Grizzlies Thwart RoadRunners Comeback, Win 5-4 In A Shootout

February 3, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Matt Craig scored the lone goal in the third round of the shootout and the Utah Grizzlies held off the Phoenix RoadRunners 5-4 to take the rubber game of this three-game series before 6,711 at the "E"-Center in ECHL action Saturday.

Utah (17-24-4) ambushed the RoadRunners with a three-goal first period. Shawn Thompson opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 6:44. Thompson found the loose puck in the high slot and ripped a slap shot over the shoulder of RoadRunners goaltender Mike Morrison to give the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead. Jimmie Kraft extended that lead to 2-0 as he re-directed Andy Sertich's one-time slap shot from the point by Morrison at 8:51 on the power play. Craig capped the first period scoring as he finished a two-on-one break with Luciano Aquino and slipped a backhand shot behind Morrison at 16:45 to make it 3-0 heading into the first intermission.

The RoadRunners (22-19-3) came right back to tie the game with a three-goal period of their own in the second. Brock Hooton got Phoenix on the board at 12:08 as he tipped Brett Smith's centering pass by the outstretched stick of Utah goalie Rob McVicar to make it a 3-1 hockey game. Justin Aikins got the RoadRunners to within a single goal at 3-2 as he stripped Sertich at the blue line on a power play, broke in alone on McVicar, and beat the goalie with a shot through the pads at 13:43 for a shorthanded goal. Chanse Fitzpatrick tied the game at 3-3 in the closing seconds of the period as he collected Olivier Latendresse's rebound in front and slapped it into the net at 19:55 to even the game going into the third period.

Brendan Cook gave the Grizzlies a 4-3 lead with a power play goal at 5:11 of the third period as he tapped Danny Stewart's centering pass by the stick of Morrison from the top of the crease. But Dave Pszenyczny netted the equalizer at 14:22 as his wrist shot from the blue line moved its way through traffic and through the pads of McVicar to tie the game yet again at 4-4.

Following a scoreless five minute overtime, the Grizzlies prevailed in the shootout as McVicar stopped all five RoadRunners' shooters.

Phoenix out-shot Utah 51-39. Morrison stopped 34 shots but fell to 8-5-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-9 on the power play while Utah was 2-8 with the man-advantage.

Notes: The RoadRunners and Grizzlies each won four games in their eight-game regular season series. Phoenix is 7-9-1 lifetime against Utah....Aikins' goal was the ninth shorthanded goal of the season for the RoadRunners...With no power play goals, the RoadRunners streak of consecutive games with at least one goal on the man-advantage ended at seven...The RoadRunners' three-goal comeback was their second of the season. Phoenix trailed the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-1 entering the third period on Nov. 14 but came back to win 6-5 in a shootout...The RoadRunners are 3-3-1 since the ECHL All-Star Break when they began their current stretch of nine games out of 11 away from US Airways Center.

Phoenix returns to US Airways Center at 7:11 p.m. Tuesday as they welcome back the Stockton Thunder. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Individual game tickets for the 2006-07 regular season start as low $7 in the lower section and can be purchased at the US Airways Center Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Ticketmaster.com. Information on season tickets, half-season packages, and flex plans are available by calling (602) 462-GOAL.



ECHL Stories from February 3, 2007


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