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Winning Ways Are Back

December 5, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Phoenix RoadRunners News Release


Phoenix, Ariz. - WEEK RECORD 2-1-0 - SEASON RECORD 6-10-2 - 6th WEST DIVISION

‘RUNNERS REWIND: The Phoenix RoadRunners enjoyed their first winning week since a two-game sweep of the San Diego Gulls back on October 28-29 with victories over Victoria and Long Beach sandwiched around a loss at home against Las Vegas. Phoenix remains in sixth place in the West Division with 14 points, just one point behind fifth place Victoria and 12 points behind fourth place Las Vegas.

Tuesday, seven different players registered a point and Captain Dean Tiltgen scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal in the second period to lead the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 3-1 victory over the Victoria Salmon Kings before 3,014 at America West Arena.

Miguel Lafleche opened the scoring 14:23 into the first period when his wrist shot from the right-wing circle deflected off goaltender BJ Boxma's stick and trickled into the net to give the RoadRunners (5-9-2) a 1-0 lead.

Tiltgen extended the lead to 2-0 just 4:09 into the second period when he collected the bouncing puck at the side of the net and tipped it past Boxma. Victoria (6-12-1) countered just 1:03 seconds later when Nathan Forster's drive from the point beat a screened RoadRunners goaltender Mike Mole at 5:12 to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Peter Trovato regained the RoadRunners' two-goal lead early in the third period on the power play. Trovato picked up his own rebound in front of Boxma and slapped it through the goaltender's pads 44 seconds into the final period to cap the scoring.

Phoenix out-shot Victoria 33-23. Mole stopped 22 shots to improve to 2-6-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 1-2 on the power play.

Thursday, Goaltender Mike McKenna stopped all 17 shots he faced for his first professional shutout to lead the Las Vegas Wranglers to a 3-0 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners before 3,889 at America West Arena.

Following a scoreless first two periods, Las Vegas (11-4-1) would get all the scoring they would need just 3:08 into the final frame. With RoadRunners goaltender Mike Mole caught out of position, Chris Stanley sent a pass from the right-wing corner across the slot to an open Chris Neiszner who slammed the puck into the open night to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead. Dan Tudin extended the lead to 2-0 at 7:18 of the period with a shorthanded goal. Tudin collected Mike McBain's rebound from his shot inside the blue line at the side of the net and slipped the puck past a downed Mole. Matt Dzieduszycki capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:52.

Las Vegas out-shot Phoenix (5-10-2) 36-17. Mole made 33 saves in falling to 2-7-2 on the season. The RoadRunners went 0-6 on the power play.

Sunday, Cory Pecker tallied a goal and an assist and goaltender Mike Mole made a career-high 47 saves to lead the Phoenix RoadRunners to a 2-1 victory over the Long Beach Ice Dogs before 1705 at the Long Beach Arena in ECHL action on Sunday.

After a scoreless first period, Pecker gave the RoadRunners (6-10-2) the lead late in the middle frame. Pecker received Dave Cousineau's pass at the left-wing circle and fired a slap shot past Long Beach goaltender Greg Hewitt at 19:57 of the second for a 1-0 advantage heading into the second intermission.

Jason Deskins extended the lead to 2-0 with a two-man advantage power play goal at 11:07 of the third period. But with the RoadRunners still on the power play, Long Beach (8-10-2) countered off a turnover as Sean McAslan fed Mac Faulkner who beat Mole along the ice at 11:53 to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, that was the closest the Ice Dogs would get.

Long Beach out-shot Phoenix 48-22. Mole improved to 3-7-2 with the win. The RoadRunners went 1-7 on the power play.

THE MIGHTY MOLE: Goaltender Mike Mole continues to establish himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the ECHL. The rookie from Orleans, Ontario recorded staggering numbers last week by allowing just four goals in three games and making 102 saves. That translates into a miniscule 1.34 goals against average and a .962% save percentage. In his last five appearances, Mole is 3-1-0 with a 1.62 goals against average and a .948% save percentage, having allowed seven goals on 136 shots. Mole has started nine out of the last 10 games and now ranks in the top-20 among ECHL goaltenders with a 2.74 goals against average and a .920% save percentage.

DEFENSIVE DANDY: The tremendous play by Mole has also improved the overall performance by the RoadRunners' defense. Phoenix has allowed just 22 goals in their last nine games, an average of 2.44 goals per game. That has lowered the RoadRunners' average goals against to 3.39 goals per game, down from 4.25 back on November 9. The RoadRunners' defense currently ranks 17th in the ECHL.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The RoadRunners snapped a four-game road winless streak with their 2-1 win at Long Beach on Sunday. Phoenix had not won away from America West Arena since a 4-2 opening night victory on October 21 at Utah. With 25% of their inaugural season completed, the RoadRunners have played just six of their first 18 games on the road. That will begin to balance out as Phoenix continues their current four-game road trip with three games this week in California against San Diego and Stockton.

WELCOME BACK: Forward Cory Pecker returned from his three-game stint in San Antonio and collected a goal and an assist in Sunday's win. Pecker leads the RoadRunners in scoring and is tied for 10th in the ECHL with 10 goals and 22 points through 15 games. The Montreal, Quebec native has eight multiple point games this season and is currently riding an ECHL-high nine-game home scoring streak.

ROADRUNNERS VINTAGE JERSEY AUCTION ALL THIS WEEK: Hey RoadRunners' fans, do you want to own a piece of history? The commemorative throwback 1977-78 jerseys the RoadRunners wore in last Saturday's game against Long Beach are now available for purchase through a special online auction that can be accessed at www.phxroadrunners.com. The auction will run through Thursday, December 15 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the ECHL/Salvation Army Hurricane Relief Fund.

ROADRUNNERS IN THE COMMUNITY: RoadRunners' players Mike Mole, Mike Ouellet, and Brad Woods will be hosting an after-school hockey clinic and lecture at 5PM on Tuesday at the University Park Recreation Center (10th Avenue & Van Buren Street) in downtown Phoenix. The RoadRunners will also visit patients at St. Joseph's Hospital at 2PM on December 13. For more information or to find out how you can have Rocky or your favorite RoadRunners come to your event, contact Dan Weiss at (602) 379-7870.

TOSS THOSE TEDDY BEARS: The RoadRunners, in conjunction with the Maricopa County Head Start Program, will host the first annual "Teddy Bear Toss" at 7:11PM on Friday, December 16 when Phoenix entertains the Bakersfield Condors at America West Arena. Bring a teddy bear with you to the game and toss it onto the ice when the RoadRunners score their first goal. All teddy bears collected will be donated to Head Start just in time for the holiday season. Stuffington Bear Factory will also be at the game selling teddy bears for $5.

WATCH THE ‘RUNNERS LIVE IN '05-06: The RoadRunners have teamed up with B2 Networks to bring you live action of Phoenix RoadRunners hockey in 2005-06. 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, Pensacola, Las Vegas, San Diego, 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 current four-game road trip with three games in California this week. Phoenix will visit the San Diego Gulls at 8:35PM MST on Friday before traveling north to Stockton to battle their expansion brethren Thunder in a two-game series at 8:30PM MST on Saturday and 5PM MST on Sunday. Catch all three games live on News Talk Radio 1100AM KFNX and Pro Sports Radio beginning with "RoadRunners Countdown" twenty minutes before opening face-off.

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