Peoria struck first on the power play at 5:37 of the opening period when former Monster T.J. Hensick- the Monsters all-time points leader- picked up possession off a deflection and fired the puck into the upper portion of the Monsters goal.

Brett Sterling started the second period scoring for Peoria when he extended the Rivermen lead to 2-0 at 3:53 of the middle frame; he tapped in the rebound from a Danny Syvret shot. Hensick also assisted.

Less than 10 minutes later, Derek Nesbitt one-timed a pass from the top of the Monsters crease and scored to give Peoria a 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission. Nesbitt, who assisted on the first Rivermen goal of the night, was assisted again by Hensick.

Rivermen defenseman Mark Cundari added an empty-net goal late in the third period to seal the 4-0 victory for Peoria.

Cann’s 40 saves in the game were a season high for a Monsters netminder, but his record falls to 8-14-0. Ben Bishop stopped all 38 Monsters shots he saw to improve to 16-10-0; he leads the American Hockey League with six shutouts.

The Monsters return to action Saturday night in Chicago against the Wolves; they will try to avenge the 3-1 loss suffered at the hands of Chicago last Saturday. All the action begins at 8:00 PM Eastern, and can be heard live on ESPN 850 WKNR.

In a scheduling note, Sunday afternoon’s Monsters game in Milwaukee has undergone a time change, and will now begin at 2:00 PM Eastern. Sunday’s game – which will wrap up the team’s current five-game road swing - can be heard live on AM 1220 WHKW.

NOTES: The Monsters four-game losing streak marks their second-longest stretch without a victory this season… Cann started his sixth straight game in net for the Monsters; he is 2-4-0 in that span following the loss to Peoria… The Monsters signed goaltender Gerald Coleman to a professional tryout contract prior to the game; Coleman had been playing for the Alaska Aces of the ECHL… The Monsters are 7-6-0-1 when they have five or more power play opportunities; they were 0-for-5 on the man-advantage in the 4-0 loss in Peoria… The Monsters fall to 1-1-0-1 against Peoria this season, and are now 3-4-0-1 against the Midwest Division… The Monsters are 4-13-0 when trailing after the first period… Forward Mark Olver played his first game of the season on Thursday after recovering from a preseason injury.