Roadrunners Maintain Home Edge Over Gulls

Sylvian Couturier and the Phoenix Roadrunners continued the vex they have over the Gulls with a 7-6 overtime International Hockey League victory Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Gulls (17-15-4) let leads of 3-0 and 6-3 fizzle, and have lost all four of their December road games at fifth-place Phoenix.

It was Couturier who broke the tie, and the Gulls one-game victory streak, scoring his fourth goal of the night, his 13th of the year and his 11th against the Gulls on a breakaway that was set up on a pass by Stephane Richer.

Goal Scott Brower stopped 36 of 43 Phoenix, 17 in the first period. The Roadrunner outshot their visitors, 43-30.

“Our defense was horrible, we let them just skate around,” said Gulls Coach Mike O’Connell. “If it wasn’t for Scott Brower, the game would have been over in the first.”

Leading scorers Clark Donatelli and Dennis Holland got their 15th and 14th goals of the season as the Gulls took a 2-0 lead after the first period, Holland’s goal coming on a penalty shot, their first of the year.

Charlie Simmer and the Roadrunners exchanged goals to make it 4-3 Gulls, before Taylor Hall scored to put the Gulls up 5-3 after two periods.

Hall scored again, at 2:58 in the third, before Phoenix came bounding back. At 9:23, Couturier got his third goal of the night, then 23 seconds later John Van Kessel pulled the Roadrunners to within one. Mickey Volcan tied it up, 6-6, at 16:45.

The Gulls, who play their second game of this four-gam road trip in Muskegon Saturday night, were able to extend their second place lead in the IHL West by getting a point in the loss, as third-place Salt Lake was idle.