Gulls Squeak Past Roadrunners, 4-3

When Coach Don Waddell finds his team napping too much on the road, he doesn’t issue a wake-up call. He just sends Keith Gretzky, Ron Duguay and Denny Lambert onto the ice.

That line, centered by Gretzky, created enough commotion to wake up the Gulls in time for a 4-3 victory against the Roadrunners in front of 3,500 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday.

The victory was the second-place Gulls’ fifth in a row, tying a club record, and it allowed them to move three points ahead of the Peoria in the West Division of the International Hockey League. The Gulls are now 36-19-5 with 77 points, three points ahead of the Rivermen (33-17-8, 74 points), who lose a 5-4 shootout at Kansas City.

Phoenix led, 3-1, when Duguay found an open Lambert for a score. Then defenseman Sergei Starikov, with center Len Hachborn getting his IHL-leading 63 assist, tied it, 3-3.

Midway through the third period, Dmitri Kvartalnov put in the game-winner from the right circle, getting a crossing pass from Larry Floyd on the power play. Kvartalnov’s goal was his league-leading 49th.