Rocky Mountain Low, Utah Slams Roadrunners 7-3

by Andrew Nordmeier
Published on January 21, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners


Just as much of a high as it was for the Phoenix Roadrunners to post a come-from-behind shootout win over the Las Vegas Wranglers, they came crashing back to Earth Friday night at the E-Center when the Utah Grizzlies thumped the Roadrunners 7-3. Ryan Kinasewich and Jeff Miles each scored twice as Utah ended a five-game winless streak with the win while sending Phoenix (11-24-2) to its fifth straight road loss.

The Grizzlies (21-15-3) scored three times in the first 11 minutes and never looked back as they hung two points behind Idaho for third place in the West Division.

Kinasewich scored the first two goals of the game to get the Grizzlies going. First, he beat Phoenix netminder Michael Mole on a power-play wraparound at 5:40 to start the scoring. He beat Mole again at 9:06 to make it 2-0 with a wrister from the slot. Miles scored the first of his two goals at 11:32 to make it 3-0 Utah.

The Roadrunners got one back from Justin Quenneville with 32 seconds left in the period when he beat Grizzlies' goaltender Justin Eddy top shelf for his second goal of the season. That made it a manageable deficit and Phoenix started to control play in the second period. The Roadrunners dominated the early phases of the second period, outshooting Utah 12-0 over the first 13 minutes but couldn't get another one past Eddy. Utah started shooting again and found the back of the net to make it 4-1 when Garett Cameron beat Mole at 15:56.

Roadrunners' All-Star Shawn Snider made a coast-to-coast rush and beat Eddy at 8:27 to cut the deficit to 4-2 with his first goal since December 18th. Phoenix had hope and a chance for a comeback. That hope was short-lived, 16 seconds to be exact.

Right after that, Utah awakened offensively and scored three more times in a club-record 2:19 span. Barrett Ehgoetz's 15th of the year came just 16 seconds after Snider's tally and erased any hopes of a Phoenix rally. Miles scored again at 10:14 to make it 6-2 and Colt King's 12th of the season at 11:02 closed the scoring.

It also closed the book on Mole as he was pulled in favor of backup Ryan Cyr.

Phoenix outshot Utah 35-24 and finished 2-of-6 on the power play. Utah finished 2-of-9 on the man advantage.

Phoenix will be practicing tomorrow morning before these two teams meet again tomorrow night to conclude their two-game series.

Three Stars

3. Baker-UTA Three assists

2. Miles-UTA Two goals (15,16)

1. Kinasewich-UTA Two goals (16,17) and an assist

Notes: Phoenix has not a won road game since December 11th at Stockton...The RoadRunners have played the fewest road games in the ECHL with 14 so far this season...Eddy made his ninth consecutive start in goal for the Grizzlies, filling in for the injured Alfie Michaud. He is 4-0 against Phoenix this season...Phoenix played without defenseman Dusty Demaniuk who was scratched with flu-like symptoms...Utah was held without a shot for the first 13:51 of the second period...The last time Phoenix scored multiple power play goals in a game was Nov 4 against Las Vegas when they scored three...Utah has scored seven goals against Phoenix twice this season; the other instance was October 23rd...Attendance was 3,279.

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ECHL Stories from January 21, 2006


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