Peoria Twisters Run Out of Steam on Rebrand Night
March 6, 2026 - 10:30 pm
PEORIA, IL – It was a raucous night at Carver Arena, Rivermen Hall-of-Fame Tony Twist was back in the building for the first time in 26 years, the team had rebranded to the Peoria Twisters in his honor, and the atmosphere was electric on Friday night. However, that energy did not translate into a victory as Peoria (33-16-1) fell to the Pensacola Ice Flyers (25-17-7) by a score of 3-1. Jordan Ernst was the lone goal-scorer for the Rivermen, while Connor McAnanama made 17 saves on 19 shots in the loss.
The Rivermen, now 3-7-0 in their last ten games, will look for redemption on Sunday afternoon against Pensacola before a week off next weekend. Face-off for Peoria’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration is set for 3:15 pm, and another Sunday Family Fun Day will feature a pregame kids-fest, $12 upper bowl kids tickets, and a post-game skate with the team.
FIRST PERIOD
Tony Twist was known for his fireworks and fisticuffs, and the first period started off in a similar fashion as Daniel Chartrand and Brody Tallman dropped the gloves just three minutes into the game, sending the crowd of 5,123 into a frenzy. That energy, though, was muffled a bit, as a few minutes later the Ice Flyers took a 1-0 lead off a shot that was partially saved by Peoria goaltender Connor McAnanama but trickled into the net. Though Peoria pressed hard late in the period, they trailed 1-0 entering the second period.
SECOND PERIOD
Jordan Ernst was able to tie the game early in the second period. He received a pass from Kyler Fenton and skated the puck into the Pensacola zone. Ernst weaved right to the net and then stuffed the puck in between the legs of goaltender Troy Kobryn. This secured his second goal of the season and tied the game. Though the Twisters outshot the Ice Flyers 8-2 in the second period, several quality saves by Kobryn down the stretch kept the game deadlocked at 1-1.
THIRD PERIOD
In the third period, both teams traded chances in their search for a lead. The decisive moment came when Pensacola scored from the right wing, sneaking the puck over McAnanama’s pad. A late empty-net goal for the Ice Flyers sealed Peoria’s 3-1 defeat with under a minute to go.
PHOTO: Claire Schaffner - Peoria Rivermen
