'Runners roll into All-Star break on winning note

Published on January 16, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


'RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners clawed their way back from a 4-2 deficit and held on to defeat the Idaho Steelheads Friday to salvage the final game of their week-long three-game home series. With 40 points apiece, the RoadRunners and Steelheads are tied for second in the West Division and sixth overall in the National Conference. Phoenix trails division and conference leader Alaska by eight points. The top eight teams in the National Conference advance to the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs, and currently seven out of those eight teams are separated by just eight points.

Monday, goalie Steve Silverthorn stopped all 20 shots he saw and J.B. Bittner tallied a goal and added an assist in his debut to lead the Idaho Steelheads to a 2-0 win over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 2,652 at US Airways Center.

Following a scoreless first period, Idaho (18-14-2) struck for the only two goals of the game in the middle frame. On a delayed penalty against the RoadRunners (18-15-2), Marty Flichel curled out to the right-wing circle and snapped a wrist shot by a screened goaltender Mike Morrison at 2:06 to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead. Bittner extended the lead to 2-0 at 14:44 of the period as he pounced on his own rebound and flipped the puck over Morrison's left shoulder and into the net.

Idaho out-shot Phoenix 42-20. Morrison made a season-high 40 saves yet fell to 5-3-1 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-1 on the power play while Idaho was 0-4 on the man-advantage.

Wednesday, Derek Nesbitt tallied two goals and added an assist and the Idaho Steelheads matched a season-high with four power play goals as they defeated the Phoenix RoadRunners 6-1 before 2,758 at US Airways Center.

The RoadRunners (18-16-2) actually opened the scoring at 7:58 of the first period. Off an Idaho miscue at the blue line, Brock Hooton broke in alone on goaltender John Daigneau and beat him to the top left corner with a backhand shot to give the RoadRunners a 1-0 lead. The Steelheads (19-14-2) then rattled off three straight power play goals. Off a RoadRunners turnover, J.B. Bittner capitalized with the first power play goal at 8:27 to tie the game at 1-1. Derek Nesbitt gave the Steelheads a 2-1 lead, re-directing Marty Flichel's shot from the point over the right shoulder of RoadRunners' goalie Mike Morrison at 11:09 on the man advantage. Greg Rallo capped the Idaho power play attack at 16:19 on a five-on-three power play as he banged home Nesbitt's centering pass across the goal mouth to the weak side of the net giving the Steelheads a 3-1 cushion.

Lance Galbraith extended the lead to 4-1 at 7:03 of the second taking the pass along the right wing from Bittner and snapping the shot over Morrison's left glove and into the back of the net. Nesbitt made it 5-1 with his second power play goal of the night at 10:26 on the power play stuffing Flichel's rebound back in to end Morrison's night and bring on Cody Rudkowsky.

Galbraith added his second goal of the game at 6:56 of the third period to cap the scoring.

Idaho out-shot Phoenix 44-27. Morrison made 25 saves and took the loss to fall to 5-4-1. The RoadRunners went 0-3 on the power play while Idaho was 4-14 on the man-advantage.

Friday, Jake Ortmeyer broke a 5-5 tie with 1:37 remaining in regulation by tallying his second power play goal of the night, and the Phoenix RoadRunners topped the Idaho Steelheads 7-5 before 7,096 at US Airways Center.

A wild first period produced six goals and a full-out line brawl at the conclusion of the frame. Idaho (19-15-2) struck first with a power play goal from J.B. Bittner at 4:51. Bittner re-directed Marty Flichel's shot from the point past the stick of RoadRunners goaltender Cody Rudkowsky to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead. Phoenix (19-16-2) countered with a pair of goals 1:26 seconds apart. Ortmeyer tallied a power play goal at 8:55 from the right-wing circle to tie the game at 1-1. Brett Smith gave the RoadRunners a 2-1 lead at 10:21 as he beat Idaho goalie John Daigneau with a slap shot from 75 feet away at the red line. Idaho then rattled off three unanswered goals to build a 4-2 advantage. Bittner netted his second of the night scoring a shorthanded goal off a RoadRunners turnover at 14:00 to tie the game at 2-2. Flichel gave the Steelheads a 3-2 lead when his push to the cage deflected off a RoadRunners' defenseman's stick and trickled by Rudkowsky and in at 16:33 on the power play. Flichel's second goal of the game capped the first period scoring as he beat Rudkowsky from the blue line at 18:08 also on the man-advantage.

The RoadRunners would battle back with two goals in the second period against emergency back-up goalie Tim Baumgartner on in replace of the injured Daigneau to tie the game at 4-4. Todd Jackson jammed the puck inside the far post and through Baumgartner at 8:37 to cut the Phoenix deficit to 4-3. Brett Smith potted the equalizer at 19:39 on the power play as he deflected Ortmeyer's shot from the point over the shoulder of Baumgartner to knot the score at 4-4 going into the second intermission.

Jackson tallied his second goal of the game 2:51 into the third period to give the RoadRunners a 5-4 advantage. Jackson received Justin Aikins' centering pass in the slot and slipped the puck through Baumgartner's pads and into the net. Derek Nesbitt tied the game for Idaho at 5-5 with a power play goal at 11:46 of the period. That set up Ortmeyer's heroics, as the defenseman beat Baumgartner with a one-time slap shot from the right-wing circle at 18:37 on the power play. Jeff Kyrzakos sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:25.

Idaho out-shot Phoenix 44-25. Morrison made 26 saves in relief of Rudkowsky to earn the win and improve to 6-4-1 on the season. The RoadRunners went 3-5 on the power play while Idaho was 4-9 on the man-advantage.

ONLY HALFWAY THERE: The first three games of this unique five-game series with the Steelheads produced some interesting numbers and notes. Idaho outscored the RoadRunners 13-7 and went 8-27 on the power play, an impressive 29.6% efficiency rate. What makes that even more remarkable is that the RoadRunners came into the series with the ninth best penalty kill in the ECHL at 84.8%, while Idaho had scored just one power play goal in their last 32 chances dating back to Dec. 30 before proceeding to record four goals on the man-advantage Wednesday and Friday. It's the first time in their brief history that the RoadRunners have allowed four power play goals in consecutive games. The clubs also combined for 303 minutes worth of penalties, including nine game-misconducts. Of those 303 minutes, 212 came in two separate scrums at the 8:33 mark of the third period Wednesday and the 20:00 mark of the first period Friday. In their eight-game season series to date, the RoadRunners and Steelheads have recorded a combined 596 penalty minutes, or an average of 74.5 minutes per game. The RoadRunners by themselves have accumulated 332 penalty minutes against Idaho, which is nearly one-third of their total penalty minutes (1,006) for the season.

TIME FOR A BREAK: With Friday's victory, the RoadRunners concluded a stretch of seven games in 11 days to begin January with a record of 3-3-1. Phoenix will now get an opportunity to rest up as the RoadRunners play just five more times this month.

RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN: A RoadRunners' ECHL all-time record crowd of 7,096 Friday at US Airways Center cheered the home team on to victory. That mark eclipsed the previous high of 5,622 set back on Dec. 16, 2005 in what was the first ever "Teddy Bear Toss" against the Bakersfield Condors.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Beginning Friday in Idaho, the RoadRunners will play nine out of their next 11 games away from US Airways Center with trips to Boise, Fresno, Salt Lake City, and Anchorage. Phoenix is 6-8-1 on the road this season compared to their 13-8-1 mark at home.

SEEING STARS: Rookie defenseman Dave Pszenyczny is the RoadRunners' lone representative at this week's ECHL All-Star festivities in Boise. Center Scott May was also selected as a starter for the National Conference roster, but was unable to attend because he is currently on loan to Iowa of the American Hockey League. May was replaced on the roster by Idaho's Greg Rallo. The RBK Hockey ECHL All-Star Skills Competition begins at 7:05 p.m. tonight and the RBK Hockey ECHL All-Star Game begins at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday with both events taking place at Qwest Arena. Pszenyczny will compete in the Rapid Fire and Breakaway Relay events at the skills competition this evening.

NEWS & NOTES: Center Cam Paddock was placed on the three-day injured reserve Sunday, but is eligible to come off before Friday's series opener in Idaho. Meanwhile, forward Tommy Maxwell was placed on the 30-day injured reserve last Thursday...Defenseman Alexandre Rouleau and rookie center Daniel Winnik were assigned by AHL San Antonio Monday...Defenseman Mathew Deschamps was a season and team-high plus-four in Friday's win.

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 continue their five-game series with the Idaho Steelheads at 7:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday from Boise's Qwest Arena. 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.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - WEEK RECORD 1-2-0 - SEASON RECORD 19-16-2 - T-2ND WEST DIVISION

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ECHL Stories from January 16, 2007


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