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February 20, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


Phoenix, Ariz. - WEEK RECORD: 1-1-0 - SEASON RECORD: 17-28-3 - 6th WEST DIVISION

‘RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners followed up a loss to Long Beach Tuesday with a convincing 5-3 victory Friday over the Victoria Salmon Kings in the opening two games of a four-game homestand at US Airways Center. With the win, the RoadRunners pull even with Victoria for fifth place in the West Division with 37 points while still holding three games in hand.

Tuesday, Sean McAslan and Christian Larrivee each tallied a goal and added an assist to lead the Long Beach Ice Dogs to a 3-1 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 3,056 at US Airways Center.

Long Beach (28-16-5) struck first with a shorthanded goal at 15:22 of the opening period. Sean McAslan stripped Paul Ballantyne of the puck in the left-wing corner, curled out in front of RoadRunners goaltender Mike Mole, and beat Mole with a shot along the ice to the far post to give the Ice Dogs a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The RoadRunners (16-28-5) would net the equalizer 9:55 into the second. Miguel Lafleche collected the loose puck at the left-wing circle and fired a wrist shot by Long Beach goaltender Jaroslav Halak to tie the contest at 1-1.

But the Ice Dogs would take the lead with a power play goal 8:00 into the third period. McAslan found a cutting Christian Larrivee at the weak side of the net, and Larrivee fired a shot past Mole's left glove to give Long Beach a 2-1 advantage. Justin Aikens would seal the win with an empty-net goal at 19:40.

Long Beach out-shot the RoadRunners 28-27. Mole stopped 25 shots as his record dropped to 12-21-3. The RoadRunners went 0-9 on the power play while the Ice Dogs were 1-9 with the man advantage.

Friday, J-F Soucy tallied two goals, including the go-ahead an eventual game-winner, and added an assist to lead the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 5-3 victory over the Victoria Salmon Kings before 4,955 at US Airways Center.

Victoria (16-29-5) took advantage of a RoadRunners turnover to notch the game's opening goal. KC Timmons collected a rolling puck in the slot and tipped a shot past RoadRunners goaltender Mike Mole at 11:28 of the first period to give the Salmon Kings a 1-0 lead. Phoenix (17-28-3) would net the equalizer at 13:18 when Shawn Snider jammed Joe Dusbabek's centering feed by Victoria goaltender BJ Boxma to tie the game at 1-1. Paul Ballantyne gave the RoadRunners a 2-1 advantage heading into the first intermission when his slap shot from the left point snuck through Boxma's pads and in with 39 seconds remaining in the opening period.

The Salmon Kings would retaliate with a pair of goals to take a 3-2 lead late in the second period. Adam Huxley knotted the game at 2-2 when he accepted Lanny Gare's pass in the slot and beat Mole with a wrist shot over the blocker just 39 seconds into the second. Gare gave the Kings their second lead of the contest when he snapped a wrist shot by Mole at 17:18. But the RoadRunners netted the equalizer with another late period goal as J-F Soucy fired a shot by Boxma along the ice from the left-wing circle with 17.1 seconds left in the second to tie the game once again at 3-3 going into the final period.

It would stay that way until the final three minutes of regulation. Shaun Fisher fed Soucy at the blue-line off a face-off win by Miguel Lafleche, and Soucy split the pads of Boxma with a slap shot from the point at 17:20 to give the RoadRunners a 4-3 lead. Justin Quenneville would seal the victory 57 seconds later beating on out-of-position Boxma at 18:17 to cap off the victory.

The RoadRunners out-shot Victoria 42-34. Mole stopped 31 shots to improve to 13-21-3 on the season. Phoenix went 0-2 on the power play and held the Salmon Kings scoreless on five power play chances.

CELLAR DWELLARS NO MORE: By virtue of their higher win total and higher overall winning percentage, the RoadRunners actually leapfrogged Victoria in the West Division standings this past weekend. It's the first time since November 13, a span of 98 days that Phoenix has not occupied the last spot in the division. The RoadRunners are a perfect 5-0-0 against the Salmon Kings this season and have outscored them 18-11. Phoenix also improved their divisional record to 9-18-1.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The five goals scored by the RoadRunners Friday matched their entire offensive output over the last four games. It marked just the fourth time this season that Phoenix has scored five or more goals in a single contest. The RoadRunners are 3-1-0 in such games.

STILL ON A ROLL: Forward Justin Quenneville extended his scoring streak to a season-high six games with a goal in Friday's win. Quenneville's scoring streak is the second longest by a RoadRunner this season behind Cory Pecker who opened the year with a career-best 11-game point streak. With seven goals and 15 points in his first 15 games with the RoadRunners, Quenneville now ranks seventh on the club in scoring with eight goals and 19 points in just 23 games. Meanwhile, along with Mike Ouellet and Miguel Lafleche, the "French Connection" line added another five points over the week and finished with a plus-three rating. Since being paired together back on January 20 in Utah, Quenneville, Ouellet, and Lafleche have combined for 12 goals, 16 assists, and a plus-12 rating in the last 11 games.

ROADRUNNERS OLYMPIC PRIDE: While no current RoadRunners are participating in the Men's Hockey Tournament at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, a former Roadrunner from the club's International Hockey League past was the story of the weekend. Canadian-born Paul DiPietro tallied a pair of goals to lead Switzerland to a monumental 2-0 upset over Canada on Saturday. DiPietro played 33 games with the Roadrunners during the 1996-97 season and finished with nine goals and 29 points, the final year that Phoenix was a member of the IHL. DiPietro was also a teammate of current RoadRunners assistant coach J.J. Daigneault on the Montreal Canadiens 1993 Stanley Cup team. He has spent the past eight years in the Swiss Elite League and was only added to Team Switzerland's roster two months before the Olympics.

UPCOMING ROADRUNNERS PROMOTIONS: The RoadRunners will battle the Utah Grizzlies at 7:11PM on Tuesday. It's Banner Health Night, and the first 2,000 fans receive a pedometer courtesy of Banner Health.

Phoenix hosts San Diego at 7:11PM Friday in another "Past Greats Night" as the RoadRunners honor former legend Tom McVie. The first 2,000 fans will receive a voucher good for a complimentary Tom McVie pint glass upon leaving the arena. It's the fifth glass in the six series set. In addition, the famous Phoenix Suns Dancing Dads will perform during the game and the RoadRunners will welcome the band "Dizma" for a special post-game concert in the Bud Light Paseo.

The RoadRunners conclude the weekend at 5PM Sunday against the Utah Grizzlies. It's Harkins Theater Night, and the first 2,000 fans receive a Harkins Stadium Cup and a coupon for free popcorn at any Harkins Theater. Turner & Dunn Homes will also be offering fans a free stress reliever.

For more information or to order tickets, call (602) 462-GOAL.

WATCH THE ‘RUNNERS LIVE IN '05-06: The RoadRunners have teamed up with B2 Networks to bring you live action of Phoenix RoadRunners hockey in 2005-06. RoadRunners fans will be able to click the "Watch Online" link at www.phxroadrunners.com to view and listen to the game. These broadcasts are available to fans for a charge of $6 per game. All 36 RoadRunners home broadcasts will be available in addition to over 25 road games in Alaska, Idaho, Pensacola, Las Vegas, San Diego, Utah, and Bakersfield. A cable or DSL Internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 are required to view the games.

UP NEXT: The RoadRunners get ready for a busy week with four games in six days. Phoenix will host the Utah Grizzlies at 7:11PM Tuesday and the San Diego Gulls at 7:11PM Friday at US Airways Center, before hitting the road to battle the Long Beach Ice Dogs at 8PM MST Saturday at the Long Beach Arena. The RoadRunners return home the following afternoon to conclude the weekend when they face-off against the Utah Grizzlies at 5PM Sunday. Catch all four games live on News Talk Radio 1100AM KFNX and Pro Sports Radio beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" 20 minutes prior to the opening face-off.



ECHL Stories from February 20, 2006


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