Peoria Rivermen win in overtime to take series lead in SPHL Finals

TL;DR

The Peoria Rivermen won Game 1 of the SPHL Finals in overtime, defeating the Evansville team 2-1. Tyler Ryder scored the game-winning goal just 88 seconds into sudden-death overtime.

Key points

Peoria Rivermen won Game 1 of SPHL Finals
Tyler Ryder scored the overtime winner
Final score was 2-1
Game took place at Carver Arena
2,178 fans attended the game

Mentioned in this story

Carver Arena

Peoria RivermenEvansvilleSPHL President's Cup Finals

PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen were looking for a playoff hero Thursday in Game 1 of the SPHL President's Cup Finals.

It took sudden-death overtime to find one, when Tyler Ryder notched the game-winner 88 seconds into sudden-death to clinch the series opener, 2-1, before 2,178 at Carver Arena.

Ryder grabbed the puck between the circles, drifted left, and fired a shot through goaltender Kristian Stead that rattled through for a victory.

Game 2 of the best-of-5 series is Friday in Carver Arena.

The Rivermen spent the first 75 seconds in the Evansville zone after the opening faceoff. The Rivermen earned a power play in the eighth minute, and produced three shots on it but could not score.

The Rivermen broke open the scoreless tie at 13:38 when captain Alec Baer skated through the left side of the zone, reached the endline, one-handed the puck into the crease and it was knocked in by Griffen Fox from the doorstep, slipping past Stead and inside the right post.

![Griffen Fox and the Peoria Rivermen celebrate his first-period goal against Evansville in Game 1 of the SPHL President's Cup finals Thursday, April 30, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria.

MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yZGrbym4KKrwjKjY.KN3rA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/journal-star/a73938411a0cf4c1f0b6d065c25e552e)

Griffen Fox and the Peoria Rivermen celebrate his first-period goal against Evansville in Game 1 of the SPHL President's Cup finals Thursday, April 30, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria. MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR

That gave Peoria a 10-3 shots lead as it continued to dominate the opening period.

Evansville built a presence in the Rivermen zone during the first eight minutes of the second period, but Peoria cleared those danger spots and twice nearly scored in the midway part of the period on quality chances by Mike Gelatt and Matt Wiesner.

Peoria had another terrific shift with about six minutes left, mustering four shots as Evansville scrambled in its zone to keep them off the board.

Rivermen winger Daniel Chartrand, parked in front of the net, was hit by a deflected puck in the face off friendly fire with 2:35 left, and headed to the bench for medical attention.

He did return and play in the third period.

The Rivermen reached a big moment at 4:41 of the third period when Braydon Barker was boxed for holding, sending Evansville to its first power play of the game.