PEORIA, Ill. – The 2023 SPHL President’s Cup playoffs began, with No. 1 seed Peoria Rivermen playing number eight Pensacola Ice Flyers in the first round. Game one was played in Pensacola on Thursday, April 13, 2023, with Peoria getting the edge with a 3-2 victory. Game 2 was scheduled for Saturday night in Peoria, which usually is not a problem, with both teams leaving shortly after their game for the other city/rink. The road trip for Pensacola went as planned, but for the Rivermen squad, it became a team-building exercise with not just one but two bus breakdowns. The first occurred after hitting something in the road on a dark interstate section in Alabama. A repairman was found hours later and was able to get the team back on the road after 12 hours delayed on Friday afternoon. While plenty of time remained for the team to arrive in Peoria before their Saturday evening game, another problem developed a few hours later, and the bus had to pull over again with mechanical issues. This time alternative transportation was searched for but was challenging to find. The team could not locate any company willing to return the team to Peoria, so multiple transportation companies were lined up to complete the journey. When things started looking good, it turned for the worse once again when the first bus could not find the team and canceled the plans with the team. The second transportation company was contacted, and they agreed to pick up the team. However, what they were hoping for in a regular bus turned out to be a limo party bus, not the type of vehicle for a professional hockey team to return home. The team packed everything required into the bus, including stacking bags in the aisles with plans to play a game at the Peoria Civic Center on Saturday evening. The SPHL and Ice Flyers team agreed to postpone the game to Sunday to allow the Rivermen ample time to relax after their 36-plus-hour journey; head coach Jean-Guy Trudel wanted to postpone but left the decision to the players; the team unanimously voted to play Saturday evening. Once finally arriving in Peoria, around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, everyone involved agreed to change the first puck drop to 8 p.m. – a 45-minute delay. Peoria fans were hoping for the best but honestly expected their team to be outplayed from the fatigue of their trip. Once the final buzzer sounded in regulation, the Rivermen eliminated the Ice Flyers from the playoffs with a 2-1 victory in the game, with a sweep in the best of three series.
The home team seemed to have plenty of energy to start the game, but both teams played strong defense and prevented shots on net. Compared to the previous weekend, the first period was very calm – was this related to having a four-man official crew or something else? After the first period was completed, not a single penalty had been called, and not much play warranted an infraction. The tight battle only allowed ten shots on goal total for the teams, with Peoria getting six but, more importantly, at the 11:11 mark of the first, a score by Captain Alec Hagaman. An Ice Flyers turnover near their blueline turned into a breakaway, with the initial shot stopped by Pensacola netminder Brad Arvanitis but Hagaman was able to get his own rebound and find the right side of the net on his second attempt. The nearly 2600 in attendance erupted with their team on the scoresheet first.
The second period was played at a slower pace by both squads with a similar defensive play as the first; neither team showed a true advantage. Pensacola was the first to be offered a power play shortly after the halfway mark, when Peoria forward Vadim Vasjonkin was called for high-sticking, but the visitors could not capitalize on the opportunity. Peoria was next, getting a powerplay when Ice Flyers forward Lucas Herrmann was penalized for slashing at 16:25 of the second. While in Peoria’s offensive zone, a short 13 seconds later, Ice Flyers forward Garrett Milan and Rivermen forward Alec Baer were each given offsetting Roughing calls, but then another 14 seconds later, Rivermen forward Jordan Ernst was called for high-sticking while driving the net, getting his stick in Pensacola goalie Arvanitis’s mask; so Peoria’s powerplay opportunity was negated. While playing four-on-four, Ice Flyer forward Malik Johnson found a soft spot in the Peoria defense and got a feed from Ivan Bondarenko to tie the game at one goal apiece. Pensacola had a short 27-second powerplay but was unable to score or control the puck for most of their time; shortly after time expired for the Ernst penalty, the Rivermen forward exited the box and joined a rush and, after a couple of shots was able to find the back of the net a short 20 seconds later. During the initial rush, Ernst took a shot that missed and appeared to snag Arvanitis’s stick attempting to retrieve the puck from the corner. The puck would be passed to Rivermen defenseman Dale Deon, who would skate into the slot untouched, get a shot off; able to get his own rebound before making a pass to Ernst for the goal with 48 seconds remaining in the period, all while Arvanitis’s stick was 10 feet away from the goalminder. The final stanza began with the Ice Flyers needing two more goals than Peoria to continue their season for at least one more game. While Peoria provided a couple of powerplay opportunities for the Pensacola team, the Ice Flyers could not beat the Peoria defense or goalie Jack Berry; neither team found a way past the opposing goalie and each team seemed drained of energy in the final period. At the end of the period, there was some confusion when the clock was stopped with less than three seconds remaining, and officials’ whistle was not heard over the screaming crowd as they realized their team was advancing on. The officials requested that the clock be turned on and complete the period, ending the Ice Flyers 2023 campaign. Next up was the traditional hockey playoff handshake, with several Pensacola players waiting on the ice for additional time, thinking of what could have been.
Check out this photo gallery from Field Pass Hockey’s Tim Lester, who was able to capture the playoff action.
Tim Lester is Field Pass Hockey’s Peoria Rivermen and Quad City Storm photographer and will be bringing you action from Peoria’s attempt to repeat as President’s Cup Champions.
