River Readings for Nov. 7, 2010

By Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

WEEK IN REVIEW:

The week of Oct. 31 thru Nov. 6, 2010 was a slow one for the Rivermen on the ice, but a busy one off of it.

Peoria played just one game during the week, a road game in Milwaukee on Friday, Nov. 5. In that contest, the Rivermen jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Ryan Reaves (1) and T.J. Hensick (3) before allowing the Admirals to come back. Milwaukee got a second-period marker from hot Swedish import Linus Klasen, his eighth of the young season, to cut the lead to 2-1, and Mark Santorelli got a gift with seven minutes to play in the third period.

Ben Bishop (shown at left in training camp with the Blues) left his net to play a routine dump-in by the Admirals, but the puck hit a support in the plexiglass and bounced out in the slot to a wide-open Santorelli, who made the opportunity count and sent the game into overtime.

After a scoreless five minutes of OT, the game was decided by a shootout. After the first five rounds, the teams were tied at four goals apiece when rookie Philip McRae failed to score on Admirals' goalie Mark Dekanich. Milwaukee's Matt Halischuk then solved Bishop for the game-winning tally.

Off the ice, the Rivermen dealt with a public relations gaffe after the home loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday, Oct. 30. With a public auction scheduled for the team's "Pink In The Rink" sweaters to support breast cancer research, coach Jared Bednar kept the team sequestered in the locker room for 40 minutes while dressing them down for a poor showing in their first home game following a seven-game Texas swing.

Dave Eminian of the Peoria Journal-Star has the details, and Bednar's mea culpa, in THIS article from Nov. 2.

Also, the Rivermen signed 6'1, 192-pound ECHL defenseman Jake Gannon to an AHL tryout contract on Friday, as an emergency replacement in the lineup for callups Ian Cole and Nathan Oystrick. Thje 23-year-old right shooting defender from Roselle, IL, spent four years with the Colorado College Tigers (WCHA), and had been skating with the Utah Grizzlies, with whom he racked up a goal and four assists in seven games.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

The Rivermen will face their in-state rivals, the Rockford Ice Hogs (Chicago Blackhawks' affiliate), in a home and home series beginning this afternoon at Carver Arena and concluding Tuesday night at the Rockford Metro Center. The Rivermen then return home on Saturday night to take on the Houston Aeros (Minnesota Wild affiliate).

Read Eminian's Rockford series preview HERE.

RIVERMEN NEWS LINKS:

11-04-10: Rivermen Must Stop The Slide On Friday (Peoria Journal-Star).

11-05-10: Blues Activate Nikitin From IR (St. Louis Blues).

11-05-10: Jackman on IR; Cole Recalled From Peoria (St. Louis Blues).

11-06-10: Rivermen Edged By Admirals 3-2 In Sudden-Death Shootout (Peoria Journal Star).

11-06-10: Blues Recall Drazenovic From Peoria (St. Louis Blues).

BY THE NUMBERS:

AHL Standings By Division.

Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Scoring and Penalty Statistics.

Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Goaltending Statistics.

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS:

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