Aces Smack Roadrunners 6-1

by Andrew Nordmeier
February 11, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners


Mahatmas Gandhi was known for using peaceful means to bring about social change in India. He was a pacifist with a purpose and was very effective in driving reform.

Unfortunately, the Phoenix Roadrunners seemed like they tried to use Gandhi's principles to kill penalties Friday night against the Alaska Aces. Not surprisingly it failed, miserably, as the Aces (37-7-3) scored on their first four power plays in the opening period and never looked back in a 6-1 win, snapping Phoenix's five-game winning streak. All seven goals in the game came on the power play.

Olivier Filion started the scoring 1:24 in when he beat Roadrunners' (16-25-3) starting netminder Michael Mole for his 10th of the season. Mike Scott scored twice on the power play in a two-minute span to make it 3-0 for Alaska. Alex Leavitt's goal at 16:04 gave the Aces a 4-for-4 start on the power play and a 4-0 lead.

Mole was benched in favor of Ryan Cyr at the start of the second period and neither team scored in the middle 20 minutes.

In the third, Joey Talbot bagged his 18th goal of the season and Peter Metcalf his 11th to close out Alaska's scoring. Phoenix's Justin Quenneville scored at 7:46 of the third period to break up the shutout bid of Alaska netminder Chris Beckford-Tseu. He is a perfect 10-0-0 at home this season and 14-1-2 overall

Alaska finished 6-of-11 on the power play and is 10-of-36 this season against Phoenix. The ECHL record for power-play goals in a game is seven, done three times, most recently by Cincinnati in December 2002. Phoenix was 1-for-4. The Aces outshot Phoenix 43-21 including a 19-4 margin in the third period.

These two teams meet again Saturday night at 11pm (eastern) and Sunday at 9pm to close out this three-game series and the Roadrunners' nine-game road trip.

Three Stars

3. Gauthier-AK Three assists.

2. Leavitt-AK Goal and two helpers.

1. Scott-AK Two power play goals to knock out the Roadrunners.

Notes: Alaska has scored first a league-high 33 times and is 30-3-0 when they do...Leavitt, Scott and Barrett Heisten of the Aces are 2nd, 3rd and 4th in ECHL scoring with 58, 57 and 57 points, respectively. Only Garrett Bembridge of Idaho (35-34-69) is ahead of them...Alaska is the first ECHL team with 20 wins at home (20-2-1) ...Gaucher leads all defensemen in scoring with 47 points (10-37-47) and has a streak of 16 assists in the Aces' last eight home games...Talbot's goal was given to him after the game and denied Scott a hat trick. It also keeps alive Talbot's run of eight goals in the Aces' last six home games...Alaska leads the league with 75 first-period goals; only Gwinnett ‘s third period total of 75 is the lone other one over 70 in any period...Alaska is 33-0-0 when leading after two periods...The Aces have outshot opponents 31 times and is 26-5-0 when they do...Attendance was 5,122.



ECHL Stories from February 11, 2006


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