How the Peoria Rivermen shut down Macon for a Game 1 victory in SPHL playoffs
The Peoria Rivermen got two goals from Garrett Devine, a shutout from goaltender Nick Latinovich, to beat Macon, 2-0, in Game 1 of the SPHL playoffs.
The Peoria Rivermen authored a playoff victory Thursday with what has been their signature style all season. The No. 1 seed Rivermen dealt a defensive gem for a 2-0 victory over the Macon Mayhem in Game 1 of the SPHL first-round playoff series before 1,779 at Macon Coliseum.
The Rivermen set a league record with a 1. 91 goals allowed per game defense during the 2025-26 season, and veteran goaltender Nick Latinovich helped them continue that trend with just the third playoff shutout by a Peoria goaltender in the franchise's SPHL era. Veteran center Garrett Devine scored both goals for Peoria.
The Rivermen, however, left a lot of room on the table to play at a higher level, and they were not there yet on Thursday. "I thought Tino (Latinovich) was outstanding," Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel said. "I thought 5-on-5 we didn't give much at all.
But our penalty-kill was disorganized, and I think our best players were just average in this game. "It's a long playoff, you hope the rest of the guys get engaged. Playoffs are for the big boys.