AHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen win for second time in less than 24 hours

Published on February 4, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Cleveland, OH (February 4, 2006) - After defeating the Toronto Marlies 6-4 on Friday evening, the Peoria Rivermen hustled back across the United States-Canada border to Cleveland for a matinee affair against the Cleveland Barons on Saturday. However the quick turn-around affected the team mentally and/or physically, the Rivermen overcame those effects to beat the Barons 3-2 on Saturday afternoon for Peoria's second victory in less than 24 hours. Their win in Cleveland did not come easily, however, as the Rivermen blew a two-goal lead before center Trent Whitfield notched the game-winner with just 40 seconds remaining in regulation.

Whitfield's game-winning goal on Saturday in Cleveland was his second game-winner in the last three games. This past Sunday at Omaha, Whitfield scored just 21 seconds into overtime to clinch the first overtime victory in the history of the AHL Peoria Rivermen franchise. Newly acquired left wing Timofei Shishkanov got the game-winning goal in Peoria's 6-4 triumph on Friday night in Toronto, but Whitfield got back in the game-winning act on Saturday, this time clinching the victory in regulation.

Rivermen all-star defenseman Mike Mottau started the game-winning play with an outlet pass to Whitfield in the neutral zone. Whitfield then carried the puck in across the Cleveland blueline and skated down the right side with a teammate and two Barons defenders to his left. With his passing lanes cut off, Whitfield fired an off-foot wrist shot that got by Barons netminder Dimitri Patzold to the stick side with just 40 seconds remaining in regulation time to give Peoria a close 3-2 win on Whitfield's 15th goal of the season.

After taking two victories in less than 24 hours this weekend, the Rivermen now stand at 26-18-1-2 on the season and have won each of their last three road games to boost their record away from Carver Arena to 12-10-1-1. The loss by the Barons on Saturday drops the Cleveland club to 20-31-2-1 overall and to 12-15-1-0 at home.

At the 12:42 mark of the first period, the Rivermen broke through for the first goal of the game. Taking a pass in the neutral zone from Mottau, Shishkanov carried the puck in across the Cleveland blueline before snapping off a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that beat Patzold to the stick side for a 1-0 Peoria lead. The goal was Shishkanov's 17th of the season and his third in two games with the Rivermen.

The Rivermen extended their lead about midway through the middle session. After Shishkanov got the puck in the left corner of the Cleveland zone during a Peoria power play, he dished it back to defenseman Jeff Woywitka at the center point just inside the blueline for a blast that right wing Brendan Brooks tipped past Patzold at the top of the crease at the 9:00 mark of the second. The power-play marker that put Peoria up 2-0 was Brooks' ninth goal of the current campaign.

In the third period, Cleveland got right to work on overcoming Peoria's 2-0 advantage. Right after the opening face-off of the final frame, Barons left winger Patrick Rissmiller streaked down the right wing in the Rivermen zone with the puck and then sent a centering pass right across the top of the crease that winger Ryane Clowe easily directed into the goal before Rivermen goaltender Reinhard Divis could get back across the goalmouth. The power-play goal just 16 seconds into the period pushed Clowe's season goal total to nine and pared the Peoria lead down to one goal at 2-1.

The Barons drew even with the Rivermen at 14:20 of the third frame on another power-play tally. After Cleveland defenseman Tim Conboy took a shot from above the left circle in Peoria's end, the puck hit a clump of players in the slot and dribbled free in the direction of Cleveland right wing Mike Iggulden, who collected the puck and sent it in on goal through a screen of several players. Because Divis did not see the puck as it came out of the traffic in front, it sailed by him to tie the score at 2-2 and to give Iggulden his 14th goal of the year.

The Rivermen return home to Carver Arena this coming Tuesday to entertain the Syracuse Crunch in a tilt scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. (CST).

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American Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2006


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