How the Peoria Rivermen fared in their weekend games in Florida
The Peoria Rivermen continued their struggles over the weekend, losing a pair of games against the Pensacola Ice Flyers, 7-4 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. Peoria now has lost four of its last five games after starting the season with one of the longest points-making streaks in professional hockey.
“I think these guys are starting to realize," Rivermen assistant Eric Levine said in a release, "that you don’t just show up, put the jersey on, and expect that just because we are the Peoria Rivermen people are just going to give us wins."
Peoria (8-4-1) returns to home ice for a pair of games against the Evansville Thunderbolts on Friday and Saturday at Carver Arena in Peoria.
“We’re at the point of this journey with the team we have," Levine said Friday, "where we faced quite a bit of adversity, some self-inflicted, some unfortunate."
Saturday's game
Peoria saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the third period at the Pensacola Bay Center, with the Ice Flyers scoring three straight in 13 minutes to win it.
The Ice Flyers got their first goal off of a rebound on the side of the crease and added an even-strength goal to tie the game. Then, a delay-of-game penalty against the Rivermen late in the contest turned out to be decisive as the Ice Flyers capitalized off a rebound in front to put them up 3-2 with under two minutes to go.
BOX SCORE: Ice Flyers 3, Rivermen 2
“It’s a sixty-minute game," Levine said. “Good teams are not going to let you off the hook.”
Cayden Cahill and Alec Hagaman had goals for Peoria in the first period.
Friday's game
Pensacola outshot Peoria 47-23 overall, getting short-handed and empty-net goals in the final minute to put the game away. The Rivermen headed into the third period with the game tied 3-3, getting goals from Braydon Barker, Cahill and newcomer Spencer Kennedy.
Pensacola continued to push the pace offensively but the Rivermen's defense and penalty kill, led by goaltender Brendahn Brawley, kept the contest tied.
“He battled,” Levine said of Brawley. “If you’re getting out-shot 30-to-8 at one point and you('re still) in a hockey game, it’s because of your goalie.”
BOX SCORE: Pensacola 7, Peoria 4
Hagaman was ejected for slew-footing 3:13 into third period, and Pensacola cashed in for the go-ahead goal two minutes later. Pensacola added a goal to grab a 5-3 lead before Andrew Durham pulled Peoria back within one with a short-handed goal with 5:06 remaining.
The Rivermen recently added Kennedy — a 6-foot-6, 225-pound left winger. He had nine fights in 19 games for Roanoke last season and two more this year. In his 28-game pro career coming in, he had 12 fights, four goals, two assists and 165 penalty minutes. He scored his first goal of the season on Friday.
He quickly got busy for Peoria, taking on Pensacola's Sean Gulka in a first-period fight. The Rivermen responded with two quick goals.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen hockey plays pair of SPHL games in Pensacola, Florida
