Peoria, IL – It was simple math Thursday morning in Peoria, as the Rivermen taught the Quad Cities Storm a lesson, 2-1, after a 10:30am puck drop at Carver Arena.
A large fraction of the 4,481 fans in attendance were students from local schools, who were attending the “Face-Off Field Trip,” an educational opportunity using hockey to learn about math and geography.
Peoria dominated the game, posting a 39-10 shots on goal advantage. Goaltender Peter Di Salvo was solid, keeping the Storm in the game and stopping 37 of those shots but it would not be enough.
Ben Blasko’s big blast in the third period was the difference-maker. With Joe Widmar screening Di Salvo, Blasko’s slap shot from the far side slid in for the game-winner at 4:19 of the third period.
Quad Cities, the top ranked power play unit in the league, showed their stuff during a four-on-three man-advantage in the first period. Joe McKeown staked the Storm to a 1-0 lead at 15:27 of the opening period.
A few minutes later, right after the PA announcer taught the kids how to pronounce his name, Vincent Beaudry evened the score at one-all on a power play goal. That’s “BO-dree” for those students who were too busy flossing and dabbing.
Storm Phaneuf pocketed the win in goal for Peoria; he stopped 9 of 10 shots – 90% for those kids heading back to the classroom – for the win.
Both teams scored on the power play, with Quad Cities having five opportunities and Peoria three.
The teams face off Friday, December 14 back in Peoria and back at a more usual time…7:15pm.
Contact the author at Shaun.Bill@ProHockeyNews.com or follow him on Twtter @SLBatPHN.
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