Condors Slide Past RoadRunners 4-3
January 18, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Bruce Graham scored two goals as he helped lift the Bakersfield Condors over the Phoenix RoadRunners 4-3 Sunday night in front of 2,350 fans at US Airways Center.
The RoadRunners (15-17-3) got on the board first at 1:44 of the second period when T.J. Campbell netted a puck that just trickled through the five-hole of Condor goalie Yutaka Fukufuji. Gino Guyer and P.J. Fenton assisted. Bakersfield (13-21-5) tied up the game at 4:33 when Brett Pilkington scored from Tyler Michel and Liam Huculak. The Condors then took a 2-1 lead when Graham scored over RoadRunner goalie Kyle Jones' blocker at 14:07. Mark Derlago and Scott Balan had the assists.
Phoenix tied up the game at 15:38 when Mitch Carefoot set up John McNabb who scored stick side on Fukufuji. Graham gave Bakersfield a 3-2 lead less than a minute later though when he scored from the slot at 16:10 on the power play. Martin Frechette assisted as the Condors would take the lead into the locker room at the second intermission.
"We gave up a bad bounce that led to their power play goal," said RoadRunners' Head Coach Brad Church, adding that three bad mistakes by the RoadRunners led to Bakersfield's three goals that period. "At the end of the day our mistakes cost us the game."
Bakersfield added an insurance goal at 13:07 of the third period when Matt Pope scored to the right of Jones from Frechette, giving the Condors a 4-2 lead. The RoadRunners came back within one goal at 16:39 when Dane Crowley rifled a shot past Fukufuji, but it wasn't enough as the final score would be Bakersfield 4-3 despite pulling Jones in the final minute of the game.
The RoadRunners have the next four days off due to the ECHL All-Star Game being played in Reading, Penn., on Jan. 21, and Church is looking forward to the rest the team will be getting.
"We need it; we're banged up and only skated eight forwards this weekend," Church said. "We have a heavy schedule in the second half and we're going to take advantage of the week off."
Phoenix out-shot Bakersfield 34-30. Jones stopped 26 shots but suffered the loss to fall to 1-5-1 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-4 on the power play while Bakersfield was 1-5 with the man-advantage.
Phoenix opens a three-game road trip following the ECHL All-Star Break at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 when they visit the Stockton Thunder at Stockton Arena. Catch all the action live on Independent 1310 KXAM beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" at 8:15 p.m.
The RoadRunners return to US Airways Center at 7:05 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 when they welcome the Utah Grizzlies.
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