AHL Peoria Rivermen

Stars shoot down Rivermen, 6-1

March 3, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, IL (March 3, 2006) - The Iowa Stars on Friday evening came into Carver Arena at the Peoria Civic Center, took on the Peoria Rivermen, and skated away with a 6-1 win. Although the five-goal margin of victory for the Stars might indicate otherwise, this tilt was well-played and closely contested through the first two periods. Then, in the third period, things fell apart for the Rivermen, as they allowed the Iowa club to score four goals to triumph in a lopsided fashion.

Leading 2-1 after two periods of play, the Stars took firm control of the game in the third session. Just 4:45 into the last period, Iowa went up 3-1 after launching a flurry of shots on Rivermen netminder Reinhard Divis. Making save after save against the Stars' onslaught, Divis finally left a rebound to his right that was picked up by center Yared Hagos at the top of the crease. As Divis lunged at him in an attempt to knock away the puck, Hagos calmly wrapped the puck around the prone Divis to the left and into the goal for Hagos' seventh score of the year.

Iowa notched its fourth goal of the evening on the power play. On a nice passing play out of the left corner in the Peoria zone, Stars center Kyle Brodziak moved the puck to defenseman Dan Jancevski in the low slot. From that position, Jancevski found left wing Loui Eriksson with a quick dish to the right post, and Eriksson banged home an easy goal to put Iowa up by the count of 4-1 at 7:19 of the third on his 19th tally of the year.

This game really began to slip away from the Rivermen as the Stars potted a third third-period goal. As a Peoria defenseman went to make what seemed to be a simple interception of an errant Iowa pass just inside the Rivermen blueline, the puck hopped over his stick and bounded further into the Peoria zone. Skating onto the loose puck in the right circle, Stars right wing Vojtech Polak cut across the goalmouth from right to left in front of Divis, deked Divis down to the ice, and slipped the puck into the goal at the left post. Polak's 11th score of 2005-06 gave Iowa a 5-1 advantage at the 16:11 mark of the third period.

Shortly thereafter, Oliver capped off Iowa's four-goal third-period outburst with his second tally of the game. As Oliver came streaking into the Peoria end, he took a pass off of the left-wing boards from winger Mathias Tjarnqvist. When he reached the slot, Oliver then wired a high wrist shot up over Divis' right shoulder to produce the final score of 6-1 at 16:58 of the third and to improve his season goal total to 16.

The Peoria club's 6-1 loss on Friday snapped its modest two-game winning streak and dropped the team to an overall record of 33-21-1-4. At home in Carver Arena, the Rivermen are now 20-10-0-2. With their win on Friday, the Stars improve to 26-27-1-5 on the season and to 11-14-0-2 on the road.

The Stars lit the lamp first in this contest, scoring a few minutes into the game. Using at least two Peoria defenders as a screen in front of Divis, Iowa centerman Toby Petersen sent a shot low to the goalie's stick side that dented the twine at the 6:47 mark of the first period. The goal was Petersen's 18th of 2005-06.

The Rivermen evened things up at 1-1 about midway through the initial frame. After receiving a nice pass at the top of the left circle in the Stars zone from fellow blueliner Jeff Woywitka, Peoria defenseman Mike Mottau drifted down the left wing. With his passing lanes closed off but without any challenge from the Iowa defense, Mottau walked the puck all the way down to the bottom of the left circle before snapping off a wrist shot that just barely got over the outstretched left leg pad of Stars goalie Mike Smith at 11:14 of the first for Mottau's sixth strike of the campaign.

Just 3:43 into the middle frame, the Stars reclaimed a one-goal lead at 2-1. Breaking into the Peoria end against only Rivermen defenseman Aaron MacKenzie, Iowa wingers Oliver and Tjarnqvist drove toward the Peoria net, and Oliver carried the puck. Because MacKenzie clogged his passing lane to Tjarnqvist, Oliver held the puck and then squeezed off a wrister at Divis from within the left circle. The low shot rocketed right through Divis' five-hole for Oliver's 15th goal of the season.

The Rivermen will get right back at it on Saturday as they welcome in the Milwaukee Admirals for a tilt at 7:00 p.m. at Carver Arena.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2006


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