River Readings for Dec. 19, 2010

By Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

WEEK IN REVIEW:

ALLEN, PELUSO SHINE AS RIVERMEN KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE:

The Usual Suspects did their part in the last week to keep the Rivermen in the hunt for the AHL West Division lead, but Peoria also got some scoring help from an unlikely source.

Second-year winger Anthony Peluso (shown at left with goaltender Jake Allen), not known for his scoring prowess, posted the first multiple-goal game of his pro career last Friday as the Rivermen went into Grand Rapids and knocked off the Griffins by a 5-2 score (LINK to official AHL game sheet).

TJ Hensick and captain Dean Arsene tallied goals for the Rivermen, and PTO forward Derek Nesbitt's 6th goal of the year at 9:32 of the third period turned out to be the game-winner.

The Rivermen were able to sweep the home-and-home series with Grand Rapids by coming home to Carver Arena on Saturday and riding Allen's 25-save performance to a 2-1 win (LINK to official AHL game sheet). Phil McRae scored his team-leading 10th goal to open the scoring, and Nesbitt chipped in his second GWG of the weekend at 4:40 of the second period.

Through the first 40 minutes, the Griffins outshot the home team by a 23-6 tally. Peoria's league-leading defense tightened up in the final stanza to hold Grand Rapids to just three shots on goal in the third, while the Rivermen launched nine shots at Detroit prospect Thomas McCallum in an unsuccessful attenpt to pad their 2-1 lead.

The pair of wins extends Peoria's AHL-leading streak of games in which the team garners at least one point in the standings. The Rivermen are 10-0-2 in their last twelve games, and have not lost in regulation since a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Rampage on Nov. 17.

AFTER THE JUMP...:

After the jump, the skinny on this week's schedule for your Peoria Rivermen, as well as your links to news and notes from the previous week. Stay tuned...

THE WEEK AHEAD:

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Dec. 19, 2010 ... Game Time 3:05 PM at Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. NHL Affiliate: Colorado Avalanche.

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Dec. 21, 2010 ... Game Time 7:05 PM at Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs.

RIVERMEN NEWS LINKS:

12/13/10 -- Blues call up trio of forwards from Rivermen (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/15/10 -- Rivermen a hit with kids and causes (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/15/10 -- Rivermen players, coaches visit Children's Hospital of Illinois (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/16/10 -- Rivermen defenseman Nikitin called to Blues (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/16/10 -- Rivermen forced to shuffle roster (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/17/10 -- Blues send winger Cracknell back to Rivermen (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/17/10 -- Rivermen enforcer nets two goals to bring down Griffins, 5-2 (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/18/10 -- Rivermen get Nikitin back from Blues, grab defender from ECHL (Peoria Journal-Star).

12/18/10 -- Rivermen rock Griffins with Reaves, Allen for 2-1 win (Peoria Journal-Star).

BY THE NUMBERS:

AHL Standings By Division.

Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Scoring and Penalty Statistics.

Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Goaltending Statistics.