend in his first three games back from a three-game stint with the St. Louis Blues. All five of his points came in the final half of the third period and four of them were registered on the power-play. Overall he has eight power-play assists and 10 of his team-leading 20 points have come on the man-advantage.

And then there were two...Adam Cracknell and Dean Arsene are the only two players left that have appeared in all 26 games for Peoria.

Rivermen Reach 53...Stefan Della Rovere and Dave Scatchard have added their names to the list of players who have appeared for both the Rivermen and the St. Louis Blues in the same season. They join Ian Cole, Nick Drazenovic, T.J. Hensick, Nathan Oystrick, Chris Porter and Ryan Reaves who have done it this season.

Last weeks results:

@ Hamilton (12/3) The Peoria Rivermen improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven games as they defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 2-1 at Copps Coliseum on Friday night. Graham Mink's power-play goal late in the third proved to be the game-winner as Jake Allen stopped 29 out of 30 shots giving him his ninth win of the year.

@ Lake Erie (12/4) Derek Nesbitt's goal with 13.5 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime where the Peoria Rivermen defeated the Lake Erie Monsters 3-2 in a shootout. It pushed Peoria's point streak to eight games (7-0-1) and their road record to 9-3-0-1 as they finished their trip 4-0-0 with wins in Rockford, Grand Rapids, Hamilton and Lake Erie.

vs. Milwaukee (12/5) Trailing 4-0 midway through the game, the Peoria Rivermen rattled off four unanswered goals of their own to force overtime before falling to the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday at Carver Arena. Nathan Oystrick's four points (2g, 2a) and T.J Hensick's three third-period assists were not enough for the win, but extended Peoria's point streak to a season-long nine games (7-0-2).

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 6, 2010


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