AHL Peoria Rivermen

Three Road Games This Week Before a Sunday Home Date

March 7, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


RIVERMEN ACTION LAST WEEK

Wednesday, March 1, RIVERMEN 3 vs. Rochester Americans 2: The Peoria Rivermen ruined the Rochester Americans' only trip to Carver Arena this season by overcoming a 2-1 third-period deficit to defeat the Americans by the score of 3-2. Peoria jumped out on top 1-0 just more than three minutes into the game when forward Ryan Ramsay jammed home his fifth goal of the season from in close. Although the Rivermen held that lead through the rest of the initial frame, the Americans tied things up at one goal apiece just 1:34 into the second period on a goal by left wing Michael Ryan. Then, at the 13:59 mark of the second, left winger Daniel Paille tallied a shorthanded goal to put Rochester up 2-1 on Peoria, a lead the Americans held into the third frame. At 13:10 of the third period, the Rivermen knotted the tilt at 2-2 on a lamp-lighter from winger Cam Keith. Peoria's game-winning goal then came during a Rivermen power play, as defenseman Aaron MacKenzie fired a shot past Americans netminder Mika Noronen at the 15:59 mark of the third session. The resulting 3-2 Peoria advantage held up over the remaining minutes of regulation, and the Rivermen eventually triumphed by that score. Reinhard Divis started in goal for the Rivermen and stopped 19 of 21 Americans shots to pick up the victory. Peoria out-shot Rochester in this contest 33-21. The Rivermen notched the lone power-play goal for either team in this game, going one for six with the man-advantage. The Americans, on the other hand, ended up with nothing to show for their efforts on the power play, going zero for four.

Friday, March 3, Iowa Stars 6 @ RIVERMEN 1: Although the five-goal margin of victory for Iowa in this game might indicate otherwise, this tilt between the Peoria Rivermen and the Iowa Stars was a well-played, closely contested game through the first two periods of play. In the third period, however, things fell apart for the Rivermen, as they allowed four goals to the Stars and ended up with a lopsided 6-1 loss. Iowa established an early lead in this one, going up 1-0 on a goal by center Toby Petersen 6:47 into the game. Defenseman Mike Mottau then evened things up for the Rivermen at 1-1 about midway through the first period on his sixth strike of 2005-06. The Stars reclaimed a one-goal lead at 2-1 in the second frame, when right wing David Oliver lit the lamp at the 3:43 mark of the second. Trailing Iowa by just one goal at 2-1 after two periods, Peoria let the game get out of hand in the third period. At the 4:45 mark of the third, Stars center Yared Hagos put his team up 3-1 on his seventh goal of the season. Iowa then got another goal at 7:19 of the third from left wing Loui Eriksson to extend the squad's advantage to 4-1. The Stars put this game away with two quick goals late in the third session. At 16:11, Iowa right winger Vojtech Polak dented the twine for the 11th time this year. Just 47 seconds later, Oliver notched his second goal of the game, and the Stars then held on for a 6-1 win. Reinhard Divis absorbed the loss in goal for the Rivermen, making 21 saves on 27 Stars shots. Although they lost the game, the Rivermen out-shot the Stars by a count of 36-27. Peoria went scoreless on seven power-play opportunities, while Iowa was able to tally once in five man-advantage chances.

Saturday, March 4, Milwaukee Admirals 6 @ RIVERMEN 4: Although the Peoria Rivermen mounted a valiant third-period comeback bid in this game, they ultimately could not overcome the Milwaukee Admirals and lost 6-4. The Admirals took a 1-0 lead 6:33 into the tilt on a power-play goal by center Kris Beech. The Rivermen responded with a man-advantage lamp-lighter of their own late in the period, at the 18:27 mark, from left winger Charles Linglet and stood tied 1-1 with Milwaukee after one period of play. In the middle frame, the Admirals built a sizable, three-goal lead. Just 45 seconds into the second, center Greg Classen notched a power-play goal that made it 2-1 for Milwaukee. Classen then struck once again on the power play midway through the frame. At 16:09 of the second period, left wing Chris Durno extended the Admirals' advantage to 4-1, again on the power play. Down by three goals as the third period opened, the Rivermen got right to work at erasing the deficit. Just 2:32 into the session, center Gavin Morgan got Peoria's second goal in a shorthanded situation. He followed that up with a power-play marker at 12:34 of the third to pare the Milwaukee lead down to just one goal at 4-3. Then, at the 16:14 mark of the third frame, Rivermen center Ryan Ramsay came through with a goal to tie the score at 4-4. Peoria's comeback bid stalled with the tilt tied at 4-4, however, and the Admirals kept going. At the 18:32 mark of the third period, Milwaukee's Classen completed a hat-trick. He then tacked on an assist on a shorthanded goal by Beech with just nine seconds remaining in regulation that iced a 6-4 road victory for the Admirals. Rivermen goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu took the loss, making 27 saves on 32 Milwaukee shots on goal. Despite losing the game, the Peoria club out-shot the one from Milwaukee 38-33. The Rivermen were fairly successful on the power play, going two for eight. On the penalty kill, on the other hand, the Rivermen struggled, allowing five goals to the Admirals in 10 man-advantage chances.

Sunday, March 5, RIVERMEN 5 @ Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 2: This 5-2 triumph by the Peoria Rivermen over the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights featured a franchise first for the Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Rivermen got on the scoreboard first in this tilt thanks to right wing Jon DiSalvatore, who scored on a power play at 4:56 of the first frame. Less than one minute later, though, left wing Eric Nystrom evened things up at 1-1 for the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the midpoint of the contest, when Peoria left wing Charles Linglet backhanded the puck by Omaha goalie Brent Krahn. The Rivermen then went out ahead of the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights at 3-1 on a power-play tally by veteran forward Gavin Morgan at the 12:44 mark of the second period. About three minutes later, Morgan struck again, this time shorthanded, to push the Peoria lead to 4-1. The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights then got one of the Rivermen goals back just before the second frame expired, at 18:53, off of the stick of center Craig MacDonald. For most of the third period, the two teams struggled against one another and failed to score. But with just 24 seconds to go in regulation time, Morgan put a long shot into an empty Omaha net to clinch a 5-2 win for the Rivermen and a hat-trick for himself. The hat-trick by Morgan was the first-ever three-goal game by a member of the AHL Peoria Rivermen. With 28 saves on 30 shots, Reinhard Divis collected the win in goal for the Rivermen, and each team ended up with 30 shots on goal. The Rivermen had a great night on the power play, converting three of their six chances. The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, on the other hand, struggled with the man-advantage, going zero for three.

STANDINGS UPDATE

As the 2005-06 Calder Cup Playoffs approach in late April, the Rivermen are now firmly entrenched in a playoff position. Having played 61 games so far this season, the Rivermen enter this week in third place in the West Division with a record of 34-22-1-4 and 73 points. Although Peoria stands 12 points behind the second-place Milwaukee Admirals, the Rivermen also rank 10 points ahead of the fourth-place Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Because the top four teams in each of the AHL's four divisions will qualify for the postseason, the Rivermen seem to be well-positioned to earn a playoff berth.

ONE POWERFUL POWER-PLAY UNIT

The Rivermen currently possess one of the best power-play units in the AHL. On the strength of a three-for-six performance with the man-advantage on Sunday against Omaha, the Rivermen have claimed a tie with the Milwaukee Admirals for fourth position in the AHL's power-play rankings. In 397 total power-play opportunities so far this year, Peoria has potted 79 goals for a conversion percentage of 19.9.

PEORIA AIN'T BAD AT PENALTY KILLING, EITHER.

Like the team's power-play unit, the Peoria penalty-killing unit also places in the top 10 in the AHL. The Rivermen have thus far allowed only 67 goals in the 408 times the team has been shorthanded this season. Their penalty-killing success rate of 83.6 percent currently places the Rivermen seventh in the League.

ANOTHER FRANCHISE FIRST LAST WEEK

This past Sunday in Omaha, veteran Rivermen forward Gavin Morgan notched the first-ever hat-trick by a member of the AHL Peoria Rivermen. Morgan's trick included a power-play goal and a shorthanded strike back-to-back and about three minutes apart in the second period, and then an empty-net power-play tally with 24 seconds remaining in regulation that clinched a 5-2 Rivermen win.

RAGING RIVERMEN

D Mike Mottau has scored two goals and dished out seven assists to collect nine points in the last 10 tilts...F Rocky Thompson picked up his third assist of the season on 3-3 vs. IOW...C Gavin Morgan has registered six points (5 goals, 1 assist) in the last two tilts...RW Jon DiSalvatore has scored 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in the last eight games...Over the last five outings, D Aaron MacKenzie has registered one goal and three assists...RW Brendan Brooks picked up two assists on 3-5 @ OMA...C Ryan Ramsay has tallied two goals over the last four contests...LW Charles Linglet has scored one goal in each of his last two outings...C Mike Zigomanis has recorded nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in the last six contests...D Jeff Woywitka has registered one helper in two of the last three games...G Reinhard Divis has gone 11-3-0-1 in his last 15 starts in goal.

RECENT RIVERMEN TRANSACTIONS

March 5, 2006 F Joe Talbot signed to a 25-game professional try-out (PTO) contract.

March 4, 2006 LW Timofei Shishkanov recalled from his loan to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

March 3, 2006 RW Colin Hemingway reassigned by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) from the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) to the Alaska Aces (ECHL).

February 27, 2006 C Ryan Ramsay reassigned from ECHL Alaska to AHL Peoria by NHL St. Louis.

February 25, 2006 D Ed Hill signed to a 25-game professional try-out (PTO) contract.

February 24, 2006 RW Lee Stempniak recalled from his loan to the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) by the St. Louis Blues (NHL).

February 22, 2006 RW Mike Glumac recalled by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) from the Peoria Rivermen (AHL).

RIVERMEN ACTION THIS WEEK

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

PEORIA RIVERMEN @ Milwaukee Admirals

7:00 p.m., Bradley Center

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8

PEORIA RIVERMEN @ Grand Rapids Griffins

6:00 p.m., Van Andel Arena

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

PEORIA RIVERMEN @ Chicago Wolves

7:00 p.m., Allstate Arena

SUNDAY, MARCH 12

Cleveland Barons @ PEORIA RIVERMEN

5:00 p.m., Carver Arena

Radio: All Rivermen games are broadcast LIVE on HOPE 98.5 (WPIA-FM), the flagship radio station of the Peoria 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 Webcast of each game is available for a pay-per-view fee of $6.

Tuesday, March 7, RIVERMEN @ Milwaukee Admirals

SCOUTING THE ADMIRALS

National Hockey League Parent Club: Nashville Predators

Record Entering This Week: 39-17-5-2

Standings Points (Relative to Peoria Rivermen): 85 (+12)

Western Conference Standing: 3rd Place

West Division Standing: 2nd Place

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

Leading Scorer: RW Darren Haydar (63 GP, 22 G, 47 A, 69 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Pekka Rinne (41 GP, 24-15-2, 2.86 GAA, .902 SV PCT, 1 SO)

Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: T-4th (19.9%)

Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 10th (83.2%)

Wednesday, March 8, RIVERMEN @ Grand Rapids Griffins

SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS

National Hockey League Parent Club: Detroit Red Wings

Record Entering This Week: 43-16-1-4

Standings Points (Relative to Peoria Rivermen): 91 (+18)

Western Conference Standing: 1st Place

North Division Standing: 1st Place

Rivermen Record vs. Griffins: 1-2-0-0

Leading Scorer: C Jiri Hudler (60 GP, 32 G, 49 A, 81 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Jimmy Howard (23 GP, 16-4-2, 2.84 GAA, .901 SV PCT, 1 SO)

Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 1st (21.5%)

Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: T-8th (83.3%)

Saturday, March 11, RIVERMEN @ Chicago Wolves

SCOUTING THE WOLVES

National Hockey League Parent Club: Atlanta Thrashers

Record Entering This Week: 25-26-3-6

Standings Points (Relative to Peoria Rivermen): 59 (-14)

Western Conference Standing: T-10th Place

West Division Standing: 6th Place

Rivermen Record vs. Wolves: 3-3-2-0

Leading Scorer: LW Ramzi Abid (56 GP, 27 G, 32 A, 59 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Tuomas Tarkki (25 GP, 12-6-3, 2.89 GAA, .897 SV PCT, 1 SO)

Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 20th (15.9%)

Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 19th (81.5%)

Sunday, March 12, Cleveland Barons @ RIVERMEN

SCOUTING THE BARONS

National Hockey League Parent Club: San Jose Sharks

Record Entering This Week: 23-38-2-2

Standings Points (Relative to Peoria Rivermen): 50 (-23)

Western Conference Standing: 13th Place

North Division Standing: 7th Place

Rivermen Record vs. Barons: 1-2-0-0

Leading Scorer: C Josh Hennessy (65 GP, 20 G, 32 A, 52 PTS)

Number-1 Goaltender: Nolan Schaefer (30 GP, 12-17-1, 3.37 GAA, .887 SV PCT, 2 SO)

Power-play Ranking Entering This Week: 23rd (14.7%)

Penalty-kill Ranking Entering This Week: 27th (77.8 %)

Check out the Peoria Rivermen Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2006


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