Thunder Fall as Rivermen Earn 6th Straight Win
Published on December 21, 2013 under SPHL (SPHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release
The Bloomington Thunder remain winless against the Peoria Rivermen in six tries after a 6-3 home loss at U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Saturday night.
A turnover at the top of the Bloomington zone resulted in the game's first goal as Garrett Vermeersch skated to the slot and converted a pass from Matt Viola with 9:53 remaining in the first period. The Rivermen increased the lead to 2-0 with 6:21 left in the opening frame on a power play goal by Corey Tamblyn that bounced in at close range off Thunder goalie B.J. O'Brien with assists given to Parker Stanfield and Vermeersch. The Thunder cut the deficit to 2-1 with 2:38 left on a fluke bounce when Kevin Walrod tipped a pass from the high right wing to the crease which slipped under the right pad of Peoria goalie Eric Levine and into the net.
The Rivs capitalized on another turnover high in the Bloomington zone, this time Viola from Vermeersch just 90 seconds into the second period to push their lead to 3-1. The Rivs kept the puck in the Bloomington zone for an extended time after a 5-on-3 power play and grabbed a 4-1 lead when Viola drilled a centering pass at the doorstep just over five minutes later.
Peoria increased the lead to 5-1 with 18:03 left in regulation when Justin Gvora completed a 2-on-1 break on his own by deking O'Brien out of his crease and tucking the puck inside the right post. The Thunder gave the Rivermen a similar taste with 16:47 left when Sy Nutkevitch completed a breakaway with a fake to the left to allow a tap into the open right side to cut the deficit to 5-2. Walrod connected on a left side wrister with an assist by Dustin Hopfner for a shorthanded goal with 14:03 remaining in regulation to put the Thunder within 5-3. The Rivermen answered on that power play just 1:02 later when Parker Stanfield converted a far-side pass at the left circle to put their lead back to 6-3.
The Rivermen were 2-for-8 on the power play while the Thunder were scoreless in five tries. O'Brien took the loss with 27 saves while Levine earned the win with 20 stops.
The Thunder and Rivermen finish the weekend series at 3:15 p.m. Sunday at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Thunder then travel to Fayetteville, N.C. to face the FireAntz next Friday and Saturday, then return to U.S. Cellular Coliseum on New Year's Eve to host the Rivermen followed by a New Year's Day game in Peoria. Fans are invited to watch road games at Six Strings, 524 N. Center St. in downtown Bloomington. All games can be heard online at WJBC.com and viewed on America One Sports with links to both found at www.bloomingtonthunder.com. The latest on the Thunder can be found on the team web site, Facebook and Twitter (BLMThunder). Group and multi-game discounts are available by calling the Thunder office at 309-434-2980.
Junior Blaze tame Bruins: The Bloomington Junior Blaze rolled to a 7-2 victory over the Berkley Bruins in Midwest Junior Hockey League play on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. John Urmetz recorded one goal and four assists while Peter Carlin registered two goals and one assist to lead Bloomington. MWJHL Goalie of the Week Kent Nusbaum took the win with 37 saves. The teams conclude their pre-Christmas series with games at 11 a.m. Sunday and Monday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.
SPHL Stories from December 21, 2013
- Big Third Period Lifts Havoc over IceGators - Louisiana IceGators
- Second Period Offense Leads RiverKings - Mississippi RiverKings
- Ice Flyers Fall to Fayetteville 3-0 - Pensacola Ice Flyers
- Surge Beat Columbus 3-2, Split Series - Mississippi Surge
- Thunder Fall as Rivermen Earn 6th Straight Win - Bloomington Thunder
- Fun on the Fun Family Day this Sunday - Peoria Rivermen
- Birthday Boy Guides Rivermen to Fifth Straight Win - Peoria Rivermen
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