ECHL Bakersfield Condors

Wirll's hat trick leads Condors to 6-3 win in Phoenix

Published on February 28, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release


PHOENIX, Ariz. - RW Mike Wirll scored his first hat trick of the season, pacing the Bakersfield Condors to a 6-3 win against the Phoenix RoadRunners, before 3,292 fans at US Airways Center on Saturday night.

The Condors (23-28-7, 53pts) had their chances with three first period power plays, but neither team lit the lamp in the opening frame, keeping the scoreless tie intact heading into the second. The two teams combined for just 15 shots, with the Condors leading, 9-6, through the first 20 minutes.

Phoenix (25-26-3, 53pts) opened the scoring with a power play goal early in the second period, but Bakersfield responded with three consecutive power play tallies of their own to claim a 3-1 lead through two. LW Mark Derlago tied the game 1:34 after Phoenix lit the lamp, going between his legs with a wrist shot to beat G Chris Beckford-Tseu. The Condors then added a pair of goals on back-to-back 5-on-3 power plays late in the stanza. Wirll put the Condors ahead, finishing a series of passes with his 14th goal of the year at 18:14. D Donny Grover followed just 1:03 later, finding the back of the net with a slap shot to give Bakersfield the two-goal lead.

D Chris Kaufman extended the Condors lead 1:26 into the third period with his third of the season, and Wirll struck again with his second of the game at 5:36 to put Bakersfield ahead, 5-1. After Phoenix netted a shorthanded goal and a power play goal in the third to pull within two late in the game, Wirll completed the hat trick with an empty net tally to seal the 6-3 win for the Condors. G Yutaka Fukufuji stopped 29 of 32 shots for his fifth straight win.

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ECHL Stories from February 28, 2009


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