Gull Defense Halts Roadrunners

Editors Note: Due to production errors, the paragraphs in the Gulls’ game story Sunday were placed out of order. The story is being reprinted today.

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The Gulls want desperately to fill the Sports Arena, but can’t seem to find the marketing tool to do it. Not even 1,000 television ads could turn the trick during the opening weekend of play.

But they might be on to something--winning. The Gulls on Saturday turned away the Phoenix Roadrunners, 5-1, in front of 5,798. And they did it in a workmanlike manner they promise will be typical this season.

The new-look Gulls wasted no time burying the Roadrunners, scoring four goals in the first period, the first three of which came two minutes, 47 seconds apart. The Gulls (2-0) finished with 17 shots in that period and limited the opposition to four. Phoenix (0-3) failed to take a shot in the game’s first 12 minutes.

For the second consecutive night, the Gulls spread out the scoring chores. Four players had goals and now eight Gulls have at least one goal. Dan Shank, who scored Saturday’s final goal late in the third period, and Peter Hankinson, who scored two of Saturday’s first three goals, are the only two with more than one.

Coach Rick Dudley, who has been trumpeting his team’s depth for a month, could have said “I told you so,” but remained somewhat humble.

“We think we have a lot of people capable of scoring,” he said, before adding that his defensemen are playing an integral role in the offense. “In the game today you have got to have a mobile defense, and our guys are making it easy (to score) the way they get the puck out of the zone.”

Meanwhile, if the Roadrunners were skating like zombies it was because they were playing their third game in as many nights. They did not wake up on offense until 11:41 had elapsed in the second period. That’s when Mike Vukonich slipped a wrist shot from the slot between goalie Rick Knickle’s pads.

But the game was already out of reach, and Vukonich’s goal only pulled Phoenix within three at 4-1.

As was the case in Friday’s opener, a 5-2 victory over Salt Lake, the Gulls had trouble while on power plays, botching five such situations. After the first weekend, the Gulls are one of 14 on the power play.

But this is a defense-oriented team, and that has become apparent during penalty-killing situations. The Gulls killed eight penalties against Phoenix and now have survived 15 of 16 short-handed situations during the season’s first two games.

What’s more, while killing nine penalties Friday, the Gulls outshot Salt Lake, 46-22. The pattern repeated Saturday as the Gulls outshot Phoenix, 41-15, despite playing short-handed eight times.

The 15 shots given up by the Gulls eclipsed the team record for fewest allowed by one. This season, the Gulls’ third, is the first time the team has opened with two consecutive victories. They have done so convincingly, outshooting the opposition, 87-37.

The only one seemingly unhappy with the defensive effort is the goalie.

“I’m not getting much work,” Knickle said. “But I guess it doesn’t matter how many saves you make, just when you make them.”

Knickle came up big several times, and once late in the second period squelched Guy Leveque from point-blank range.

Another barometer of the Gulls’ success of going from defense to offense has been short-handed goals. The Gulls’ second such goal in as many nights came midway through the opening period.

Hubie McDonough was responsible for it this time. He stole the puck from a Phoenix defender in the Roadrunners’ attacking zone, skated the length of the ice on a breakaway and finally snapped a wrist shot past goalie Darryl Gilmour.

That made it 4-0 as Hankinson had scored twice earlier and Larry Floyd once.

“We’ve said it before,” Dudley repeated. “Our defense will take care of our offense, they move the puck up so quickly.

“You’ve got to be happy so far.”