Columbus, GA – The Peoria Rivermen battled from behind most of the night, tied it with less than three minutes left in regulation, and eventually lost 2-1 in overtime to the Columbus Cottonmouths Saturday night. The loss, Peoria’s first in Columbus since December of 2014, drops the Rivermen to 8-3-5 before they return home next Friday for a single game against the Knoxville Ice Bears.
The teams played scoreless through the first 15 minutes of the first period until the Snakes broke through at 15:59. After a shot from Cottonmouths forward Ben O’Quinn was kicked aside by the left pad of Peoria goaltender Tyler Green, the puck caromed off the back boards and onto the stick of Eva Neugold, who put into an exposed Peoria net for a 1-0 Columbus lead.
The game remained tied through the rest of the first, all of the second, and most of the third before Peoria tied it in the final three minutes of regulation. At the 17:27 mark of the third period, Dakota Klecha’s wrist shot from the right-wing circle threaded through traffic and past Columbus netminder Brandon Jaeger for the 1-1 tie score.
The game went without another goal through the end of regulation, and the Cottonmouths notched the winner 54 seconds into overtime. The Snakes entered the Peoria zone on a 2-on-2, and a delayed drop pass found Keegan Bruce atop the slot. Bruce delayed before firing a shot through a screen and past Green for the 2-1 overtime win.
Green stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced in goal for Peoria, taking the overtime loss. Green has now taken an OTL in each of his last two decisions, and he is 5-1-4 on the season between the pipes.
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