Huntsville, AL – The Peoria Rivermen took a lead 94 seconds into the game and held the lead the rest of the way as they beat the Huntsville Havoc 5-2 at the von Braun Center Friday night. The win, Peoria’s seventh in their last eight games, gives Peoria a chance to sweep the season series with the Havoc in tomorrow night’s rematch.
The Rivermen were short-handed just 1:22 into the first period when Dave Pszenyczny got hauled off for hooking, but 12 seconds later Alec Hagaman carried the puck into the Huntsville zone and uncorked a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past the glove of Havoc goaltender Ryan de Melo to put Peoria up 1-0. Peoria doubled their lead with a powerplay goal at 10:25 of the first when Pszenyczny unloaded from the top of the right circle and beat a screened de Melo to make it 2-0.
The Havoc cut the Peoria lead in half at 10:44 of the second period when a scramble in front of the Peoria net lead to Scott Henegar putting the puck past Peoria goaltender David Jacobson to make it 2-1. At 12:59 of the second Havoc forward John McGinnis came off with a breakaway and was taken down going to the Peoria net, and he was awarded a penalty shot, which Jacobson denied. The Rivermen returned to a two-goal advantage at 15:28 of the second when Pszenyczny’s shot from the top of the slot was directed by Hagaman in front and trickled through the legs of de Melo before stopping on the goal line behind the Havoc netminder. With the puck still on the Huntsville goal line Michael Beaudry swopped in and whacked it into the net to make it 3-1 Rivermen.
The Havoc cut the Peoria lead to 3-2 at 4:21 of the third with Peoria on the powerplay as Kyle McNeil leaned into a wrister from the left circle that caromed off the far post behind Jacobson an out above the Peoria crease where Brandon Vossberg fired it past Jacobson to pull the Havoc within one. Peoria re-upped their lead to 4-2 at 17:00 of the third when Jack Callahan’s shot from the Huntsville blue line was tipped past de Melo by Steve Morra to give Peoria a two-goal lead. With 2:35 left in the game Pszenyczny was called for a penalty and with over a minute to play Hunsville pulled de Melo for a 6-on-4 advantage. With just inside one minute left Alec Hagaman fired the puck from behind his own blue line into the empty Havoc net for the final 5-2 score.
Jacobson stopped 23 of 25 shots he faced in goal to win his second straight game between the pipes. The win improves Jacobson’s record to 10-6-0 for the season, 10-2-0 as a member of the Rivermen.
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