Bakersfield Sends Phoenix to Ninth Straight Loss, 5-3
by Andrew Nordmeier
March 26, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners
Just when the Phoenix Roadrunners thought they were going to break their eight-game losing streak, one questionable call turned the tide of the game. With the score tied at 3-3, a scrum broke out in front of the Phoenix net. Bakersfield's defensemen joined in the scrum but the faceoff was still held in the zone. Right off the draw, Bakersfield's Nick Mehalko scored the go-ahead goal in the Condors' 5-3 win Wednesday night at the US Airways Center.
The call that led to the game-winner set off Phoenix Head Coach Ron Filion and he was hit with a bench minor at the time. Filion's displeasure carried over through the end of the game when he confronted the officials on the ice to express his frustration over the call. After the game he was assessed a gross misconduct, just the fifth one in 796 games in the league this season.
Phoenix (19-43-3) started the game well by scoring a rare first goal. They followed it up with something even rarer, the second goal in the same game. Shawn Snider took a Kevin Ulanski pass and beat Bakersfield netminder Ryan Munce at 8:02 of the first period. Phoenix went up 2-0 when Justin Quenneville slipped the puck past Munce at 11:57 off a cross-ice feed from Mike Ouellet.
"The guys were mentally prepared to play, took some ownership and worked their butts off and the result was good," Phoenix Head Coach Ron Filion said.
Bakersfield (34-23-5) got one back on a Matthew Brunelle bomb that found the net behind Roadrunners' goaltender Zack Sikich at 15:44 to make it 2-1.
The Condors tied the game at 16:05 of the second period when Brunelle beat Sikich again when his shot trickled off Sikich's glove and in. A Jake Riddle goal for Phoenix gave the Roadrunners a short-lived 3-2 lead with his goal at 18:04 when stuffed a rebound past Munce. The Condors tied it at 3-3 when Dave Bonk was left alone in the slot and beat Sikich at 18:42 to re-knot the score.
Bakersfield outshot Phoenix by a strong margin of 41-22. The Condors finished 2-of-5 on the power play while Phoenix went 0-for-5.
The Roadrunners will try and end their nine-game overall losing streak and 10-game drought on the road when they head to San Diego Saturday and Stockton Sunday.
"Many games we lose because we're not as talented or we don't work as hard but tonight was different," Filion said.
Three Stars
3. Riddle-PHX Goal and an assist in the losing effort
2. Brunelle-BAK Two goals
1. Mehalko-BAK Two goals
Notes: With the game's opening goal, Snider assumed the lead for first goals for Phoenix with this 3rd of the year...Bakersfield has won five in a row and is tied with Idaho for the longest win streak in the league right now...Only Dayton (0-10-2) has a longer losing streak than the Roadrunners' nine-game slide...Phoenix scored first for an ECHL-low 17th time this season, falling to 11-6-0 when they do...Attendance was 3,716.
ECHL Stories from March 26, 2006
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- Lynx head back to playoffs with win over Florida - Augusta Lynx
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- Steelheads set home playoff games for April 14th and 15th - Idaho Steelheads
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- Everblades see winning streak end with 3-0 loss - Florida Everblades
- Checkers clinch Kelly Cup berth - Charlotte Checkers
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Everblades get Adams back from AHL - Florida Everblades
- Bakersfield Sends Phoenix to Ninth Straight Loss, 5-3 - OSC Original by Andrew Nordmeier
- ECHL Today - ECHL
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- Ice Dogs Increase Lead With Shootout Win - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Bombers jump out to 2-0 lead, but fall 6-2 in Wheeling - Dayton Bombers
- Close scoring chances and goaltending stun Thunder in 3-2 loss - Stockton Thunder
- Gulls Down RoadRunners 3-1 - Phoenix RoadRunners
- Grizz Two-Game Winning Streak Ends - Utah Grizzlies
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