For immediate release

For more information, contact: Joel Silverberg, Director of Broadcasting (865) 525-7825,  joel@knoxvilleicebears.com.

Talor Joseph made 25 saves and stopped four-of-five shots in the shootout and Jason Brancheau scored the game-winner in the fifth round as the Knoxville Ice Bears rallied to defeat the Peoria Rivermen 3-2 at the Peoria Civic Center Sunday afternoon.

The Ice Bears now have points in four of their last five games. Peoria has dropped two of its last three.

With Knoxville trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Jimmy Soper teed off from atop the left circle after Mitch Atkins won a face-off back to Soper. Soper’s blast beat Jack Bostedt up high at 11:41 to tie the game.

Joseph locked down things the rest of the way for Knoxville. He snatched a screened look from the right point by Jordan Ernst with the glove late in the third, kicked away a backhand from the slot by Michael McChesney in overtime, denied Ernst again from the high slot moments later and got Zach Wilkie’s breakaway attempt with the blocker.

Dawson McKinney scored in the first round of the shootout to put Knoxville in front. Carlos Fornaris tied it for the Rivermen when he slipped the puck under Joseph in the third round. Joseph responded with back-to-back saves against Jake Vaughan and Tyler Ho.

That set the stage for Brancheau, who slowly made his way through the right circle to the slot, deked to his backhand side and pulled the puck back across to his forehand before slipping the puck behind Bostedt and into the net.

Peoria nearly took the lead early in the game, but Joseph stopped a point-blank shot from Mike Egan and slid over to block JM Piotrowski’s rebound attempt from in front of the crease. He later denied Alec Baer on a breakaway halfway through the first.

Tyler Williams carried the puck from his own blue line up the left wing, weaved his way through four Rivermen skaters into the zone, kept possession through the right circle and went back behind the net where he slipped a backhand pass to Derek Osik on the right side of the crease. Osik’s shot glanced off the glove of Bostedt and across the goal line to make it 1-0 at 14:09 of the first.

Peoria tied the game with Wilkie’s backdoor tap-in at 10:06 of the second Zack Nazzarett gave the Rivermen the lead at 16:50 with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Knoxville hosts Huntsville on Friday. Peoria hosts Birmingham on Friday.

ABOUT The Knoxville Ice Bears: The Knoxville Ice Bears organization began in 2002 and was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) in 2004. As four-time SPHL Champions and five-time regular season champions, the Ice Bears are an experienced and established organization, offering the city and its visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity and endless fan interaction, presenting the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment. Season, Partial Season and Flex Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.knoxvilleicebears.com or call (865) 525-7825.

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