RiverKing’s trick shot deals SOT loss to Peoria

PEORIA, IL — Ian Young came up big and Dalton McGrath found redemption on Saturday night as the Mississippi RiverKings defeated the Peoria Rivermen 2-1 in a shootout in front of a crowd of 3850.

McGrath, who had surrendered five goals in a loss the night before, stopped 25 shots in 65 minutes and all four shooters in the shootout, out-duelling Kyle Rank for the win. 
McGrath was backed by spectacular defensive play, particularly in the first two periods as the Rivermen were held to just five first period shots on goal and seven in the second period.

MId-way through the second period the Rivermen broke into the attacking zone three-on-two. Walker Wintoneak came down the left side with Alex Hagaman skating into the slot and Jake Trask on the right side. Wintoneak passed through traffic to Trask. The uncovered Trask held the puck a beat and then popped it over McGrath’s glove for the 1-0 lead at 10:42 of the second period.

In the third Rank stopped a Leo Thomas shot and the rebound trickled behind the net. Ryan Marcuz shot it back at Rank…from behind the net. Rank was locked on the post, but somehow the puck climbed his stick and fell into the net. That tied the game up at 4:27 of the third period.

Young finished the game when he charged down the slot during the shootout and pulled a punch. Instead of unleashing a hard shot to one side or the other, he released a soft shot between Rank’s pads. The five-hole shot slowly slid into the net to set off a celebration on theRiverKings bench.

Rank stopped 32 shots in the loss. Peoria was penalized twice and Mississippi once, but neither team scored on the power play.