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Rivermen clinch playoff spot: 6 things to watch as ex-NHL goaltender arrives for Hall of Fame induction, more

dave eminian, peoria journal star
·5 min read
Peoria's Alec Hagaman, middle, Jordan Ernst, left, and Zach Wilkie celebrate their 3-2 win over the Quad City Storm in Game 3 of the SPHL semifinals Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Rivermen advance to the finals against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.
Peoria's Alec Hagaman, middle, Jordan Ernst, left, and Zach Wilkie celebrate their 3-2 win over the Quad City Storm in Game 3 of the SPHL semifinals Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Rivermen advance to the finals against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.

PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen clinched an SPHL playoff spot Thursday without even being on the ice.

That reduced a to-do list that goes far beyond postseason seed positions as the calendar touches March.

A former NHL goaltender will be in Carver Arena on Saturday for induction into the Rivermen Hall of Fame. The first-place Birmingham Bulls will be there, too, for a two-game showdown between the league's top two teams in a place where the Rivermen are 17-1-3 this season.

And there are roster changes as the Rivermen injured reserve list is heating up again. A new goaltender has joined the team, a new team name is ready for a one-game re-brand, another night will feature $5 tickets and playoff tickets are for sale.

Here are six things to watch ahead of a big Rivermen weekend:

1. The Rivermen are in the SPHL playoffs

The Rivermen headed into Thursday action with a magic number of 2 over Knoxville for clinching an SPHL playoff spot. That's two points in any combination Peoria gains Knoxville fails to gain.

Knoxville hosted Huntsville on Thursday night and found itself holding a 4-3 lead in the third period.

But former Rivermen right wing Jack Jaunich scored a tying goal for Huntsville early in the third period. Knoxville was 83 seconds away from reaching overtime -- which would have given the Bears a point and delayed the Rivermen playoff spot clinching.

Then Huntsville center Kyle Clarke delivered the game-winner at 18:37 for a 5-4 regulation win that put the Rivermen into the postseason.

2. Peoria welcomes in an NHL goaltender

Mario Bliznak of the Manitoba Moose tries to score on goalie Ben Bishop of the Peoria Rivermen during a AHL-era game at Carver Arena.
Mario Bliznak of the Manitoba Moose tries to score on goalie Ben Bishop of the Peoria Rivermen during a AHL-era game at Carver Arena.

Ben Bishop played parts of five seasons for the Rivermen when they were the St. Louis Blues primary farm team in the American Hockey League. He went on to play for Tampa Bay in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals against the Blackhawks, and was with Dallas for the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals against Tampa Bay.

On Saturday, the man who went from Peoria to a 14-year NHL career will be inducted into the Rivermen Hall of Fame. The 6-foot-7 Bishop is the tallest goaltender in NHL history, and also a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist.

He will be signing autographs on his induction night in Carver Arena from 6:15-7:15 p.m. in the outer concourse.

3. Playoff tickets are ready to go

The Rivermen will offer fans a "Pay as We Play" plan for the postseason. Buyers can commit to buying tickets for all playoff games the Rivermen play — a credit/debit card must be provided for the transaction at the end of each postseason round.

The plan comes with a significant discount from individual game ticket prices, and are locked in for all rounds.

  • First round: Glass seats $26 (Pay as Play plan $21); Premium seats $21 ($17); Pilot House $15 ($13); Upper bowl $14 ($13).

  • Second round: Glass seats $27 (Pay as Play plan $21); Premium $22 ($17); Pilot House $16 ($13); Upper bowl $15 ($13).

  • President's Cup Finals: Glass seats $28 ($21); Premium $23 ($17); Pilot House $17 ($13); Upper Bowl $16 ($13).

To order, contact Katie Pogeman at the Rivermen office at (309) 680-3791.

4. $5 for a game? Special rate later this month

The Rivermen will offer what might be the cheapest ticket in their history when they host rival Quad City on March 15 in Carver Arena. Upper bowl tickets for that game are $5 for upper bowl and Pilot House seats. It's a deal backed by Komatsu. You can order these tickets online here. There is a $2 fee applied.

5. Rivermen one-game re-brand arrives

The Peoria Rivermen will re-brand as the Peoria Penicillin for one game in March.
The Peoria Rivermen will re-brand as the Peoria Penicillin for one game in March.

The Rivermen will re-brand as the Peoria Penicillin for their March 9 game against Pensacola. The team's merchandise store has Peoria Penicillin sweatshirts, T-shirts, pucks, ballcaps and jerseys ready for purchase. That can be done online at rivermen.net. There is a link that takes shoppers right to the Penicillin merchandise.

6. Inside roster moves for the Rivermen

Peoria Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel directs his team against the Fayetteville Marksmen in the third period of their SPHL hockey game Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Rivermen shut out the Marksmen 1-0.
Peoria Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel directs his team against the Fayetteville Marksmen in the third period of their SPHL hockey game Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Rivermen shut out the Marksmen 1-0.

The first-place Birmingham Bulls come to Carver Arena this weekend. It will be a difficult test for the Rivermen, who will be without reigning SPHL Defenseman of the Year Zach Wilkie (under league suspension), on a roster full of challenges.

Peoria released goaltender Mario Cavaliere this week, and on Wednesday signed Dysen Skinner. He's a 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Billings, Mont., who just finished a four-year college career with University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He won 31 games there, and this season had a 1.77 goals-against and .930 saves rate.

The Rivermen signed a defenseman out of college, Christian Dahl. He played five seasons of NCAA Div.-III hockey, including three with SUNY-Plattsburgh and the last two with Alvernia University.

But the Rivermen lost big rookie winger Ryan Nolan to the IR for the second time this season. He has a broken hand and this time goes on 30-day IR, effectively putting him out for the rest of the regular season.

They got winger Tristan Trudel (hand injury) back from the IR.

Then on Wednesday, they sent another top defenseman, Jayson Dobay, to IR.

That IR has been a turnstile for the Rivermen this season. They have had 14 players on IR, some of them multiple times: Jayson Dobay, Ryan Nolan (twice), Tristan Trudel (twice), Andrew Durham, Renat Dadadzhanov, Mitch McPherson, Mike Gelatt, Brody Duncan, Spencer Kennedy, Hayden Hulton (twice), Jordan Ernst, Vadim Vasjonkin, Braydon Barker, Joe Drapluk.

The Rivermen will have only six players and a goaltender still on the roster from their opening night lineup. The rest are either on IR, released, traded or under suspension.

Trades will soon not be a way to improve the team, as the SPHL trade deadline is March 4. That's also the deadline for any players who want to return from Europe. After that, the primary path to improvement is college players turning pro in the spring.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen hockey hall of fame, playoff clinching, ticket deal