Rivermen spring surprise against Wolves
The Chicago Wolves probably were due for the result -- a rare loss -- handed to them Saturday night.
Trailing most of the way and struggling on the power play, the Wolves fell 5-3 to the Peoria Rivermen in front of 10,366 at the Allstate Arena.
Brian Fahey, Kevin Doell and Jason Krogg each scored for the Wolves (46-15-2-2), who came in with the AHL's top record, including 15 victories and a loss in regulation over their past 19 games.
Against the Rivermen, who had lost three in a row and 12 of 16, the Wolves went 1-for-9 on the power play.
Wolves coach John Anderson said his team -- dressed in green jerseys to celebrate St. Patrick's Day -- needed some luck to stuff the puck past Peoria's Marek Schwarz, who made 38 saves.
"We couldn't get a break around the net and that was the difference in the hockey game," Anderson said. "We had tons of chances on the power play and we just couldn't get it by Schwarz."
Despite a gaudy won-lost record, the Wolves lately had been unimpressed with their own play. Fahey said undisciplined penalties hurt them against Peoria.
"That kind of creeps in when you only lose two games in regulation out of 20 -- you get away with stuff that other teams wouldn't get away with," Fahey said.
Trailing 4-3, the Wolves opened the third period with a quick power-play opportunity, but Peoria's Trent Whitfield scored on a breakaway 41 seconds in to give the Rivermen (33-25-4-4) a cushion.
Jean-Guy Trudel -- who was helped off the ice after sustaining an apparent ankle injury in the first period -- returned to score a goal and add 2 assists for Peoria, which beat the Wolves for the third time this season.
Anderson, too, had bemoaned the Wolves' substandard play of late but said Saturday that things still are going pretty well.
"What's going wrong when you only lose two of 20 in regulation?" Anderson said. "One-game slumps are good."
The Wolves hit the road for their next five games, starting at Lake Erie on Tuesday. They return home against Houston on March 29.