Mustangs Hand Rochester First Loss; Return Home vs. Wausau
Story by Connor Kelly
Written 11/18/20
MUSTANGS SPLIT ROAD SERIES IN ROCHESTER:
The Peoria Mustangs returned to the road this past weekend in Rochester, MN to face-off against the undefeated Rochester Grizzlies for the first time this season.
GAME 1 (11/13/20): The Mustangs continued their assertiveness on the road with keeping an even game between them and Rochester. F Quinn Murphy and F Jaycob Bland both notched their 3rd goals of the season to keep pace with the 2 goals scored by the Grizzlies in the first and second frames. Late in the 3rd period, the Grizzlies found the back of the net to take a 1 goal lead with a 1:30 left. The Mustangs would take goalie Cole Walter to add an extra player on the ice to try to even the score but the Grizzlies would take advantage of an empty net by scoring with 10 seconds left. Despite a tough test to the Grizzlies, the Mustangs fell 4-2 in the opening game.
Game 1 Stats: https://www.peoriamustangs.com/stats/game-summary/28843
GAME 2 (11/14/20): A frustrating first game led the Mustangs to the juice they needed to a more complete rubber match against the Grizzlies. Despite the Grizzlies notching the early lead in the first period, the Mustangs remained composed as they went into the locker room for the first intermission. After that, the game momentum shifted all to Peoria. Mustangs goalie Cole Walter continued to make a case for another Central Division Star of the Week as his road dominance continued in the 2nd game. He and the defense shut the Rochester offense down while Peoria’s offense came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. Peoria’s Jared Wisely broke out of his scoring slump and notched his first goal of the season in a big way. Wisely’s goal evened the score at 1-1 midway through the second. While the defense continued to dominant, George Giese had something else to say about the score. At the 17:30 mark in the second frame, Giese notched his third goal of the year with the assists coming from Connor Bennett and Jack Craycroft. This gave the Mustangs a 2-1 advantage and what would turn out to be the game winning goal. Once the third frame hit, it was a large showcase for the Mustangs’ defensive abilities along with Cole Walter’s skills. The game would end with a 2-1 win for the Mustangs and Rochester’s first loss of the year. Goalie Cole Walter tallied 36 saves out of 37 attempts.
Game 2 Stats: https://www.peoriamustangs.com/stats/game-summary/28846
A LOOK AT WAUSAU:
The RiverWolves will make their first trip to Peoria this weekend and the two teams will once again attempt to complete a weekend series. The last weekend series between the two squads was slated to be in Wausau on Halloween weekend but was ultimately canceled due to COVID-19 issues. But now, the attention shifts to the River City where the Mustangs have not played at since the season opening series vs. Milwaukee. The RiverWolves sit a 2-4 in the Central Division and are coming off of a series split against Milwaukee.
GAME INFORMATION:
Peoria Mustangs (4-2-1-1) vs. Wausau RiverWolves (2-4)
DATE: November 20, 2020 & November 21, 2020
TIME: 7:15 PM & 6:45 PM (Central)
LOCATION: Owens Center, Peoria, IL, USA
HOW TO WATCH: HockeyTV
