In a New Year’s Eve contest dominated by penalties, the Peoria Rivermen topped the Rockford IceHogs 3-2 in front on 6,226 fans at Carver Arena on Saturday. Phil McRae netted the game winner midway through the third period while the teams combined for 102 penalty minutes. Peoria opened the scoring with its second shorthanded goal of the year at the 7:40 mark of the first period. After Adam Cracknell was boxed for hooking, Cade Fairchild and Brett Sonne raced two-on-one down the ice and into the Rockford zone. From the top of the right circle, Fairchild fed Sonne who pulled the puck to the backhand and pushed a shot around IceHogs goaltender Alec Richards. At the 6:47 mark, the tempers began to flare once again as Brennan Evans and Andrew Shaw dropped the gloves in the Rivermen zone. Towards the end of their tilt, Jeremy Morin stepped in and grabbed ahold of Evans, drawing almost everyone else on the ice into the scuffle. Morin was given a game misconduct for being the third man into the altercation. Click for the official box score.
-Bob
Adam Cracknell had a goal and two assists and Ben Bishop made 47 saves to lead the Peoria Rivermen to a 5-2 win against the division-rival Rockford IceHogs before 3,572 fans. The two teams combined for 90 total shots on goal and 68 penalty minutes as the Rivermen killed off all but one of nine IceHog power plays. The Rivermen opened up the scoring at the 5:00 mark right after failing to convert on a 2-minute 5-on-3 powerplay. With the puck still in the offensive zone Brett Sterling threw the puck on goal from a bad angle. The puck rolled off Anthony Nigro’s stick and right to T.J. Hensick who buried it for his eighth goal of the year. The Rivermen set a season-high in shots in a single period (20), shots allowed in a period (21), shots (41), and shots allowed (49). The finished 8-for-9 on the penalty kill, matching their season-high in power-plays against.
-Bob
The Peoria Rivermen scored two first period goals but Alec Richards finished with 35 saves as the Rockford IceHogs beat the Rivs 5-3 at Carver Arena before 3,082 fans. For the second straight night, the Rivermen scored the first goal of the game with Adam Cracknell putting one in at 1:52 of the first. Brett Sterling and T.J. Hensick exchanged drop passes inside the Rockford blueline before Cracknell picked up the puck and rifled a wrist shot by the blocker of Richards. The Rivermen outshot the IceHogs 11-2 in the first, 18-11 in the third and 38-29 in the game. Ben Bishop finished with 23 saves on 28 shots in his season debut while the Rivermen power play finished 0-for-5.
-Bob
