Bulldogs shake Rivermen

PEORIA, Ill – The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Peoria Rivermen 2-1 on

Sunday afternoon at the Peoria Civic Center.
 
After winning four of five on a recent road trip, the Rivermen have dropped a pair of games at home, scoring just a single goal on the weekend. On Sunday, they fell to the Hamilton Bulldogs by a 2-1 score in front of 6319 fans.
 
At 6:39 of the second period, Jesse Todd’s slap shot from above the slot was deflected by Peoria goaltender Jake Allen. Travis Novak, out of St. Cloud State and in his third professional game, filled the net with the rebound and scored his first professional goal, giving Hamilton a 1-0 lead.
 
Peoria, which had been held scoreless the night before, finally broke through with an unassisted goal by Jonathan Cheechoo at 16:02 of the second period. Creating a turnover in the offensive zone, Cheechoo worked toward Hamiltonnet minder Robert Mayer. Adam Cracknell moved in with Cheechoo, drawing Mayer to the ice on right post while Cheechoo kept the puck and worked it under Mayers pad on the left side to even the score at one.
 
The score stayed knotted at two for twenty minutes, until Andreas Enquvist went side-to-side on Allen with Brian Willsie. It was Willsie that buried the puck for what would be the final score of the game, giving the Bulldogs the 2-1 edge.
 
Mayer was excellent in goal, stopping 42 of 43 shots for the win. Allen had some fantastic saves as well, especially a sequence just four minutes into the third period where he saved a couple from a sitting position. He stopped 32 of 34 on the night. Neither team scored on the power play, Peoria getting one more chance than Hamilton’s three opportunities.
 
NOTES: Unseasonably warm weather in central Illinois may have affected the ice surface adversely. Several players took uncharacteristic spills and, at times, had difficulty controlling the puck. As play started for the third period, large portions of the ice still sported a thin layer of water.
 
Contact the author: Shaun.Bill@ProHockeyNews.com