Gulls’ 3rd-Period Outburst Beats Phoenix

His team lost four of its previous seven games--albeit three in overtime.

Then Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the Gulls 11 days ago sustained their only regulation-time loss of the season, Coach Rick Dudley watched his team lose a two-goal lead in the second period.

Dudley was not concerned. “We had the territorial edge,” he said.

The turf the Gulls had staked was in front of the Phoenix Roadrunners’ net. The Gulls spent enough time there to score four third-period goals and finish with a 6-2 International Hockey League victory.

The Gulls (24-1-4), who blew a 5-1 lead en route to a 6-5 overtime loss Saturday to Milwaukee, have outscored opponents 24-3 in the five games that came after losses.

“Sometimes when you’re playing the way we were earlier (in the season) you think you’re invincible out there,” Dudley said. “But we were able to return to our style of play, and that was the difference.”

Larry Floyd scored the go-ahead goal 1:50 into the third period and added his 14th of the season later in the period, after defenseman Bill Houlder and center Hubie McDonough had scored 18 seconds apart.

McDonough extended his point-scoring streak to 13 games, three short of center Len Hachborn’s team record set last season.

Dudley took comfort in the Gulls’ shot advantage after two periods--29-9. They ended up taking 43 shots to Phoenix’s 16, enabling goaltender Rick Knickle to improve his league-leading record to 17-1-2.

“What I was most concerned with in the last few games was the fact we were making a lot of mistakes,” Dudley said. “Even in games we were winning, we were making mistakes. But tonight we got back to the way I’m used to seeing us play.

“We frustrated them and didn’t give them many chances. That’s the way we had been playing when we built up our record earlier in the year.”

The Gulls took a 2-0 lead when John Anderson scored his team-leading 18th goal in the first period and Perry Anderson followed with his third in the second period.

The Roadrunners answered with goals by Darryl Williams and Robert Lang in the second period.

Phoenix (13-14-1) remained six points behind idle Salt Lake City in the race for second place in the Pacific Division.

David Goverde, who stopped 45 of 47 shots in the Roadrunners’ victory over the Gulls 11 days ago, made 37 saves but still fell to 12-8.