Yahoo Autos Peoria Rivermen push Huntsville to brink, but can't stop historic win streak
PEORIA — There was a time when 11 wins was a season's work for the Huntsville Havoc.
Now 12 wins is just the start to their season.
The Peoria Rivermen had 'em Friday. Had that streak all but broken with a two-goal lead. But the Havoc rallied with unanswered goals in the second and third periods to force overtime, then went on to beat the Rivermen in a shootout tiebreaker, 3-2, before 2,567 at Carver Arena.
And with that an SPHL record was made for consecutive wins to start a season as Huntsville rolled to 12-0-0.
"A lot of those guys have been on that team for years," Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. "They are very talented and they know what they have to do. We didn't have the fire we needed in the third period to put them away.
"Did I want to beat them? It doesn't matter what I want. It only matters what the guys in our room want."
More: With the Rivermen: 3 takeaways, and ex-St. Louis Blues player headed to Hall of Fame in Peoria
BOX SCORE: Huntsville 3, Rivermen 2 (SO)
SPHL: Standings for 2021-22
Back in 2014-15, Huntsville won 11 games. All season.
Glenn Detulleo was coach of the Havoc in that miserable season. He was also head coach of the Havoc when they overcame a 4-1 Rivermen lead in Game 1 of the President's Cup Finals in 2017-18, and won, 6-5 in Carver Arena. Two games later they were celebrating a championship at Carver Arena. Still stings.
"I think that 11-win season was the best thing that happened to me as a coach," Detulleo said, looking back on it. "That season was one long mistake. But it was an opportunity for me to learn. I'm thankful to (ownership) to be given the chance to stay and continue on.
"I think when you are on a big win streak, it's a combination of luck and work. We haven't really talked much about this win streak. We're just banking points, trying to play our best hockey."
How they scored
The Rivermen took a 1-0 lead 4:56 after the opening faceoff when Paul-Antoine Deslauriers notched his first pro goal in North America with a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat goaltender Max Milosek to the back door.
Peoria pushed to 2-0 at 3:32 of the second period when newly-acquired defenseman Chris Allemon deflected in Mike Laidley's drive while parked at the doorstep.
Huntsville got on the board at 11:04 when Rob Darrar put a rebound past goaltender Eric Levine after a two-on-one break.
More: With the Rivermen: Peoria native called-up to ECHL, veteran returns, and 11-0-0 foe looms
The Havoc then tied it at 5:31 of the third period when defenseman Alex Kielczewski's lob from the right point deflected off Levine and slid between the hashmarks, where Cole Reginato buried it.
A scoreless three-on-three overtime followed, and Huntsville closed out its win in the penalty shot shootout with goals from Jacob Barber, Rob Darrar and Sy Nutkevitch.
"Anytime we come into this building it seems to be an experience," Detulleo said. "But we come in here knowing it's going to be a battle every time. That's always a good team over there."
River Readings
Former Rivermen defenseman Ben Oskroba was in town and dropped the puck during pre-game ceremonies. ... The Rivermen put second-leading goalscorer Tanner Hildebrandt on team suspension after he quit the team on Thursday. ... The Rivermen re-signed Peoria native Nate Chasteen and he came off the bench in the shootout to score a goal. ... The Rivermen claimed defenseman Egor Kostiukov off SPHL waivers from Huntsville and he played well in his debut Friday. ... The Rivermen signed defenseman Chris Allemon earlier in the week and he debuted Friday with a goal. ... Utica set an AHL record Friday night for consecutive wins to start a season, its streak reaching 12. ... The Rivermen will host Huntsville in a 7:15 p.m. rematch at Carver Arena on Saturday. Peoria will be wearing special Peanuts cartoon-themed jerseys and auction them after the game.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: SPHL hockey: Peoria Rivermen vs. Huntsville Havoc win streak
