By: Jacob Brewer and Gage Bright

Despite Taylor McCloy’s best efforts to lead the Quad City Storm to a win in their first ever franchise game on Saturday, the Peoria Rivermen were able to score four unanswered goals en route to an overtime victory in the preseason. 1,969 Rivermen fans were in attendance to cheer on the home team at Carver Arena

After a strong start by the Rivermen, the Storm would take the advantage after the first period with a lead of 2-0.

Despite the deficit after the first period, Rivermen star and Peoria native Alec Hagaman was pleased with what he saw from the Rivermen for the upcoming season.

“We have a good group of guys out there, many guys returning and new guys ready to make their mark. They did look a little hesitant out there, but I think they’re ready to get to work,” Hagaman said.

The Rivermen were able to get a hot start on the Storm, putting on six shots within the first five minutes of the game. But this would fall off from there, only being able to muster three more shots throughout the next 15 minutes.

The first Storm goal would come at 8:07 into the period. A failed breakout by the Rivermen gave Storm forward Dalton Mills the puck. He would saucer a pass to a completely open McCloy who would bury it through the legs of Rivermen goalie Braeden Ostepchuck.

The dynamic duo of Mills and McCloy would strike again at 14:26 into the period. Mills would dump the puck into the Rivermen zone to McCloy sitting beside the net. McCloy would bury it for his second goal of the game, giving the Storm a two-goal lead to round out the first period.

The second period would be a complete flip in momentum compared to the first with a strong start by the Storm and a later push by the Rivermen.

McCloy would strike again just 39 seconds into the second period to give him a hat trick on the night. McCloy would fly through the neutral zone on a breakaway, finally deking Ostepchuck to give the Storm a 3-0 lead.

But the Rivermen would begin their comeback, tacking on two goals by the end of the period.

At 11:24 into the period, Lane King would win a draw in the Storm zone and send the puck back to defenseman Jake Flegal. Flegal would send it across to his defensive partner Cody Smith, who ripped a shot home for the first Rivermen goal of the night.

Then at 17:30 into the period Austin Vieth and Mike Gurtler flew up the ice on a 2-on-0 opportunity. Vieth shot a pass over to Gurtler, who scored the Rivermen’s second goal of the night, reducing the Storm’s lead to just one.

Gurtler was pleased to see his team rebound and begin to mount a comeback after falling into such a deep hole.

“Playing with confidence was the main thing. We had guys getting to the puck faster, making deeper passes, keeping their feet moving. Once we get going, I think we can be hard to control,” Gurtler said.

The Rivermen also dominated the period in shots, taking 21 in just the second period compared to a Storm period total of 6.

Going into the third, the Rivermen thought a change in goaltender may aid their efforts in the comeback. Ostepchuk was taken out and Aaron Taylor was put in.

There was only a single goal just three minutes in to the third period, but it was one of the most important in the game.

The Rivermen defense stuffed a clearing attempt from the Storm in their zone. Ben Blasko would get possession and shoot a quick pass over to a camped-out Vincent Beaudry. Beaudry rang the goal home to tie the game and eventually send It to overtime!

Overtime would end in exactly three minutes time. Blasko and Will Smith would come flying into the Storm zone with a 2-on-1 opportunity. Just before hitting the net, Blasko shot a pass over to Smith and with the game on his stick, Smith would send it home for a Rivermen win at a score of 4-3.

Rivermen coach Jean-Guy acknowledged that while the win was good, the preseason is more about improvement, not wins and losses.

“We were a bit sloppy, but it was a preseason game, and the important thing was I saw what I needed to see.” It wasn’t about winning. Preseason games, if you win, great, but the task is to evaluate players and get a good look at guys,” Trudel said.

The Rivermen will start their regular season at none other than the Quad City Storm on October 20