Monday, March 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
PHOENIX -- When ESPN's "SportsCenter" shows hockey highlights, one host likes to describe an easy goal with the clich'e "He was beaten like a rented goalie."
The Las Vegas Thunder rented a goaltender for its game against the Phoenix Roadrunners Sunday, and for 22 minutes he was beaten as such.
Sergei Naumov, on loan from the San Diego Gulls of the West Coast Hockey League, seemed out of his league figuratively as well in allowing the Roadrunners to reach a 3-0 lead early in the second period. But the Thunder's offense bailed him out as Martin Gendron and Joe Day recorded hat tricks en route to a 7-4 Las Vegas victory at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Naumov, who led the WCHL with a 35-8-2 record and a 3.12 goals-against average, was called to relieve the Thunder's netminders as the team played its seventh game in nine nights. Andre Racicot has been hampered by knee and groin injuries of late, and backup Clint Malarchuk was recovering from Saturday night, when he played his first full game in two years.
But on the game's first shot, just 42 seconds after the opening puck drop, Naumov gave up a goal to Brad Smyth. At 19:36 of the first period, Smyth scored again with the Roadrunners holding a two-man advantage.
Matters went from bad to worse in the second period as Smyth scored his third point of the night by assisting Chris Marinucci, giving Phoenix a 3-0 lead at 1:57.
From there, however, Naumov and Roadrunners goalie Jamie Storr exchanged roles. As Naumov settled down, Storr gave up three goals in two minutes, the quickest three goals for the Thunder this season.
Day scored on a power play at 3:49; Ken Quinney scored at 4:37; and Gendron scored at 5:49 to tie the game at 3.
The onslaught continued as Gendron and Day each scored a pair in the third period. Gendron's third goal of the game and team-leading 38th of the season came at 16:31, giving him his first hat trick of the season. Twenty-seven seconds later, Day tallied his third of the game and eighth of the season.
Thunder defenseman Steve Bancroft had a pair of assists, giving him 10 points in the last seven games. Patrice Lefebvre, Egor Bashkatov, Kerry Huffman and Sergei Yerkovich also had two assists apiece.
Naumov survived for his first IHL win, stopping 22 of 26 shots. Storr saved 26 of 33 shots and dropped to 15-21-4.
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