Roadrunners Slip Past Stockton 2-1

March 8, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


In Tuesday night's game between the Phoenix Roadrunners and the Stockton Thunder, a pair of teams with 28 combined wins, someone had to win.

Thanks to Brad Woods' goal with 8:32 left in the third period, it was the Phoenix Roadrunners picking up the 2-1 victory. The win snapped Phoenix's six-game skid and ended the Thunder's longest winning streak of the season at two.

"It's always nice to get a win no matter how you get it," Phoenix Head Coach Ron Filion said, "We stayed on top of our assignments and it showed at the end."

Normally against the Roadrunners, Stockton goaltender Jake Moreland did more than his share to get the Thunder two of their 10 wins. In Moreland's two previous outings against Phoenix he posted shutout wins. Tuesday night, Moreland looked mortal.

The game was decided with Woods' goal, his fifth of the season that came off a picture-perfect pass from Justin Quenneville.

Quenneville carried the puck into the Stockton zone and headed for the far corner. He came back out to the faceoff dot, spun there and sent the puck into the slot. Woods picked it up in stride and zipped it between Moreland's pads for the eventual game-winner.

"That's something that was premeditated. By delaying like that it gives our defensemen a chance to drive through," Quenneville said, "That's one thing I've been trying to explain to our D was to jump up in the play and create offense."

Adam Kostichka's fifth goal of the season got Phoenix off to a 1-0 lead. The goal came at 11:55 of the second period when he slipped a wrister past Moreland from the low slot. Dean Tiltgen picked up the assist on the goal and became the first Roadrunner with 30 points on the season.

Stockton tied the affair at 1-1 at 9:12 of the third period. That was when Kevin Gardner deflected a Geno Parrish shot past Roadrunner netminder Michael Mole for his eighth goal of the season.

Shots favored Phoenix 42-34 for the game but Stockton withstood a 17-shot barrage by Phoenix in the first period. The Thunder finished 1-of-4 on the power play while Phoenix went 1-of-3 and has scored just eight goals in its last seven games.

"We're in this league for a reason. There's no reason we shouldn't be scoring goals," Quenneville said, "If you can just stay confident, there's no reason why anyone shouldn't score in this league."

These two teams wrap up their two-game series Wednesday night at the US Airways Center. The season series is tied 2-2.

"Right now the guys have to give us an honest effort and make sure they show up for every shift and everyone's going to be satisfied," Filion said about what needs to be done to pick up another win.

Three Stars

3. Mole-PHX 33 saves in the win

2. Kosthicka-PHX First goal

1. Woods-PHX Game-winning goal

Notes: Phoenix played without defenseman Brent Henley as he served a one-game suspension handed down by the league...Phoenix had just 14 skaters on the bench, their smallest contingent of players to date...Woods' goal is his second in his last four games...The Roadrunners scored first for just the 15th time this season but are 11-4-0 when they do...Phoenix improved to 11-7-3 in one-goal games while Stockton slipped to 6-12-11; Of Phoenix's 19 wins, 11 have been the one-goal variety...Phoenix is 8-of-72 on the power play in its last 16 games...Forward Jon Ames, acquired from Toledo last week, made his Roadrunners' debut...Attendance was 4,134.



ECHL Stories from March 8, 2006


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