The Columbus Cottonmouths had trouble finding ways to stop the Peoria Rivermen, which beat Cottonmouths, 5-1.

Peoria was led by goalie Kyle Rank, who finished with 31 saves while allowing one goal. The solid play of Rank will be reflected in his goals against average, which pre-game was 2.15.

The Rivermen were led by Chris Wilson, who racked up one goal and one assist. Wilson scored 4:39 into the first period to make the score 2-0 Peoria. Mike Gurtler assisted on the tally.

Peoria excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in five chances. The Rivermen's penalty killing units received substantial work throughout the game as Peoria finished with 22 penalty minutes. By firing 34 shots on goal, the Rivermen exceeded the 28.2 shots they average per game this year.

Peoria additionally got points from Gurtler, who also had one goal and two assists to lead the team in points and Connor P. Toomey, who also registered one goal and one assist. Peoria also had goals scored by Cody Dion and Adam Stuart, who each put in one. Other players who recorded assists for Peoria were Josh Harris, who had two and Mark Corbett, Brandon Greenside, and Ben Power, who each chipped in one.

Columbus' defensemen bolstered the Cottonmouths' offensive attack, as they bombarded Rank with 13 shots. Columbus' offense rang up 32 shots on Peoria's net.

The Cottonmouths were led by Chad Bennett, who took one shot.

The Rivermen registered one goal on four power play opportunities. Andrew Loewen recorded 29 saves for Columbus. The Cottonmouths ended with 28 minutes in penalty time with four minors and two majors.