Rivermen Roll Over Pensacola 6-1, Advance to Second Round
April 13, 2024 - 10:25 pm
PEORIA, IL – Peoria continued to dial up the pressure on Pensacola, and let by Alec Baer (three assists) and JM Piotrowski (one goal, two assists) the Rivermen defeated the Pensacola Ice Flyers 6-1 on Saturday night at Carver Arena. The win marked a series sweep of the Ice Flyers in the first round of the playoffs, enabling the Rivermen to advance to the second round for the third consecutive year in a row.
Just like in Game One, Peoria got the lead early in the contest. Renat Dadadzhanov fired a shot from the left point that was deflected by Alec Hagaman right in front of the goal to put the Rivermen up 1-0. Hagaman’s goal marked his first of the playoffs and gave the Rivermen a lead that they held for the rest of the period.
Evansville struck back early in the second period to tie the game, but the Rivermen gave away nothing more and instead went back on the offensive. Alec Baer made a nifty pass from the side of the net to the back door where Mathew Rehding was waiting to fire a one-timer home to put the Rivermen back up 2-1. Peoria added on a third goal as Meirs Moore fired a point shot on net that deflected straight up and then straight down and deflected off of the backside of goaltender Stephen Mundinger and into the back of the net to put the Rivermen up 3-1.
In the third period, the Rivermen continued the offensive. A nifty centering pass from JM Piotrowski found Mike Gelatt in the slot who fired a shot into the top shelf to put the Rivermen up 4-1. Peoria then was awarded a five-minute power play where they took advantage. Goals by Jordan Ernst and Piotrowski were the first for any team in the series on the power play and put the game out of reach for the Ice Flyers. By the time the final horn sounded, the Rivermen skated off with a 6-1 victory and a series sweep of the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
The Rivermen will take on the Evansville Thunderbolts for the first time in the second round of the playoffs. Game One is set for Wednesday in Evansville while Game Two will be played on Friday, April 19 at Carver Arena at 7:15 pm. If necessary, a Game Three will take place on Sunday, April 21, also at Carver Arena at 3:15 pm.
Photo: Elizabeth Mair - Peoria Rivermen
