AHL Peoria Rivermen

Stars beat Rivermen, 5-1

Published on April 16, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Des Moines, IA (April 15, 2006) - In the final game of their 2005-06 regular season on Saturday evening at Wells Fargo Arena, the Peoria Rivermen suffered a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Iowa Stars. Although the Rivermen certainly would have preferred to finish the season with a win, they can still be quite proud of the year they had.

In their first season as a member of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Peoria Rivermen compiled a record of 46-26-3-5 in 80 games played and earned an even 100 points in the standings. That performance secured for the Peoria club third place in the West Division of the AHL's Western Conference and a berth in the 2005-06 Calder Cup Playoffs. It also compares favorably to what the primary affiliate teams of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) did in the past nine seasons as the Worcester IceCats before taking the ice as the Peoria Rivermen for the first time this season. Last season in Worcester, the Blues' top AHL affiliate squad accumulated only 85 points on a record of 39-34-4-3 and did not qualify for postseason play. In the nine seasons prior to this year, in fact, the Blues' primary affiliate Worcester IceCats accumulated as many as 100 standings points only twice. The 1996-97 Worcester IceCats finished with right at 100 points on a record of 43-23-9-5. Then during the 2000-01 season, the IceCats fashioned the best regular season record in the entire AHL at 48-20-9-3 and earned a total of 108 standings points. Posting 46 wins and 100 points, the 2005-06 Peoria Rivermen had a wonderful season.

Along with their final overall record of 46-26-3-5, the Rivermen finished the 2005-06 regular season with good home and road marks. At home in Carver Arena, the Peoria club ended up at 25-12-0-3. In games away from their Carver Arena home, the Rivermen went 21-14-3-2. Peoria's opponent on Saturday evening, the Iowa Stars, moves to 41-30-1-7 on the season and to 21-13-1-4 at home with their 5-1 defeat of the Rivermen.

As they did against the Rivermen on Friday in Peoria, the Stars converted a power-play chance early in the first period on Saturday in Iowa to take a 1-0 lead. Handling the puck in the right circle of the Peoria zone, Iowa defenseman Mike Gabinet sent a pass to his left to right wing B. J. Crombeen. From the high slot, Crombeen then fired a wrist shot that made its way through some considerable traffic in front and past Rivermen starting goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu at the 4:05 mark of the first frame to give Crombeen five goals for the year.

Later in the opening period of play, the Stars went up 2-0 on the Rivermen. Center Toby Petersen, from his position in the neutral zone, sprung Iowa forward Kyle Brodziak down the right wing of the Peoria zone with a nice lead pass. Brodziak then took the puck down the right-wing wall, cut across the top of the crease from right to left behind a Rivermen defender and in front of Beckford-Tseu, and quickly backhanded the puck into the Peoria goal at the left post to notch his 12th strike of 2005-06 at 15:44 of the first.

Before the first period came to a close, the Rivermen got on the scoreboard. Rookie right winger David Backes set up the score from the top of the left circle in the Iowa zone by getting a cross-ice feed down to Peoria forward Ryan Ramsay at the bottom of the right circle. Before Stars goalie Dan Ellis could get across the goalmouth to his left, Ramsay put a snap shot into the top right corner of the net to record his 14th marker of the campaign at the 17:02 mark of the first session. The goal cut the Iowa lead in half at 2-1.

The Stars netted the lone second-period goal of this tilt to build a 3-1 advantage. Taking a pass at the Peoria blueline, straight in front of the Rivermen goal, Iowa left winger Loui Eriksson busted through two Peoria defenders, skated in alone on Beckford-Tseu, and lit the lamp with a nifty backhanded move. Eriksson's 30th goal of the season came at the 3:46 mark of the middle frame.

Iowa's lead grew to 4-1 in the third period. As the Stars worked the puck around the Rivermen end, the rubber disk came to Iowa forward Mike Prpich behind the Peoria cage. He then brought it out at the left post and backhanded a pass from left to right through the crease. Stationed at the right post, Stars forward Chris Conner stopped the puck with his right skate and then banged it into the goal at 6:14 of the third for his second tally of the season.

Eriksson potted the Stars' fifth and final goal of the game and his second tally of the tilt late in the third period. Carrying the puck into the Rivermen zone down the left wing, Iowa right winger Marius Holtet left a drop-pass below the left circle for Eriksson. After he skated onto the puck, Eriksson poked at it and sent it moving slowly toward the Peoria cage. On its' way in, the puck hit the skate of Rivermen center Gavin Morgan and scooted over the goalline past netminder Gregg Naumenko, who had relieved Beckford-Tseu midway through the game. The somewhat fluky goal at the 16:47 mark of the third session produced the final score of 5-1 for Iowa and improved Eriksson's season goal total to 31.

Now that their 2005-06 regular season is over, the Rivermen will open play this coming Friday in the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs. Peoria will take on Houston in the West Division semifinals, beginning with Game 1 on Friday at the Toyota Center at 7:30 p.m. (CDT).

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American Hockey League Stories from April 16, 2006


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