Couturier, With Hat Trick, Again Dooms Gulls

The Gulls hadn’t been able to stop Sylvain Couturier all season.

Saturday proved to be no exception, as Couturier scored three goals to lead the Phoenix Roadrunners to a 6-3 International Hockey League victory in front of 8,461 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Couturier has 44 goals this season, second in the IHL. He has 23 against the Gulls, including two hat tricks. His second hat trick came amid a five-goal outburst by the Roadrunners in the second period that erased a 2-1 Gulls lead.

It was also the seventh time in 15 games that Couturier had scored more than once in a game against the Gulls, who fell to 27-35-7 in the IHL West, only four points ahead of Milwaukee for the final playoff spot. Phoenix improved to 32-28-6 and remained in third place in the West.

The Gulls have lost eight of nine games in Phoenix with three yet to play there. They will now take a six-day break, returning to the ice Friday at home against Salt Lake City, after playing 18 games in 30 days.

Darcy Norton scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season to put the Gulls on top, 2-1, in the first period.

The Roadrunners then scored five times, four times on the power play, in the opening 13:51 of the second period. Couturier scored twice to make it 3-2, Phoenix. Daryn McBride and Mikeal Lindholm followed with scores, then Couturier finished it off with his third.