Pensacola, FL – The Peoria Rivermen and Pensacola Ice Flyers were tie 4-4 through 59:59 of regulation before Pensacola scored the game-winning goal with one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock to clinch a sweep of the SPHL President’s Cup Finals. The loss concludes Peoria’s third SPHL season after the Rivermen won their second consecutive regular season title.
The Rivermen started the scoring after the halfway point of the first period. At 13:41 of the first period, Pensacola goaltender Matt Zenzola played the puck from his own trapezoid right to the stick of a charging Connor Toomey, who hit the open net to make it 1-0 Peoria.
The Ice Flyers tied the game and took the lead in the final quarter of the first period. Pensacola tied the game at 15:55 of the first when Adam Pawlick’s centering pass from the left wing banked off a skate and past David Jacobson to make it 1-1. The Ice Flyers took the lead just 37 seconds later when Paul Rodrigues held the puck in at the left point of the rivermen zone before feeding Brandon Zurn at the right post where Zurn made it 2-1.
The score held through the first intermission before the Rivermen tied the game early in the second period. At 1:51 of the second period, Christian Weidauer played the puck out of the right corner to Chris Wilson, who beat Zenzola from point blank range to tie the game 2-2.
The teams traded goals throughout the third period. Pensacola scored 1:19 into the third period when Joseph Holka crossed the slot to the right inside hash mark and fired a wrister past Jacobson to make it 3-2. The Rivermen evened the score with a power play goal from Mike Gurtler at 8:51 of the third to make it 3-3.
The Ice Flyers retook the lead at 9:47 of the third. With Chris Wilson in the penalty box for holding, Drew Bakers wrist shot from the right edge of the slot beat Jacobson to make it 4-3.The Rivermen answered back at 10:17 of the third when Benjamin Rubin’s pass through the neutral zone found a streaking Adam Stuart, who entered the left circle of the Pensacola zone and blasted on the fly past Zenzola to make it 4-4.
The Ice Flyers won the game with less than one second remaining in the third period. After Peoria killed off a late 5-on-3 Pensacola power play, the Ice Flyers shot the puck from the left corner of the Rivermen zone. With one-tenth of a second remaining in the game, Josh Cousineau put the ensuing rebound into the Peoria net to give the Ice Flyers the game and the Cup.
Jacobson made 29 saves on 34 shots in the losing effort. The loss drops Jacobson to 0-2 in three playoff games in his rookie season.
Notes: Stuart posted a goal and an assist for his first multi-point game of the playoffs, finishing the postseason with nine points in eight games…Stuart had at least a point in all eight Peoria playoff games…Dave Psenyczny assisted on Gurtler’s goal to give him five points in the postseason, including three goals to tie him with Stuart for the team lead…Stuart, Pszenyczny, and Greenside were each issued game misconduct penalties at 20:00 of the third period for abuse of officials after protesting the last-second goal
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