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RoadRunners save their best for last

March 5, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


'RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners closed out the week by collecting their first road victory since Jan. 31 with a 4-1 win Saturday at Pacific Division leading Las Vegas. The win followed up two losses to the Wranglers Thursday and Friday, and a shootout loss Tuesday at Bakersfield. With 55 points, the RoadRunners sit in third place in the West Division and seventh overall in the National Conference. Phoenix is just three points behind the #6 seed Stockton Thunder and two points ahead of the #8 seed Victoria Salmon Kings. The top eight teams in the National Conference advance to the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday, Brock Hooton and Chris Cava tallied goals 1:19 seconds apart late in the third period to tie the game, but the Bakersfield Condors scored four times in the shootout to defeat the Phoenix RoadRunners 5-4 before a crowd of 4,380 at Rabobank Arena.

Bakersfield (32-13-8) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period as Rane Carnegie and Todd Griffith scored 53 seconds apart. Carnegie banged home Scott Balan's rebound at the right side of the net at 2:40 to give the Condors a 1-0 lead. Griffith made it 2-0 as he beat RoadRunners goaltender Mike Morrison with a snap shot from the right-wing circle at 3:33 of the period.

Josh Liebenow gave Bakersfield a 3-0 advantage as he jammed home another rebound in front of the net at 10:46 of the second period on the power play. The RoadRunners (24-26-5) would counter with a power play goal of their own. After the Condors were denied on a shorthanded chance, Justin Aikins found a wide open Todd Jackson behind the Bakersfield defense. Jackson broke to the left and slid a backhand shot around the sprawling goaltender Rejean Beauchemin at 12:06 on the man-advantage to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The RoadRunners opened what would be a three-goal third period as Chanse Fitzpatrick collected Justin Aikins' rebound in the slot and snapped it behind Beauchemin at 3:19 to draw to within a goal at 3-2. Griffith was credited with his second goal of the game when his centering pass from behind the net deflected off a RoadRunners' defenseman's stick and skipped past Morrison at 16:48 to give the Condors a 4-2 advantage late. But the RoadRunners would fight back to tie the score and send the contest to overtime. First, on a power play and with Morrison pulled for the extra attacker, Hooton beat Beauchemin with a one-time slap shot from the slot at 18:24 to pull Phoenix to within a single goal at 4-3. Then, Cava netted the equalizer with Morrison pulled again for the extra attacker with less than 17 seconds remaining in regulation as he ripped a one-timer by Beauchemin from the top of the right-wing circle to tie the score at 4-4.

Following a scoreless five minute overtime, four out of five Condors tallied goals in the shootout while Aikins and Jackson scored for Phoenix, but it would not be enough.

Bakersfield out-shot Phoenix 45-24. Morrison made 40 saves but fell to 9-8-3 on the season. The RoadRunners went 2-6 on the power play while Bakersfield was 1-5 with the man-advantage.

Thursday, Kelly Czuy and Chris Neiszner scored seven minutes into the third period to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Las Vegas Wranglers to a 3-2 win over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 3,227 at US Airways Center.

Following a mostly scoreless up-and-down first period, the two clubs quickly exchanged goals over a span of 21 seconds in the final three minutes. First, James Hiebert gave the RoadRunners (24-27-4) a 1-0 lead as he re-directed the shot by Chris Cava along the half wall through the pads of Las Vegas goalie Kevin Nastiuk at 17:50. The Wranglers (32-10-13) responded as Joe Tallari beat RoadRunners goalie Cody Rudkowsky along the ice at 18:11 to tie the contest at 1-1.

After neither team scored in the middle frame, Czuy gave Las Vegas their first lead of the night 12 seconds into the third period as he blasted a slap shot from the perimeter over the left glove of Rudkowsky to make it 2-1. Neiszner then scored from the top of the left circle at 6:51 to increase the Wranglers advantage to 3-1. Jeff MacMillan banged home Brock Hooton's rebound at 15:05 on the power play for his first goal of the year to cut the deficit to 3-2, but that's as close as the RoadRunners would come.

Las Vegas out-shot Phoenix 40-25. Rudkowsky made 37 saves but fell to 7-13-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 1-4 on the power play while Las Vegas was 0-4 with the man-advantage.

Friday, Shawn Limpright scored a goal and added three assists and the Las Vegas Wranglers used three power play goals to defeat the Phoenix RoadRunners 6-2 before a crowd of 6,520 at the Orleans Arena.

Las Vegas (33-10-13) took a 2-0 first period lead with a pair of power play goals and never looked back. Scott Schoneck opened the scoring at 10:47 on the power play as he found the bouncing puck at the right-wing circle and fired a shot over the shoulder of RoadRunners goalie Mike Morrison for a 1-0 lead. Derek Edwardson made it 2-0 at 16:11 on the power play as he received Limpright's pass in front off a RoadRunners turnover and tipped it behind Morrison for the tally. The RoadRunners (24-28-5) would then counter with a power play goal of their own. Mat Snesrud's shot from the point missed wide, but caromed right to Justin Aikins who beat Las Vegas goalie Mike McKenna to the short side at 17:20 to cut the deficit to 2-1. But Edwardson struck for his second goal of the period scoring from the slot at 18:15 to give the Wranglers a 3-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.

Limpright and Ryan Bonni added tallies in the first and final minute of the second period at 35 seconds and 19:46 respectively to extend the Wranglers lead to 5-1 after forty minutes.

Joe Tallari made it 6-1 with a power play goal at 2:02 of the third period. Brock Hooton netted his 14th goal of the season at 6:24 of the third to cap the scoring.

Las Vegas out-shot Phoenix 38-19. Morrison made 23 saves as he fell to 9-9-3 on the season. The RoadRunners went 1-5 on the power play while Las Vegas was 3-9 with the man-advantage.

Saturday, four different skaters tallied goals and goaltender Cody Rudkowsky made 32 saves to help the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 4-1 win over the Las Vegas Wranglers before a crowd of 6,011 at the Orleans Arena.

Phoenix (25-28-5) got on the scoreboard first with a power play goal at 7:34. Lance Monych collected Chanse Fitzpatrick's rebound and scooted the puck through the pads of Las Vegas goalie Kevin Nastiuk to give the RoadRunners a 1-0 lead.

It would remain a 1-0 game until the third period. Todd Jackson beat Nastiuk with a shot from the left-wing circle at 7:16 on the power play to increase the RoadRunners lead to 2-0. Dusty Demianiuk scored 2:35 seconds later at 10:51 as his blast from blue line deflected off Nastiuk and into the net giving Phoenix a 3-0 cushion. Jason Josza broke the shutout at 17:35 as with the extra attacker out, Josza beat a screened Rudkowsky from the blue line to get Las Vegas (33-11-13) on the board, but that's as close as the Wranglers would come. Jeff Kyrzakos sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:37.

Las Vegas out-shot Phoenix 33-19. Rudkowsky improved to 8-13-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 2-4 on the power play while Las Vegas was 0-6 with the man-advantage.

FITZPATRICK AND HOOTON ROLLING: Forwards Chanse Fitzpatrick and Brock Hooton are each riding four-game point streaks entering play this week. Fitzpatrick, who notched an assist Saturday to extend his current season-high streak, has a goal and three assists in his last four games. Hooton, who ranks second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 33 points, has two goals and four assists in his last four games and is one game short of matching his season-high point streak of five.

RUDY ON HIS GAME: Despite a 1-2-0 record in his last four appearances, goaltender Cody Rudkowsky has allowed just nine goals on 122 shots to sport a 2.73 goals against average and a .926% save percentage over that time. Included in that stretch were a 37-save effort Thursday, a perfect nine-save effort in relief of Mike Morrison Friday, and a 32-save outing Saturday to seal the win at Las Vegas. Rudkowsky is eight games short of 300 for his professional career.

POWERED UP: Since breaking out of their 1-52 funk on the power play, the RoadRunners have scored a power play goal in five out of their last six games and are 8-30 (26.6%) with the man-advantage since Feb. 23. Phoenix is fifth in the ECHL with 73 power play goals, and their 17.6% overall efficiency ranks in seventh in the league.

TRADE DEADLINE APPROACHING: The ECHL trade deadline is 1:00 p.m. local Arizona time Wednesday. Trade calls may take place after the 1:00 p.m. deadline, but the League must have been advised of any and all transactions, including the specific details, prior to 1:00 p.m. It is not unusual that a number of trades are agreed to between the clubs just before 1:00 p.m. However, due to the volume of trades occurring just prior to the deadline, the League may not be able to conduct the actual trade call until after 1:00 p.m.

NEWS & NOTES: Defenseman Jeff MacMillan enjoyed his first multiple-point game since joining the RoadRunners with a pair of assists Saturday...The win at Las Vegas snapped an 0-6-2 road skid dating back to Feb. 2...Defenseman Dusty Demianiuk produced his first multiple-point game Saturday since Nov. 28...The RoadRunners magic number for clinching a playoff berth is 25. Any combination of points earned by the RoadRunners in wins or overtime losses/shootouts and points surrendered by Long Beach in losses or overtime losses/shootouts equaling 25 will result in a playoff berth.

ROADRUNNERS IN THE COMMUNITY: Several RoadRunners will be reading to students Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Desert Sun Elementary School in Cave Creek. For more information on this appearance, please contact (602) 379-7870.

"10 MINUTES IN THE BOX" ON 106.7 KWSS-FM: Join your favorite RoadRunners at 9:10 a.m. each and every Wednesday for "10 Minutes in the Box", a new weekly segment devoted entirely to your Phoenix RoadRunners on 106.7 KWSS-FM and online at www.kwss1067.com. "10 Minutes in the Box" will air weekly as part of the "Driving with Gass" radio show hosted by Kevin Gassman, which can be heard Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

"FACE-OFFAGAINST KIDS CANCER" CONTINUES: The RoadRunners will continue their first annual "Face-Off Against Kids Cancer" from 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Saturday with a "Skate and Pizza Party" at the Alltel Ice Den in North Scottsdale. Since January, RoadRunners' players and patients from Phoenix Children's Hospital have participated in a series of social events with the hopes of creating a lasting relationship and increased awareness about childhood cancer in the community. The "Face-Off Against Kids Cancer" will culminate at 7:11 p.m. Saturday, March 17 when the RoadRunners take the ice against the Las Vegas Wranglers wearing special commemorative jerseys dedicated to those Phoenix Children's patients participating in the program. These jerseys will be auctioned off immediately after the game with the proceeds benefiting the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Caps For Kids, a national non-profit organization which provides hats autographed by athletes and celebrities to children who lose their hair due to the effects of chemotherapy. For more information or to find out how you can be apart of the "Face-Off Against Kids Cancer", contact the RoadRunners at (602) 379-7870.

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 welcome the Texas Wildcatters to US Airways Center for a two-game series at 7:11 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Catch all the action live at www.phxroadrunners.com beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" 20 minutes prior to face-off. 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 March 5, 2007


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