KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Peoria Rivermen fought back from a three-goal third-period deficit but lost for only the second time in nine games with the Knoxville Ice Bears, 4-3 on Saturday night at Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
The Ice Bears scored first 5:32 into the game when Peter Neal skated to the doorstep 
on a breakaway for a five-hole tally assisted by Jason Price. Neal connected on another short breakaway with 1:25 left before the first intermission on a feed from Eric Satim.
Yet another breakaway goal put the Ice Bears ahead 3-0 with 11:26 remaining as Berkley Scott took a saucer pass from Ryan Salvis at the Peoria line and scored glove side, ending the night for Rivermen goalie Eric Levine. The Rivermen broke onto the scoreboard with 6:18 remaining when Mike Slowikowski found an open net from the right circle to cut the deficit to 3-1 going into the second intermission.
The Ice Bears increased the lead to 4-1 with 15:21 showing on the third period clock when a drive from the right circle by Lucas Van Natter went through Kyle Rank’s mitt and into the net. Peoria cut the margin to 4-2 on a power play with 9:54 left when Matt Summers converted a feed to the slot from Jake Trask, also assisted by Garrett Vermeersch. The Rivs cut the game to 4-3 just 1:09 later on a Tyler Amburgey wrister from the right circle assisted by Slowikowski and Steve Morra.
Rank suffered the loss by stopping 14 of the 15 Ice Bears shots he faced while Braely Torris earned a 24-save win. The Ice Bears were scoreless on five power plays while the Rivermen were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
The decision was the Rivermen’s first regulation one-goal loss of the season. The Rivermen (15-7-2) fall back into a second-place tie with the Ice Bears (15-8-2), four points behind first-place Pensacola.
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