By Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department
WEEK IN REVIEW:
The week of Nov. 7 thru 13, 2010 was a week in which the youngest Rivermen stepped up to the plate in a big way.
First-year netminder Jake "The Snake" Allen (at left) opened the week by turning in a spectacular performance en route to a Rivermen victory. The rookie from Fredericton, New Brunswick, stopped 31 of 32 Rockford shots last Sunday afternoon to lead the Rivermen to a 5-1 win over the ice Hogs before a Sunday afternoon crowd of 3215 at Carver Arena. The Blues’ third selection (34th overall) in the 2008 Entry Draft earned third star of the game for his efforts, and he was far from the only rookie to come through for Peoria.
Fellow 2008 draftee (155th overall) Anthony Nigro broke through on the scoresheet after failing to register a point in his first seven pro games, knocking home his first professional goal at 3:11 of the first period . Fellow rookie Tyler Shattock, a 2009 pick (108th overall) picked up his first pro point with an assist on the goal.
Later in the period, Stefan Della Rovere poked home the goal that would stand as the game-winner. Della Rovere’s goal, his second of the young season, was assisted by Shattock and Nigro. In all, five first-year players tallied points for the Rivermen in the win, as rookie blueliner Mark Cundari struck for a power-play tally in the second period, forward Phil McRae assisted on a T.J. Hensick marker in the third, and Shattock popped home his first pro goal with 40 seconds left on the game clock.
The tail end of the home-and-home series went the same way, with rookies playing big roles... but this time the freshmen were wearing IceHog red and black. First-year pros Kyle Beach (brother of Blues' prospect Cody Beach), Jeremy Morin and Ben Smith put the 'Hogs ahead early with first-period scores, and only Cundari was able to solve second-year netminder Alec Richards for the Rivermen with a second-period tally on the power play as the Swine were fine on this night, 4-1.
The rematch was intense and physical, with the two teams being whistled for a combined 158 minutes in penalties. The first period ended with a pair of brawls at the twenty-minute mark, Peoria's Brennan Evans hooking up with Brian Connelly of the ‘Hogs, and Chris Porter of the Rivermen throwing down with Morin. Porter and Morin each received game misconducts for a secondary altercation, and the battle lines were drawn.
There were five separate fights in the second period, where Ryan Reaves and Rockford captain Garnet Exelby also got the gate for a secondary altercation, and in the third period, the 5’ 9, 200-pound Cundari dropped the gloves with Beach, who tips the scales at 6’ 3, 210. The two locked up briefly to start the fight, until Cundari unloaded on the larger man with a flurry of rights to earn the takedown and the decision.
The week ended on Saturday night as it began... with a sterling performance in goal by the rookie Allen. Three of Allen's first pro starts have come against the Houston Aeros, and Allen has been almost flawless in allowing just two goals total in the three games. On Saturday night, before a crowd of over 5900 at Carver Arena, Allen earned his second shutout of the young season by turning aside all 22 shots the Aeros sent his way.
Forwards Matt McIlvane, just brought up the road from the CHL's Bloomington (IL) Prairie Thunder, and Derek Nesbitt, newly arrived from the Gwinett (GA) Gladiators of the ECHL, found the back of the net, as did young veteran T.J. Hensick, to stake the Rivermen to a 3-0 victory.
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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Nov. 14, 2010 ... Game Time 3:05 PM at Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. NHL Affiliate: Minnesota Wild.
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Nov. 17, 2010 ... Game Time 10:05 AM at Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. NHL Affiliate: Phoenix Coyotes.
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Nov. 19 and 20, 2010 ... Game Time 7:05 PM at Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. NHL Affiliate: Calgary Flames.
RIVERMEN NEWS LINKS:
11/07/10 -- Rivermen Rookies Help Snap Four-Game Skid In Win Over Rockford (Peoria Journal-Star).
11/08/10 -- Eminian: Rivermen Vets Set The Standard (Peoria Journal-Star).
11/10/10 -- Rivermen: 8 Fights, 4 Ejections, 1 Big Loss (Peoria Journal Star).
11/10/10 -- Rivermen Lose Drazenovic To Blues, Brace For More Moves (Peoria Journal-Star).
11/11/10 -- Rivermen Lose Porter To NHL; ECHL All-Decade Team Announced (Peoria Journal-Star).
11/12/10 -- (Ian Cole) Relishing His Taste Of NHL (Peoria Journal-Star).
11/13/10 -- Rivermen Rookie Goalie Allen Shuts Out Aeros, 3-0 (Peoria Journal-Star).
BY THE NUMBERS:
Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Scoring and Penalty Statistics.
Peoria Rivermen 2010-11 Goaltending Statistics.
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS:
| Game Date | Rivermen | Score | Venue | Opponent | Score | PEO Goaltender | Dec | Game Sheet |
| 08 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 3 | vs | Manitoba | 4 | Bishop | L | LINK |
| 10 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 3 | vs | Milwaukee | 2 | Bishop | W | LINK |
| 12 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 6 | vs | Rockford | 2 | Bishop | W | LINK |
| 15 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 6 | at | San Antonio | 2 | Bishop | W | LINK |
| 16 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 3 | at | Houston | 2 | Allen | W | LINK |
| 17 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 5 | at | Texas | 2 | Bishop | W | LINK |
| 22 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 1 | at | Houston | 0 | Bishop | W | LINK |
| 23 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 2 | at | Texas | 0 | Allen | W | LINK |
| 24 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 1 | at | San Antonio | 4 | Bishop | L | LINK |
| 26 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 0 | at | Texas | 3 | Bishop | L | LINK |
| 30 Oct 10 | Rivermen | 1 | vs | Oklahoma City | 3 | Bishop | L | LINK |
| 05 Nov 10 | Rivermen | 2 | at | Milwaukee | 3 | Bishop | L-SO | LINK |
| 07 Nov 10 | Rivermen | 5 | vs | Rockford | 1 | Allen | W | LINK |
| 09 Nov 10 | Rivermen | 1 | at | Rockford | 5 | Bishop | L | LINK |
| 13 Nov 10 | Rivermen | 3 | vs | Houston | 0 | Allen | W | LINK |
| 14 Nov 10 | Rivermen | ... | vs | Houston | ... | ... | ... | |
| 17 Nov 10 | Rivermen | ... | vs | San Antonio | ... | ... | ... | |
| 19 Nov 10 | Rivermen | ... | vs | Abbotsford | ... | ... | ... | |
| 20 Nov 10 | Rivermen | ... | vs | Abbotsford | ... | ... | ... | |
| Rivermen | 42 | Opponents | 32 |
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