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RoadRunners succumb to champs

February 12, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


PHOENIX, Ariz. - WEEK RECORD 0-3-1 - SEASON RECORD 22-22-4 - 3RD WEST DIVISION

'RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners could grab just a single point last week as they fell in overtime to Stockton at home and dropped three straight at Alaska. With 48 points, the RoadRunners sit in third place in the West Division and seventh overall in the National Conference. Phoenix trails division and conference leader Alaska by 24 points, but is only five points behind Idaho for the #4 seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The top eight teams in the National Conference advance to the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday, Mike Lalonde tallied a pair of goals including the overtime game-winner 1:49 into the extra session to lead the Stockton Thunder to 2-1 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 2,781 at US Airways Center.

The RoadRunners (22-19-4) opened the scoring at 5:13 of the first period. Chanse Fitzpatrick collected the puck inside the left-wing circle and put a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Stockton goalie Cam Ellsworth to give Phoenix a 1-0 lead.

Lalonde tied the score at 1-1 with his first of two goals as he jammed home his own rebound through the pads of RoadRunners goaltender Cody Rudkowsky at 9:46 of the second period.

Following a scoreless third period, Lalonde potted the game winner on the power play as Beau Geisler set him up for a one-time slap shot from the right-wing circle, and the second-year pro split the pads of Rudkowsky for the victory.

Stockton (21-13-8) out-shot Phoenix 32-30. Rudkowsky stopped 30 shots but fell to 6-8-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-8 on the power play while Stockton was 1-7 with the man-advantage.

Friday, Mike Scott tallied a goal and added two assists and the Alaska Aces used three power play goals to defeat the Phoenix RoadRunners 5-2 before a crowd of 5,424 at Sullivan Arena.

Alaska (33-12-2) jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead. Barrett Heisten found an open Patrick Wellar at the right-wing circle, and Wellar slapped the puck by RoadRunners goaltender Mike Morrison at 8:04 to give the Aces a 1-0 lead. Joe Talbot extended the lead to 2-0 at 15:14 with a power play goal. Stephen Wood moved the puck to the front of the net and Talbot tipped it by Morrison's stick for the tally.

The Aces started the second period the same way they closed the first. Peter Metcalf found an open Scott behind the RoadRunners defense, and Scott one-on-one against Morrison lifted a backhand shot over the goaltender and into the net 4:00 into the middle frame to give Alaska a 3-0 advantage. Cam Paddock finally broke the ice for the RoadRunners (22-20-2) as off a turnover at the Aces blue line, Paddock broke in along the left wing and sent a backhand shot over the shoulder of Aces goalie Derek Gustafson at 7:45 to cut the deficit to 3-1. But the Aces would add a second power play goal at 13:14 to regain their three-goal lead as Julian Talbot slipped the loose puck behind Morrison to make it 4-1 going into the second intermission.

Paddock potted his second goal of the game stuffing Dave Pszenyczny's rebound back into the net just 1:31 into the third period on a two-man advantage power play to bring the RoadRunners back to within a pair of goals, but Kimbi Daniels sealed the win scoring the Aces third power play goal of the evening at 11:37 to cap the scoring.

Phoenix out-shot Alaska 28-24. Morrison stopped 19 shots as he fell to 8-6-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 1-6 on the power play while Alaska was 3-4 with the man-advantage.

Saturday, Kevin Croxton and Barrett Heisten each collected three points and six players recorded multiple-point games to lead the Alaska Aces to a 6-1 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners before a crowd of 5,836 at Sullivan Arena.

Hans Benson opened the scoring for Alaska (34-12-2) collecting his first goal of the season at 4:34 of the first period. The RoadRunners (22-21-4) came right back to net the equalizer as Brock Hooton slid Chris Cava's rebound by the outstretched pad of Alaska goalie Derek Gustafson at 7:02 to tie the game at 1-1. Heisten would give the Aces a lead they would never look back on though going into the first intermission as he tipped the puck from the top of the crease behind RoadRunners goalie Cody Rudkowsky at 13:02 of the first to make it a 2-1 hockey.

The Aces continued to pepper Rudkowsky with shots in the second period and capitalized by scoring a pair of goals. Croxton gave Alaska a 3-1 advantage just 1:18 into the period pushing Heisten's centering pass behind Rudkowsky along the ice. Julian Talbot made it 4-1 stuffing his own rebound into the back of cage at 14:37.

Alaska was awarded a two-man advantage power play midway through the third and scored on both RoadRunners penalties getting goals from Heisten at 8:16 on the two-man advantage and Wood at 9:01 on the five-on-four power play to cap the scoring.

Alaska out-shot Phoenix 48-16. Rudkowsky stopped 42 shots, but fell to 6-9-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-1 on the power play while Alaska was 2-10 with the man-advantage.

Sunday, Mike Scott tallied a pair of goals and Kimbi Daniels added three assists to lead the Alaska Aces to a three-game sweep over the Phoenix RoadRunners 6-1 before 5,252 at Sullivan Arena.

Alaska (35-12-2) built a 4-1 first period lead with the help of two power play goals. Barrett Heisten opened the scoring at 8:29 as the veteran made a nifty move around RoadRunners goaltender Cody Rudkowsky and slipped a backhand shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. The RoadRunners (22-22-4) would tally the equalizer at 13:49 as Cam Paddock down in the slot shot the puck of Alaska goalie Isaac Reichmuth's pads and into the cage to tie the contest at 1-1. The Aces then proceeded to score three goals in a span of 4:35 to blow the game open. Off a RoadRunners turnover, Scott buried the loose puck through the pads of Rudkowsky at 15:10 to give Alaska a 2-1 lead. Then, Peter Metcalf beat Rudkowsky with a one-time slap shot from the right-wing circle at 19:11 on a two-man advantage power play to build the lead to 3-1, and 34 seconds later, Scott added his second of the game at 19:45 on the five-on-four power play to make it 4-1 after 20 minutes.

The Aces onslaught continued in the second period. Kevin Croxton found a trailing Patrick Wellar in front of the net and Wellar tipped the puck by Rudkowsky at 8:44 to extend the lead to 5-1. Vladimir Novak capped the scoring with his 16th goal of the season at 16:58.

Alaska out-shot Phoenix 35-21. Rudkowsky stopped 29 shots, but fell to 6-10-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-5 on the power play while Alaska was 2-5 with the man-advantage.

SULLIVAN STRUGGLES CONTINUE: The RoadRunners were outscored 17-4 in the three-game set at Sullivan Arena over the weekend and out-shot 107-67. Lifetime, Phoenix is 0-6 in Anchorage and has been outscored by a margin of 32-8. Not one of the six games has been decided by less than three goals.

REMEMBER JAN. 10, 2006: The RoadRunners will have an opportunity for redemption as they welcome the Aces to US Airways Center for three games over five days beginning Friday, and if they're looking for a silver lining, they can point to just one game from last year. Phoenix dealt Alaska their lone shutout of the 2005-06 season as they blanked the Aces 3-0 on Jan. 10, 2006. Former RoadRunners' goaltender Mike Mole turned aside all 35 Alaska shots for his first career shutout, and the RoadRunners held the Aces without a power play goal in nine chances on the man-advantage.

WHAT A MONTH! Friday's series opener in Alaska began a stretch of 18 out of 19 games for the RoadRunners against four of the top five teams in the ECHL. Between now and March 17, Phoenix will play Alaska three times, Bakersfield five times, Las Vegas four times, and Texas twice. The Aces lead the ECHL with 72 points, Las Vegas ranks second with 63, followed by Texas with 62, and Bakersfield with 61. The only team out of the top five that the RoadRunners will not face over this stretch is the Gwinnett Gladiators.

CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN: RoadRunners captain Cam Paddock tallied three out of the five goals for the RoadRunners last week and has four points with three goals and an assist in his last four games, and 11 points in his last nine games. Paddock is tied for second on the RoadRunners in scoring with 11 goals and 31 points, and is just seven points shy of matching his career-high.

DAVE PSZENYCZNY MEDICAL UPDATE: RoadRunners rookie defensemen Dave Pszenyczny accompanied the team back to Phoenix Monday after undergoing surgery early Saturday morning to repair multiple severed tendons and arteries in his right forearm. Pszenyczny, 21, was cut along the forearm by the blade of an Alaska player's skate late in the third period Friday as the two players battled for the puck along the boards in the RoadRunners' zone

NEWS & NOTES: The RoadRunners set a franchise-low with their 16 shots on goal Saturday...Rookie Tommy Maxwell returned to the line-up Saturday for the first time since Jan. 10 after missing the previous 10 games due to injury...Despite their three losses in Anchorage, the RoadRunners are still 12-10-2 against the West Division this season, including a 5-6-1 mark against their divisional opponents away from home. Phoenix has a winning record against three out of their four rivals in the West going 5-4-1 against Idaho, 4-3-1 against Utah, and a perfect 3-0-0 against Victoria.

"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.

ADHS NIGHT WITH THE ROADRUNNERS THIS FRIDAY: Join the Phoenix RoadRunners and the Arizona Department of Health Services at Friday's home game against the Alaska Aces as they kick off "Through with Chew" Week. The first 2,000 kids 14-and-under will receive a life-size growth poster of RoadRunners defenseman and alternate captain Dusty Demianiuk, the spokesperson for "Through with Chew" Week. For more information, visit www.phxroadrunners.com, or www.ashline.org.

"FACE-OFFAGAINST KIDS CANCER" UNDERWAY: The RoadRunners will continue their first annual "Face-Off Against Kids Cancer" following Sunday's home game against Long Beach as they welcome the kids and their families down to the locker room for a special post-game ice cream party presented by Cold Stone Creamery. For the next three months, the players and children will participate 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 open a five-game homestand at US Airways Center this week as they welcome the defending Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces at 7:11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and the Long Beach Ice Dogs at 5:00 p.m. Sunday. 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 February 12, 2007


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