By Joe Bachman

The sticks were hot on Friday night, to say the least.

The first place Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings took on the Blaine Energy Friday night at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota. It was a game where five different Riverkings found the back of the net, including Adam Peterson, who would put up a four goal performance.

However, it was a rough start for the Riverkings, as Blaine went up 2-1 after the first period with goals from Peyton Bolstad and Jeffrey Mathews. Harrison Kohl tied the game at two early in the second period, and from there a see-saw battle as both teams traded goals throughout the second period leaving it at 4-4.

Tyler Albitz contributed to the second period goal flurry, as well as Adam Peterson, who knocked in his second goal of the game. With less than two minutes left in the second period, Reed Kaiser set the tone for the rest of the game, slapping in a power play goal to put the Riverkings up 5-4.

It then continued to be the ‘Adam Peterson Show’, as he knocked in two more goals in the third period, with help from Kaiser and Van Bokkelen both contributing to a four goal period that led to a 9-4 final.

Kaiser, Mantz and Albitz also chipped in to an impressive road victory with two assists each on the night. The win strengthens the Riverkings’ hold on first place, with a five point lead over the defending champion Dells Ducks in the standings.