PHN’s Best Shots of the Game: Ice Flyers Sink Rivermen 6-3, Sweep Weekend

Stephen Buco opened the scoring for the Ice Flyers on a power play when he ripped home a hard shot from the high slot. Adam Pawlick was the one who fed Buco the puck and Mike Krieg had the secondary assist on the goal that came 6:13 into the first. Peoria tied things up when Walker Wintoneak ripped a shot that hit John McLean in the arm and deflected into the net with 3:19 remaining in the first. Wintoneak struck again while stationed right in front of the crease when he took a pass from Adam Stuart and slid it under McLean to give the Rivermen the 2-1 with 52.6 left in the opening period.

It took over half of the second before the score changed but Corey Banfield fired a shot from the slot that found twine to tie the game up. Pawlick and Joe Caveney assisted on the goal with 8:42 left in the second. 23 seconds later, the Ice Flyers regained the lead thanks to a shot by Josh Cousineau from the right wing circle. Jeremy Gates had the only assist on the goal. A little over two minutes later, the Rivermen tied the game up at three with a power play goal by Brandon Greenside.

It only took eight seconds for the tie to be broken as Pawlick put the puck home from the right side of the crease. Caveney and Drew Baker assisted. The score stood at 4-3 for the majority of the rest of the third until Banfield redirected a shot by Pawlick that Rivermen goalie David Jacobson couldn’t track. Baker had the second assist on Banfield’s 27th goal of the season with 3:15 left in the third. With Jacobson pulled, Stephen Buco scored his second of the game by firing the puck into the empty net with 52.6 seconds remaining.

McLean stopped 28 of Peoria’s 31 shots on goal to improve to 17-7-3 on the year. For the third night in a row, Pensacola swept the Three Stars with Baker being named third, Banfield second, and Pawlick first.