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RoadRunners kick off new season with a bang

October 23, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


Phoenix, Ariz. - WEEK RECORD 2-1-0 - SEASON RECORD 2-1-0 - T-1ST WEST DIVISION

'RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners opened their second season in the ECHL and their first as an affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes and San Antonio Rampage by taking two of three games from the Utah Grizzlies this past weekend at US Airways Center.

Friday, Jake Ortmeyer notched a hat-trick in his RoadRunners debut and Phoenix fired a club record 55 shots on goal to defeat the Utah Grizzlies 3-2 on Opening Night 2006 before 4,222 at US Airways Center.

Utah (0-1-0) actually opened the scoring with a pair of goals 2:34 seconds apart. Mike Wirll finished off a Matt Craig tip to the left side of the net and whipped the puck by RoadRunners goaltender Josh Tordjman at 12:05 to give the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead. Justin Cox made it 2-0 when he re-directed a Tobias Liberg shot by Tordjman at 14:49 on the power play. Ortmeyer scored the first RoadRunners (1-0-0) goal of the season and the first of three on the night when he snapped a wrist shot by Grizzlies net-minder Rob McVicar at 17:14 on the power play to cut the Phoenix deficit to 2-1.

Ortmeyer netted the equalizer at 4:39 of the second period with his second power play goal of the night. Brett Smith's pass deflected off a Utah skate and came right to Ortmeyer in the slot who snapped the puck past McVicar for the tally.

Ortmeyer finished his masterpiece at 10:59 as he collected Scott May's rebound in the slot and slipped the puck behind McVicar to give the RoadRunners a 3-2 lead that would hold up.

Phoenix out-shot Utah 55-23. Tordjman stopped 21 shots as he collected the win in his professional debut. The RoadRunners went 2-15 on the power play while Utah went 1-14.

Saturday, Cam Paddock tallied a pair of goals and Alexandre Rouleau added three assists to lead the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 6-3 victory over the Utah Grizzlies before 3,028 at US Airways Center.

Travis Lisabeth opened the scoring for the RoadRunners (2-0-0) at 2:08 of the first period when he beat Utah goaltender Sean Fields with a shot from the left-wing circle to give Phoenix a 1-0 lead. Paddock notched his first of two goals on the evening, beating Fields to the glove side from the right-wing boards on a two-on-one shorthanded rush at 3:02 to increase the lead to 2-0. Paddock extended the Phoenix lead to 3-0, re-directing Nikita Korovkin's shot from the left circle through Fields at 14:00 on a two-man advantage power play. Utah (0-2-0) would finally counter as Blake Robson poked home a loose puck in front of RoadRunners goaltender Josh Tordjman at 18:41 on the power play to close the period facing a 3-1 deficit.

Yannick Tifu gave the RoadRunners their three-goal lead back as he tapped home Alexandre Rouleau's rebound at 6:24 of the second period for a 4-1 cushion. Lance Monych made it a 5-1 game on a wrap-around goal to the far post at 13:09.

Brad Herauf got the Grizzlies back to within three goals at 5-2 when he scored at 7:30 of the third period on the power play. But Justin Aikins tallied the second RoadRunners shorthanded goal of the game 44 seconds later at 8:14 to give the RoadRunners a 6-2 lead. Mike Wirll capped the scoring for Utah with a power play goal at 12:06.

The RoadRunners out-shot Utah 35-31. Tordjman made 28 saves to improve to 2-0-0 on the season. Phoenix went 3-12 on the power play while the Grizzlies were 3-16.

Sunday, Utah's Brad Herauf scored the opening goal of the game and the final one which proved to be the game-winner to lead the Grizzlies to a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 2,646 at US Airways Center in ECHL action Sunday.

Like they did Friday, Utah (1-2-0) jumped out to a quick 2-0 first period lead. Herauf scored at 3:49 on the power play and DJ Jelitto re-directed a shot from the right point at 7:25 for the early goals. Justin Aikins got the RoadRunners (2-1-0) on the scoreboard with a power play goal at 18:07 to cut the deficit in half to 2-1 at the end of the first period.

Lance Monych netted the equalizer at 4:53 of the second period as he slipped the puck off Utah goaltender Rob McVicar's pads and into the back of the net to tie the score at 2-2. Yannick Tifu gave the RoadRunners their first lead of the night at 15:07 of the second, tipping Jake Ortmeyer's shot by McVicar for a 3-2 advantage.

Mike Wirll tied the game at 3-3 as he beat RoadRunners goaltender Josh Tordjman with a shot over the right shoulder at 2:28 of the third period. Herauf would score the game-winning goal off a broken play in front of the RoadRunners net as he slipped the puck through Tordjman's pads at 9:46.

The RoadRunners out-shot Utah for a third straight game 40-27. Tordjman made 23 saves in suffering the loss to fall to 2-1-0 on the season. Phoenix went 3-16 on the power play while the Grizzlies were 2-11.

NEW-LOOK OFFENSE: The RoadRunners put their new-look offense on display by potting 12 goals and recording 129 shots in their first three games. That's an average of four goals and 43 shots per game. The 12 goals are tops right now in the National Conference. Phoenix ranked 25th in the ECHL last season in total offense averaging 2.17 goals per game and 23rd in shots for per game averaging 28.72. The RoadRunners shattered their ECHL club record with 54 shots on goal in Friday's win, and center Scott May tied a RoadRunners' ECHL club record with 10 shots on goal.

HATS OFF! Defenseman Jake Ortmeyer recorded the first hat-trick of his professional career and the second hat-trick in RoadRunners ECHL history Friday. A fifth-year pro who tallied nine goals and 21 assists last season in Charlotte (ECHL), Ortmeyer leads all ECHL defensemen in scoring with three goals and five points through the first three games.

POWER PLANT: The RoadRunners power play converted for eight goals on 43 chances over the weekend, and their 18.6% efficiency rating is good for seventh in the ECHL. The 43 power play opportunities are second only to Bakersfield's 44 chances. Phoenix set a new club record with 16 tries on the power play Sunday.

GOING STREAKING: Forwards Scott May, Justin Aikins, and Yannick Tifu have each opened the season on a three-game point streak. Tifu is tied with Ortmeyer for the RoadRunners scoring lead with two goals and three assists. May leads all RoadRunners with four assists while Aikins is tied for second with two goals, including a shorthanded tally.

NEWS & NOTES: Forwards Tommy Maxwell, Jeff Kyrzakos, Scott Seney, and Liam Lindstrom, and goaltender Josh Tordjman each made their professional debuts over the weekend...Newly acquired defenseman Brian Yandle was placed on the three-day injured reserve on Sunday while forward Aaron Slattengren was activated off the injured reserve and made his RoadRunners' debut Sunday against the Grizzlies...The RoadRunners enjoyed their first winning record (2-1-0) in a three-games-in-three-days situation since Jan. 19-21 of last season. They will play eight more three-in-three's over the course of the year.

COMMUNITY UPDATE: RoadRunners' mascot "Rocky" will participate in the mascot parade at the 17th annual Boo! at the Phoenix Zoo from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Saturday. "Rocky" and the RoadRunners will also be on hand at the Phoenix Suns Tip-Off Gala from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Sunday inside the Casino Arizona Pavilion at US Airways Center. Stop on by for your chance to meet the team, take pictures, and get autographs.

ROADRUNNERS CELEBRATE NBA WEEKEND: The Phoenix RoadRunners will celebrate "NBA Weekend" Friday and Saturday as they welcome the Fresno Falcons to US Airways Center. The RoadRunners will wear Phoenix Suns themed jerseys during both games against the Falcons and seven other times during the course of the regular season. These authentic game-worn jerseys will be available for purchase at the end of the year through a special auction. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to Phoenix Suns Charities.

ROADRUNNERS' BOOSTER CLUB PICNIC SUNDAY: The Phoenix RoadRunners Booster Club will host a "Meet the Team" Potluck Picnic and Softball Game from Noon-4:00 p.m. Sunday at Cortez Park located at 3434 W. Dunlap Avenue in Phoenix. Food and drinks will be provided by the booster club. This is a members' only event. Tickets cost $10 for members and $6.50 for children under 10. For more information visit www.roadrunnersboosters.com.

WATCH THE 'RUNNERS LIVE IN '06-07: The RoadRunners have teamed up with B2 Networks to bring you live action of Phoenix RoadRunners hockey in 2006-07. 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, Las Vegas, Stockton, Utah, and Bakersfield. A cable or DSL Internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 are required to view the games.

UP NEXT: The RoadRunners continue their season opening six-game homestand this week as they welcome the Las Vegas Wranglers to US Airways Center at 7:11 p.m. Tuesday and the reigning Pacific Division Champion Fresno Falcons at 7:11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Doors open each night at 6:00 p.m.

PHOENIX ROADRUNNERS SCHEDULE WEEK OF OCTOBER 23RD

Monday, October 23: Off Day

Tuesday, October 24: Morning skate 10AM; RoadRunners vs. Las Vegas 7:11PM

Wednesday, October 25: Practice 10AM-11:30AM @ Alltel Ice Den

Thursday, October 26: Practice 10AM-11:30AM @ Alltel Ice Den

Friday, October 27: Morning skate 10AM; RoadRunners vs. Fresno 7:11PM

Saturday, October 28: Morning skate 10AM; RoadRunners vs. Fresno 7:11PM

Sunday, October 29: Off Day



ECHL Stories from October 23, 2006


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