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For the second time in their AHL history, the Peoria Rivermen are headed to the Calder Cup playoffs after a 2-1 victory over the Quad City Flames at the iWireless Center on Saturday night. The win for Peoria made them the second team to clinch a playoff spot in the West Division and opened up a four-point lead on both Rockford and Houston for home ice in the first round. 

 

Peoria grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Jim Jackson snapped a puck over Leland Irving’s glove into the back of net at 9:02 in the opening period. Jackson and Carl Corazzini skated deep into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 when Corazzini pushed the puck through the low slot to Jackson, who notched his third goal of the year, and first since December, on the play.

 

Yan Stastny added to the Rivermen’s lead 3:37 later when he danced around the Quad City defense to the bottom of the right circle and slammed the puck between Irving’s legs to make it 2-0 Peoria. Stastny’s goal was his 10^th in only 27 games. Chris Porter picked up the first assist and Trent Whitfield snagged his team-leading 30^th helper on the play.

 

No goals were scored in Saturday night’s middle frame, but it was plenty physical. The Flames’ Brad Brown knocked down Jeff Cowan at the red line with 12:45 remaining in the period. Neilson took exception to Brown’s hit and dropped the gloves at center ice to tango with Brown for the second time of the contest. Neilson, who leads Peoria with 207 penalty minutes, racked up 22 PIM’s in the victory.

 

The Flames knocked Legace out of the game with a couple of hard shots in the second period.  David Van der Gulik shoved Legace to the ice only moments before Peter Vandermeer took a minor for goaltender interference. Legace remained in the game through the end of the period but was lifted for Chris Holt when the third began. Legace stopped all 20 shots that he faced and earned the victory.

 

Holt finished the game by making 11 saves on 12 shots to help Peoria hang onto the win though. It was Holt’s first action since March 19 in San Antonio.

 

Anders Eriksson made it close on the Quad City power play, netting his fourth goal of the season at the 7:12 mark in the final frame. His shot from the point deflected off a defenseman and found its way into the net.  Holt made a number key saves in the waning minutes of the game to seal the Rivermen’s 42^nd victory of the year.

 

The Rivermen’s Aaron Palushaj made his professional hockey debut Saturday night after two years at the University of Michigan. The 19-year-old recorded one shot on goal in the win.

 

The Rivermen finished the season series with a 9-1-0 record against Quad City. 

 

The Rivermen will get a short breather before taking on the West Division Champion Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday at 7 p.m. A win for the Rivermen would lock in home ice for the first round of the playoffs.