The Rivermen now have a .500 record after three wins last week against Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids and Milwaukee. Peoria now sits just two points from the top spot in the Midwest Division.

Dec. 11 – 4-2 W at Oklahoma City
T.J. Hensick and Andrew Murray each had two goals, and goaltender Jake Allen made 26 saves in Peoria’s 4-2 win over the Barons Tuesday night. The Rivermen were able to hold Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, and the AHL’s leading point scorer Justin Schultz to minus-3 ratings. The loss by the Barons was their fifth straight. Peoria outshot Oklahoma City 34-28. The Rivermen went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Barons went 2-for-4.

Dec. 14 – 3-0 W at Grand Rapids
A three-goal third period made way for Peoria’s 3-0 win over the Griffins on Friday night to conclude their five-game road trip. Adam Cracknell, Evgeny Grachev, and Jaden Schwartz scored goals for the Rivermen. Jake Allen made 33 saves in his first shutout of the 2012-2013 season. Both teams went 0-for-5 on the man advantage, while for the second straight game the shot totals favored Peoria, 32-29.

Dec. 15 – 3-1 W vs. Milwaukee
The Rivermen defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 on Saturday night in front of 6,883 fans at Caver Arena. The victory was courtesy of another three-goal third period by Peoria. Sergey Andronov, Evgeny Grachev, and T.J. Hensick each scored goals in the final 4:26 of third frame. Mike McKenna made 26 saves in his third straight victory in net. The Rivermen went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Rivermen Notes

• Despite missing four games, Derek Nesbitt has a substantial lead for most shots on goal with 75. Jaden Schwartz is second with 58 shots on goal.
• T.J. Hensick, Jaden Schwartz, Derek Nesbitt, and Phil McRae are all tied for first on the team with 2 power play goals scored.
• Jake Allen’s shutout on Friday was his eighth of his AHL career, and his first since March 11 of last season.
• After Tuesday’s home game, the Rivermen will go back on the road for 10 of their next 12 games.
• Peoria now has a record of 11-11-2-2, good for 26 points. The first-place Griffins have 28 points.

The Rivermen will host the Hamilton Bulldogs Tuesday night. Games can be heard on CD Country 107.9 FM. For game updates follow @rivsgameday on Twitter.