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RoadRunners roll to record start

November 3, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


'RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners took three of a possible four points from the Ontario Reign last week following an overtime loss Friday and a 2-0 shutout win Saturday. With a record of 4-2-1 and 9 points, the RoadRunners are currently in second place in both the West Division and the National Conference.

Friday, the Phoenix RoadRunners outshot the Ontario Reign 39-31 but lost in overtime 3-2 in front of 1,811 fans on Halloween night at US Airways Center.

The RoadRunners (3-2-1) opened up the first period with a power play at 1:22 but weren't able to capitalize. The rest of the period was pretty even with Ontario (4-2-0) outshooting Phoenix 11-9 and the game remaining scoreless going into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Reign got on the board first at 5:39 with a power play goal scored by Job Francisco off a rebound by Geoff Walker. Andrew Martens had the other assist as Ontario went up 1-0. Phoenix was able to come back and tie the game 1-1 at 15:24 though when Mitch Carefoot scored a power play goal from the bottom of the left circle. Matt Fornataro and Michael Wilson had the assists while the tie held into the second intermission.

"It was good timing to have a week of practice," RoadRunners Head Coach Brad Church said of the team's week off before Friday night's game. "We touched on a lot of system work and it showed tonight."

Ontario scored its second power play goal of the night at 6:50 of the third period when Dusty Collins fed a pass to Walker who scored from the left of RoadRunners' goalie Craig Kowalski. Martens had the other assist as the Reign took a 2-1 lead. Twelve seconds later, however, Phoenix tied up the game 2-2 when Rob Dmytruk scored his first of the season from the slot at 7:02. Wes Clark and Brett Peterson had the assists.

"To score right after a goal like that is big," Church said, adding that it was a good response from the RoadRunners. "(Ontario) is a hard-working team and to shut down their offense like that is big."

The RoadRunners put the pressure on Reign goalie Jeff Zatkoff at the end of the period but weren't able to score as regulation ended with a 2-2 score.

The energy Phoenix had at the end of the third period did not carry into overtime, however, and Ontario was able to capitalize on a turnover and Martens scored the game-winning goal 2:19 into OT top-shelf over Kowalski. Tim Kraus had the assist, making the final score 3-2.

"We were too passive in overtime," Church said. "I told the guys we didn't play too tough, that we need to be aggressors and that's something we need to address."

Kowalski had 28 saves on the night while Zatkoff had 37.

Saturday, Ashton Rome and Rob Dmytruk each tallied goals and Gerald Coleman stopped all 36 shots he saw to lead the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 2-0 shutout win over the Ontario Reign before 4,912 at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

The RoadRunners (4-2-1) ambushed Ontario with a 23-shot first period, but it wasn't until their 23rd shot that they finally put one behind goalie Jeff Zatkoff. Rome picked up the loose puck in the slot and put a backhand shot over Zatkoff's shoulder and into the net at 19:45 on the power play for a 1-0 lead.

It would stay that way until early in the third period when Dmytruk beat Zatkoff with a long shot from just inside the blue line off the right-wing boards at 3:58 giving the RoadRunners a 2-0 advantage. Coleman did the rest stopping all 22 Ontario (4-3-0) shots in the third period.

Phoenix out-shot Ontario 43-36. Coleman improved to 2-1-0 with the win. The RoadRunners went 1-7 on the power play while Ontario was 0-8 with the man-advantage.

ROAD OPENER A SWEEPING SUCCESS: Saturday's win marked the first time since the RoadRunners' first ever ECHL game back on Oct. 21, 2005 that Phoenix has won their road opener. After defeating the Utah Grizzlies 4-2 in their inaugural season, the RoadRunners lost 6-3 at Fresno to begin their 2006-07 road campaign, and lost 4-1 at Las Vegas last year after beginning the season with a 12-game home-stand. Phoenix has never won more than 12 road games in a single season.

TOP RANKED DEFENSE: The RoadRunners sport the ECHL's best defense having allowed 13 goals through the first seven games, which translates to a sparkling 1.86 goals against average. Phoenix has surrendered more than three goals only once this season, and more recently has given up only four goals in their last three games. Gerald Coleman leads all ECHL goalies in goals against average (1.34) and save percentage (.955%), while Craig Kowalski is sixth among goalies with a .936% save percentage and seventh overall with a 1.99 goals against average. In addition, Phoenix continues to maintain the ECHL's best penalty kill at 93.3% with just three power play goals allowed in 45 opportunities.

SEVENTH HEAVEN: The RoadRunners' 4-2-1 start marks their best seven-game start to a season in the club's ECHL history.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: With their 23-shot first period Saturday, the RoadRunners set an ECHL season-high for shots in an opening period. Phoenix fell two shots shy of matching their ECHL club record for shots in a single period of 25 set in the third period back on Nov. 3, 2007 against the Fresno Falcons. The club record for shots in a game is 54 done twice on Oct. 20, 2006 and Dec. 12, 2006.

NEWS & NOTES: Defenseman Rob Dmytruk collected his first two professional goals Friday and Saturday. Friday's goal was the equalizer that forced overtime, while Saturday's tally proved to be a big insurance goal...Coleman's shutout Saturday was his first since Dec. 16, 2007 against Springfield while playing for the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League. It also marked the fifth shutout all-time in RoadRunners' ECHL history and the first since Jan. 8, 2008 at Bakersfield...The RoadRunners will look for their first home victory against Las Vegas Monday since a 6-5 shootout win back on Nov. 14, 2006. Since then, Phoenix has dropped nine straight to the Wranglers at US Airways Center.

WATCH THE 'RUNNERS LIVE IN '08-09: The RoadRunners have teamed up with B2 Networks to bring you live action of Phoenix RoadRunners hockey in 2008-09. 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 72 RoadRunners broadcasts will be available on-line. A cable or DSL Internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 are required to view the games.

UP NEXT: The RoadRunners play four times this week starting with a three-game home-stand Monday against the Las Vegas Wranglers followed by a two-game series Wednesday and Thursday against the Fresno Falcons. All three face-offs begin at 7:05 p.m. Phoenix concludes the week with a visit to Las Vegas at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. 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. Catch Saturday's road contest on Independent 1310 KXAM and all four games live at www.phxroadrunners.com beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" twenty minutes prior to face-off. 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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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