Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen battled back from a 2-0 second-period deficit to tie the game before falling 3-2 in overtime to the Pensacola Ice Flyers in Game 1 of the SPHL President’s Cup Finals. The loss puts the Rivermen in a 1-0 hole with Game 2 of the Best-of-5 series tomorrow night in Peoria.
The Ice Flyers took an early lead with the only goal of the first period. At 2:29 of the first, a Paul Rodrigues backhand resulted in a back-door rebound to Brandon Zurn, who fired it past Rivermen netminder Kyle Rank to make it 1-0.
The Ice Flyers doubled their lead at 4:09 of the second period when Joe Caveny carried the puck through the slot and deked to the forehand to beat Rank and make it 2-0. The Rivermen got on the board at 12:22 of the second when Adam Stuart’s wrist shot from the right-wing boards made its way past Pensacola goaltender Matt Zenzola to make it 2-1.
The Rivermen continued battling and tied the game in the third period. After an apparent Walker Wintoneak goal was called back and waved off, the Rivermen got the game-tying goal from Wintoneak at 16:07 of the third when he tipped a Ben Power blast from the right point past Zenzola to make it 2-2.
The game went into overtime with the 2-2 score, and the Ice Flyers won it at even strength. Pensacola’s Joseph Holka skated across the Rivermen blue line and into the high slot, where his wrist shot around a Rivermen defender beat Rank’s glove just under the crossbar at 6:35 of the OT period for the final 3-2 score.
Rank stopped 29 of 32 shots he faced in goal as he took his first loss of the playoffs. The defeat drops Rank to 4-1 this postseason with a 0.78 GAA.
Notes: Pensacola’s first goal snapped Rank’s SPHL postseason record scoreless streak at 159:28…Stuart scored his second goal in three games after being held without a marker in his first 14 career postseason appearances…Power has three points in his last two games after he recorded an assist on Wintoneak’s goal and scored two of his own last Friday against Fayetteville…The Rivermen and Ice Flyers will continue their Best-of-5 series when they square off for Game 2 tomorrow at 5:05 P.M. inside Carver Arena…The broadcast of the Game can be heard, starting with the pregame show at 4:45, at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/rivermen
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