After trailing throughout most of the game, Rostislav Olesz registered his second goal, and third point for Rockford, of the game to help the IceHogs beat the Peoria Rivermen 5-4 Saturday evening at Carver Arena in front of 6,039 fans. In the third period, down 4-3, a power play goal evened the score for Rockford. Jimmy Hayes set up Adam Clendening at the right point and the rookie blueliner blasted his seventh goal of the season past Mike McKenna through traffic at 7:28. That set the stages for another Rostislav Olesz game-winning goal late in the third period. Martin St. Pierre knocked down a clear out attempt by Peoria and fired a shot in on McKenna where Olesz re-directed in his sixth goal of the season and second game-winning goal in as many nights, this one at 17:29 of the final frame. The IceHogs earned their tenth third period come-from-behind victory of the season, most in the AHL.
-Bob
In his final game with the Peoria Rivermen on a conditioning assignment, goaltender Brian Elliott shutout the Lake Erie Monsters in a 2-0 win Saturday evening at Carver Arena in front of 7,660 fans. Elliott stopped 27 shots and finished his two-game stint in Peoria with a 0.946 save percentage. The Rivermen were the first team to score after both teams missed out on power-play opportunities in the first period. Jani Hakanpaa slapped a backdoor pass from the blue line to a wide-open Derek Nesbitt. Nesbitt deflected the pass past Calvin Pickard into the back of the net for his 25th goal of the year at 12:24. The goal for Nesbitt was the 200th American Hockey League point of his career and the assist for Hakanpaa was his first point in the AHL. The Rivermen went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Lake Erie was 0-for-2. Peoria outshot the Monsters 35-27.
-Bob
Darren Haydar spoiled Jake Allen’s return to the Peoria Rivermen when he scored a goal and added two assists within a 3:38 span to lead the Chicago Wolves to a 3-0 victory over the Rivermen Saturday night at Carver Arena before 6,881 fans. Matt Climie recorded his third shutout of the season with a 38 saves to help the Wolves to their first win in Peoria this season. The third period featured the Wolves scoring three goals in the first 6 minutes. After forcing a turnover, Andrew Ebbett passed the puck to Haydar, who scored his team-leading 16th goal of the season past Allen to break the tie at 1:50. Next, Ebbett added a goal of his own after rebounding a shot from Haydar. Kevin Connauton also earned an assist on the goal at 3:01. Lastly, Haydar led a 2-on-1 break and pushed a pass to Devin DiDiomete, who scored his second goal of the year on a one-timer at 5:28. Connauton was credited with another assist on the play.
-Bob
The Rockford IceHogs scored just 48 seconds into the game and never looked back on their way to a 4-0 victory over the Peoria Rivermen Wednesday evening at Carver Arena before 2,791 fans. Despite six power play opportunities and 35 shots on goal, Peoria was never able to find the back of the net. In the opening minute, Terry Broadhurst deflected a shot past Mike McKenna for his third goal of the season. Klas Dahlbeck and Ben Youds earned assists on the early goal. The IceHogs doubled their lead in the second period. Only 4 seconds into a power play, Shawn Lalonde pushed the puck to the left circle, where Jeremy Morin one-timed his 17th goal of the season at 9:20. Brad Mills also was credited with an assist on the play after winning the face-off. Peoria went 0-for-6 on the power play as Rockford went 1-for-4 on the man advantage. The Rivermen outshot the Heat 35-24 in the game.
-Bob
Goal keeper Dov Grumet-Morris made 21 saves in the third period alone, 49 in all and four more in the shootout as the San Antonio Rampage stole a 4-3 win away from Peoria on Saturday night at Carver Arena. Played in front of a season-high 8,034, the earned a point for the third straight game as they are 2-0-0-1 to start their six game home stand. The Rivermen set a season-high in shots with 52 and came within one of their AHL franchise record that was set back on Feb. 21, 2006 vs. San Antonio. Derek Nesbitt led the way offensively for Peoria with 11 shots on goal and two of the three Rivermen goals. Cade Fairchild also chipped in two assists. In the shootout, Grumet-Morris stopped all four Rivermen shooters while Mike McKenna was beaten twice on three shootout attempts. It was the first time this season that McKenna dropped a shootout, having stopped 16 of 17 shooters coming into the game.
-Bob
