PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen took care of business on their home ice and then took care of the fans that allowed for unprecedented domination at Carver Arena as the final game of the 2023-24 SPHL regular season unfolded.
The Rivermen set an SPHL record with their 24th win of the season on home ice and set a record for the highest home ice winning percentage (.911) in franchise history in 42 years. They defeated Quad City by a 2-1 decision. 5,183 ago.
The Rivermen won 13 straight games at home and finished with an 18-1-1 record on the ice at Carver Arena. On the night he scored the winning goal in the final regular-season home game of his long professional career, the large crowd witnessed Peoria-born captain Alec Hagaman skate, wave and salute.
Hagaman started the night with a ceremonial pregame faceoff in which his daughter, 6-year-old Adlie, dropped the puck for him. He ended the night by leading the team through the grandstands to the arena concourse, meeting and greeting fans for autographs and photos.
“For me, we had a big send-off here at the end of last season and it was very emotional,” Hagaman said. “Things have changed and I'm back on the ice this season, and I'm glad it worked out. In the second half of the season, it feels like everything accelerates and you can feel time running out. , for me it was like, “My career is over.'' ”
Hagaman and his family moved to Wisconsin this summer and will not play again. Between Saturday and travel day, he will play his final postseason game against Peoria.
“It was a great crowd tonight, we felt their spirit,” Hagaman said. “Playing with the energy of the crowd here feeds us and helps us build our record here, and they are a part of that.
“Playing at Carver Arena feels special for us. It's even more special for me. I grew up in Peoria watching this team play on this ice. When I step on that ice, I cherish the ice. It's been 10 years, but I still feel that way every time I look at that ice.''I play here. ”
Box score:Rivermen 2, Quad City 1
numbers behind the record
The Rivermen completed an incredible season on Saturday, finishing their home schedule with just one regulation loss all season. It is unclear whether the professional team was undefeated at home throughout the season. But Peoria came close.
The Rivermen's only regulation loss at Carver Arena was a 3-2 decision loss to Huntsville on Jan. 14. His remaining three losses came after regulation for a final record of 24-1-3. That included a 4-3 overtime loss to Quad-City on Nov. 3, a 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Evansville on Dec. 22, and a 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Huntsville on Jan. 12. This includes a 3-3 loss in a penalty shootout.
Peoria did not lose two games in a row on home ice. And they haven't lost a home game in 83 days.
“A home record of 24-1-3, that's how we should be here,” Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. “Every time, every year. We feed off of the crowd and the comfort level, and we're a very tough team to beat here.”
2-1 background
Defenseman Braydon Barker was converted to the wing during the season and excelled there, but he returned to defense Saturday and gave the Rivermen a 1-0 lead at 4:59 of the first period.
Hagaman sent a wrister from high and Barker fired the rebound from the right post past goaltender Bayley Birkin. It was a power-play goal, and 25 seconds after the first faceoff, Quad City winger Nicolas Levesque was given a five-minute major penalty for elbowing Rivermen winger Ryan Nolan in the head. That's what I got.
Hagaman scored the winning goal at 4:56 of the second period when he sprinted behind the Quad-City net and fired a wraparound shot past Bourkin at the left post.
The Rivermen built a 25-6 shooting edge, but Quad City got back on track and took the lead with defenseman Doug Blaisdell's 12th shot of the game at 11:12.
Rivermen goaltender Nick Latinovich shut out the rest of the game.
Quad City pulled Brookin as an extra attacker with two minutes remaining, and Hagaman appeared on his way to an empty net and had a clear chance from the blue line. However, his stick was broken, so he had to settle for dropping it on the ice and kicking the puck toward the Quad-City end.
The Rivermen finished 11-2-2 this season against the Quad-Cities, but Saturday's finale wasn't pretty. Both teams will be able to play better than before.
The Rivermen were already mathematically locked into second place and had nothing to really play for. But the Quad-Cities had a lot to play for. If they won, they would advance to the first round against Fayetteville. Instead, the loss forced them to play in the opening playoff game against defending champion Roanoke.
“We won, but it wasn't great,” Trudell said. “Our players are better than this, faster and can play with more energy.”
SPHL Playoffs Photos
The Rivermen were entrenched as the second seed in the SPHL postseason lineup, finishing the season in second place with 79 points and a record of 37 wins, 14 losses, and 5 draws. For the third straight year in the postseason, they will face a No. 7 Pensacola team in the best-of-three first round. Birmingham ranks first with 85 points, followed by Roanoke third with 74 points, followed by Fayetteville (68 points), Huntsville (67 points), Quad-Cities (65 points), Pensacola (54 points) and Evansville (50 points). It became. Macon and Knoxville missed the playoffs.
- Wednesday: Game 1, Pensacola Rivermen, Pensacola Bay Center, 7:05 p.m.
- Friday: Game 2, Pensacola, Rivermen, Carver Arena, 7:15 p.m.
- Saturday: Game 3 (if required), Pensacola, Rivermen, Carver Arena, 7:15 p.m.
Tickets are $26 for glass row seating. The lower bowl premium is $21. The Pilot House is $15 and the Upper Bowl is $14.
Tickets for individual playoff games are currently available by calling the Rivermen at the Carver Arena office (676-1040), at the Civic Center ticket office (open Fridays only, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) or 90 minutes before game time. It is sold by calling us directly in advance. .
Other series include: No. 1 Birmingham vs. No. 8 Evansville. 3rd place Roanoke vs. 6th place Quad City. No. 4 Fayetteville vs. No. 5 Huntsville.
river reading
The Rivermen finished their 28-game home schedule Saturday with an average attendance of 3,972. This is a 21% increase over last season and marks the team's second consecutive season with at least a 20% increase in attendance. Rivermen gated this season at 3,972 people per game, an increase of 45% since the 2021-22 season. … Captain of the Rivermen Alec Hagaman He reached 50 points in his sixth season with the Rivermen. …The Rivermen will quickly pack their bags and take the bus to Pensacola for Sunday's first-round series against the Ice Flyers. …Sunday at 2:00 PM Central Time is the deadline for the final SPHL roster. …Rivermen Veterans Center JM Piotrowski He was suspended for one game by the SPHL for an elbow incident in Friday's game against Quad-City and missed Saturday's final game. …The league's top two teams, the Rivermen and Birmingham, have a combined record of 46-4-6 on home ice this season. …The Washington High School wrestling state championship team was recognized on the ice between periods Saturday. …Beijing's high school hockey team was honored on the ice for back-to-back wins over downstate Illinois between periods.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star's sports columnist, covering Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the sports column “Cleve In The Eve” on his pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him at X.com @icetimecleve.
