PENSACOLA, FL – The Peoria Rivermen and Pensacola Ice Flyers battled to a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime for the second straight night, and the Rivermen prevailed in the seventh round of a sudden-death shootout Saturday night. The win, Peoria’s eighth in their last nine games, lifts the Rivermen to 25-3-4 on the season before tomorrow afternoon’s weekend rubber match in Pensacola.
The Rivermen and Ice Flyers played a scoreless first period for the second straight night before the Rivermen opened the scoring early in the middle frame. Peoria winger Joe Kalisz chased the puck behind the Pensacola net, ducked out of the left-wing corner, and chipped it past Ice Flyers netminder Brian Billett for a 1-0 lead 48 seconds into the frame.
The Ice Flyers tied the game near the midway point of the game’s middle frame. Riverman goaltender Storm Phaneuf went behind his net to play the puck, which ricocheted off the left-corner glass and into the circle. Ice Flyers center Brantley Sherwood passed into the slot, where teammate Robert Lepine, who snapped it home for a 1-1 score at 7:19 of the second period.
The game remained tie through the remainder of regulation, and the five-minute overtime, including a two-minute Rivermen penalty kill during the final three minutes of the extra period, and the Rivermen prevailed in a shootout. Peoria’s first shooter, winger Stephen Gaul, beat Billett’s five-hole to put Peoria ahead 1-0. Sherwood was Pensacola’s fifth shooter, and kept the game alive when he wrapped his attempt around Phaneuf’s left pad. Gaul and Sherwood were denied in round six, and Peoria earned the win with winger Ben Blasko’s backhander over Billett’s left kicker in the seventh round.
Phaneuf earned the win in goal for Peoria, improving to 8-0-1 on the season. The win is Peoria’s first in a shootout this season, and Phaneuf’s first victory after regulation since a December 15 overtime win at Evansville.
Game recap courtesy of official SPHL media release
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