Grizzlies Take A Bite Out Of RoadRunners Playoff Hopes 4-2

Published on March 24, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Rob Hennigar and Tim Verbeek each had a goal and two assists and the Utah Grizzlies doubled up the Phoenix RoadRunners 4-2 before 3,081 at the "E"-Center in ECHL action Tuesday.

Utah (27-25-16) jumped out of the gates quickly opening up a 3-0 first period lead and chasing RoadRunners' goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu from the game. Hennigar started the scoring at 7:35 when he received a pass in the slot from Verbeek and slid the puck through the pads of Beckford-Tseu and into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies then scored twice in a span of 11 seconds in the period's final minute. Off a RoadRunners' turnover, Hennigar fed a driving Mike Walsh who jammed a shot through Beckford-Tseu and in at 19:16. Then off the ensuing face-off, Tom May netted his 31st goal of the season beating Beckford-Tseu over the left shoulder from the top of the right-wing circle at 19:27 to cap the first period scoring.

The RoadRunners (28-33-5) cut the deficit to two goals midway through the second period when Gino Guyer capitalized off a Utah turnover and beat Grizzlies' goalie Mike Mole along the ice at 6:55 making the score 3-1.

Phoenix made it interesting at 6:54 of the third period when John McNabb slapped a shot over Mole's right shoulder off the crossbar and into the net to pull within 3-2, but the RoadRunners could not muster the equalizer. Verbeek finished the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:26

Utah out-shot Phoenix 44-28. Beckford-Tseu stopped 14 shots in just one period and suffered the loss to fall to 2-6-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-4 on the power play while Utah was 0-6 with the man-advantage.

Notes: With the loss, Phoenix fell nine points behind fourth place Utah in the West Division. A Grizzlies win in regulation tomorrow would clinch a playoff spot for Utah and eliminate the RoadRunners from contention in the West Division playoffs. Phoenix remains five points behind Stockton and six points behind Bakersfield in contention for the fourth seed in the Pacific Division playoffs. Stockton was currently in action against Victoria at the time of this release...The RoadRunners have dropped three straight to Utah after winning four of the first five meetings. The season series is tied at 4-4 with the final match-up tomorrow...Defenseman Gord Burnett was activated from the three-day injured reserve prior to the game...Hennigar has four goals and 13 points against the RoadRunners in just six games this season...Defenseman Jeremy Swanson did not accompany the club to Utah after leaving to attend a personal matter.

The RoadRunners conclude a three-game road trip at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday with the conclusion of a two-game series against the Utah Grizzlies at the "E"-Center in West Valley City, Utah. Catch all the action live at www.phxroadrunners.com beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" at 5:45 p.m.

Phoenix returns to US Airways for the regular season home finale at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, March 28 when they welcome in the Alaska Aces.

Great seats are still available beginning as low as $8 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (480) 784-4444, purchasing online at ticketmaster.com or visiting the US Airways Center Box Office. Information on season tickets, half-season packages, and flex plans for the 2008-09 season of Phoenix RoadRunners Hockey are available by calling (602) 462-GOAL.

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