All that fuss about the Peoria Rivermen being booted out of their home ice Carver Arena for the first round SPHL playoff series against Macon turned out to be for naught. The Rivermen, who lost the opener of the best of three series in Georgia Wednesday, roared back to win both Friday and Saturday night in front of a full and loud Owens Center crowd of loyalists.
The series triumph is the first since 2004 for the Rivermen, who were then in the AA ECHL. That’s an amazing stat considering the historical success the franchise has enjoyed. The Rivermen last won a league championship in 2000 during their ECHL days.
I took my grandson to the decisive game three at Owens Saturday night. The stands were mostly full, and they guesstimated the attendance at 1,001. Would they have drawn a better crowd at Carver? Don’t know. For whatever reason, playoff crowds tend to be smaller than regular season crowds for the Rivermen, Chiefs and the now-defunct indoor football Pirates. It’s only when the team goes deep in the playoffs do the crowds start to return in larger numbers.
We enjoyed the atmosphere at the cozy, alcohol-free Owens Center Saturday. I believe it may have been a BETTER home crowd noise advantage to be at Owens. You could definitely hear the boards rattling from hits more than at Carver. The public address issues that apparently plagued Friday’s game were gone. We could hear PA announcer Greg Halbleib just fine. On the ice, the Rivermen played great defensively, and goalie Kyle Rank was his usual stellar self.
So, with the Monster Jam trucks and dirt out of Carver Arena, the Rivermen will still not be able to play there, due to the booking of a religious event this weekend. Peoria opens the SPHL semifinal series Wednesday at Fayetteville, which knocked out last year’s playoff champ, Knoxville, in round one.
Friday, Owens Center hosts game two at 7:05 pm, then – if needed – Saturday’s game three at 8:05 pm. Tickets are on sale now at the team offices at 309-676-1040. Come out and cheer on the top seeded Rivermen to more post season victories this weekend.
Doc Watson
