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 Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen fall in overtime 2-1

January 6, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Hamilton, ON - With a top-notch goaltender starting between the pipes for both the Peoria Rivermen and the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday evening at Copps Coliseum, this Rivermen-Bulldogs match-up had great potential to boil down to a goaltending duel. That potential became reality, as Peoria netminder Patrick Lalime, a 2002-03 National Hockey League All-Star, and goalie Yann Danis of Hamilton, one of the top young goaltending prospects in the American Hockey League, each allowed only one goal in regulation and no goals through overtime. Only in a shootout did Danis finally outlast Lalime to secure a 2-1 shootout victory for Hamilton.

Patrick Lalime and Yann Danis engaged in a classic battle of the goaltenders on Friday night. Lalime faced more shots in this game than did Danis. Through the first two periods, Lalime held the Bulldogs scoreless, turning aside 14 shots in the first period and eight more shots in the second. Although he allowed one goal in the third period, Lalime saved the other 15 shots that the Hamilton squad fired at him in the frame. Lalime then stopped two shots in overtime to finish with 39 saves on 40 shots. Although Danis faced fewer shots than Lalime did, Danis came away with the win. Danis allowed one goal on 17 first-period Peoria shots, but he was impenetrable from that point on. In the second period, he stopped nine shots by the Rivermen, followed by eight more saves in the third. Including three stops in the extra session, Danis finished with 36 saves against 37 shots.

When this tilt came down to a shootout to decide a winner, the Bulldogs and the young prospect Danis prevailed over the Rivermen and the veteran Lalime. Hamilton won the shootout tournament 3-1 to garner a 2-1 shootout victory. Bulldogs center Corey Locke, right wing Alexander Perezhogin, and defenseman James Sanford all converted a shootout attempt against Lalime, while only Rivermen right winger Mike Glumac was able to beat Danis in the shootout.

The Peoria club gains one point in the standings with the shootout loss and now owns an overall record of 17-14-1-2. On the road, the Rivermen are now 6-8-1-1. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, improve to 15-23-0-2 overall and to 9-10-0-1 at home.

Left wing Peter Sejna got the Rivermen on the scoreboard first in this contest. During a Peoria power play, defenseman Trevor Byrne sent a pass from the center point in the Hamilton zone to Sejna at the top of the right circle. Sejna then skated to the inner right hash marks and wristed a shot through a screen of players and past Danis to stake the Rivermen to a 1-0 lead at 13:00 of the first period.

After a scoreless middle frame, the Bulldogs tied the game in the third period. On a shot from the right point in the Peoria zone by Hamilton blueliner Andre Benoit, Lalime made the save but left a rebound near the top of the crease. Before Lalime could smother the loose puck, Locke arrived to slip the puck into the goal to Lalime's right and tie the score at 1-1 3:46 into the third.

For their next game on Saturday, the Rivermen will come back across the United States-Canada border and venture to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Barons at 12:00 p.m. CST at Quicken Loans Arena.


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