Storm Ring in the New Year with Overtime Thriller Against Rivermen

The Quad City Storm hosted a New Year’s Eve bash on home ice, but no one expected the fireworks to come after regulation.

In a hard-fought battle with the Peoria Rivermen, the Storm skated their way into 2026 with momentum, pulling off a 3–2 overtime victory in front of a buzzing crowd at Vibrant Arena.

Early Special Teams Swing Momentum

The Storm earned the game’s first power-play opportunity just 3:05 into the opening period when Peoria’s Eimantas Noreika was called for tripping. Quad City couldn’t capitalize, and the missed chance came back to bite almost immediately.

Moments after the Storm power play expired, Ashton Paul was whistled for boarding, giving Peoria a chance with the man advantage. The Rivermen took full advantage, scoring 1:20 into the power play to jump out to a 1–0 lead.

Quad City answered back midway through the period.

At the 13:44 mark of the first, Nathan Berke found the back of the net to even things up at 1–1, with assists from Tommy Tsicos and Ashton Paul, helping the Storm regain some energy heading toward intermission.

Peoria’s Mike Gelatt was called for hooking late in the period, giving Quad City a power play that carried into the second.

Short-Handed Setback in the Second

The Storm opened the second period with just over a minute remaining on the man advantage, but instead of taking the lead, it was Peoria that struck.

Just 39 seconds into the period, Rivermen forward Braydon Barker scored a short-handed goal, putting Peoria back in front 2–1. It would be the lone goal of the second period, despite Peoria earning another power play later after Tsicos was called for tripping at 13:28.

Strong defensive play and steady goaltending kept the Storm within one heading into the third — and that’s when the game shifted.

Storm Push Back in the Third

Quad City came out of the second intermission with noticeable urgency, spending much of the opening minutes of the third period in Peoria’s zone.

That pressure paid off just 2:17 into the period when Savva Smirnov scored on a ricochet goal that bounced off his hip and into the net. Nathan Berke and Jake MacDonald earned the assists as the Storm tied the game at 2–2 with plenty of hockey left to play.

Peoria nearly reclaimed the lead when Nick Parody was called for tripping at 8:53, but Quad City’s penalty kill rose to the occasion, keeping the Rivermen off the scoreboard and forcing overtime.

Overtime Fireworks on New Year’s Eve

Extra hockey on New Year’s Eve? The crowd couldn’t have asked for more.

Peoria appeared to have the game in hand on a dangerous 2-on-1 breakaway, but the Storm disrupted the play, stealing the puck and instantly flipping the script.

Devin Sanders sprung Leif Mattson behind the defense with a perfect pass, sending Mattson in alone on goaltender Jack Bostedt. Mattson showed patience and confidence, faking a move to the right before pulling it left at the last second, sliding Bostedt out of position and burying the game-winning goal.

Storm win.Final score: 3–2 (OT).

Momentum Heading into 2026

The victory marked the Storm’s seventh win in their last 11 games, a strong stretch that has Quad City trending in the right direction as the calendar flips to 2026.

What started as a New Year’s Eve celebration turned into a statement win — one built on resilience, timely defense, and a finish no one in the building will soon forget.

If this is how the Storm plan to start the new year, buckle up.