PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen had a wealth of elite goaltending on their roster during a run to the SPHL President’s Cup Finals last spring.
They had three goaltenders who were No. 1-caliber, and one of them is returning on a mission to be a player the defending regular-season champions can bank on.
Connor McAnanama has signed with Peoria, moving up from the low-A FPHL, where he just completed a terrific run of three straight championships with Binghamton.
“It’s kind of that same winning culture in Peoria,” McAnanama said. “(Rivermen head coach) Jean-Guy Trudel brings the fire that I feel is needed to fuel that. (Peoria captain) Alec Baer is there leading the helm. He was one of the first guys to welcome me into Peoria when I got there last season.
“With Guy, he knows what he wants and knows how to build championship contenders.”
The Rivermen set an SPHL record in 2025-26 for fewest goals allowed in a single-season, permitting just 1.91 per game.
They did it with SPHL Goaltender of the Year Jack Bostedt, who went 17-7-2 with a league-record low 1.58 goals-against and a .946 saves rate.
He partnered with veteran Nick Latinovich, who was SPHL Goaltender of the Year in 2023-24, and last season went 17-8-1 with a 1.98 goals-against and .930 saves rate and leading Peoria through the playoffs.
McAnanama was called up to Peoria from Binghamton during the season while Bostedt was on a call-up to the ECHL. His numbers were even better at a 1.41 goals-against and .953 saves rate. Had he compiled enough minutes to qualify, it would have given the Rivermen a 1-2-3 finish atop the league goaltending rankings.
“Just hoping to come in and fill those shoes,” McAnanama said. “All the pressure in games, the competition, I welcome that. It helps me elevate.”
McAnanama went 62-8-0 in three seasons at Binghamton, compiling a career 2.25 goals-against and .918 saves rate plus seven shutouts. He went back down to Binghamton last spring and was part of its three-peat title run there.
“There were no hard feelings at all,” McAnanama said. “I just wanted to finish out the year with a team I’d been with for so long.”
But the 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Agawam, Massachusetts, knew where he wanted to be in 2026-27.
“I told Jean-Guy I want to be the one to win the championship in Peoria,” said McAnanama, 27. “I want to be in the net. Help a team win a championship. I feel like going back to Peoria is the best chance for that.
“I came back to the Rivermen to do that.”
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: ‘Winning culture’: Everything an elite goaltender said about signing with Peoria Rivermen
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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By Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
