Couturier Adds to Gulls’ Road Woes

Another night skating against Sylvain Couturier and the Phoenix Roadrunners produced another loss for the Gulls Saturday. Couturier scored two goals in the first period to power the Roadrunners to a 6-3 International Hockey League victory in front of 9,000-plus at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Couturier’s first strike came just 2:54 into the game. His second goal put the Roadrunners ahead 4-1 after the first period. Couturier has 21 goals this season, 13 against the Gulls.

Gull Coach Mike O’Connell conceded his team hasn’t been able to skate with Couturier, but Saturday they weren’t able to skate, period.

“We weren’t skating in the first period; that’s what killed us,” O’Connell said. “We put a man on (Couturier), but he’s the kind of guy that if he gets a couple of breaks he’ll put it in the net.”

Asked why his team wasn’t able to get untracked in the opening period, O’Connell said, “If I knew that, I’d have corrected it.”

Phoenix moved back into third place in the IHL Western Division, ahead of the Gulls. The Roadrunners (19-20-3, 41 points) have battered the Gulls (18-20-4, 40 points) of late, winning six of the past seven meetings between the two.

The Gulls also have found the ice slippery on the road, where they once were 8-3-1. In their past 11 games away from the Sports Arena, the Gulls are 1-9-1. Saturday’s loss was the Gulls’ fifth straight at Phoenix.

After Couturier gave the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead, Brian Lawton and Jeff Rohlicek followed with goals to make it 3-0. Gull Mike Sullivan scored at the 17:24 mark to make it 3-1, but 13 seconds later Couturier answered to make it 4-1.

Clark Donatelli scored his 16th goal of the season for the Gulls in the second period, and the Gulls’ third goal was registered by Taylor Hall in the third period. Phoenix’s finals two scores came at the hands of Kyosti Karjalainen, one each in the second and third periods.

Scott Brower (4-7-3) took the loss in goal for the Gulls.