Game #5: San Diego at Tucson

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Regular Season Game #5 –San Diego Gulls at Tucson Roadrunners
7:00 p.m. MST, Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona

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Tonight’s Tucson Weekly Game Sheet: CLICK HERE

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Referees:  Chris Waterstradt (88), Alec Rounds (38)

Linesmen:  Ryan Jackson (92), Rob Fay (32)

The Tucson Roadrunners reignite their I-8 Border Rivalry with the San Diego Gulls this weekend, when they host the Gulls for a pair of games at the Tucson Arena Friday and Saturday night. Both games are set to face-off at 7:00 p.m. MST. The Roadrunners and Gulls split the I-8 Border Series last season, with the Roadrunners retaining the I-8 Border Trophy for the fourth consecutive season. The Roadrunners will take on their “El Lazo de Tucson” alternate identity for both games this weekend, after introducing El Lazo last season to honor Tucson’s rich heritage and culture.

Three Things
1) The Roadrunners are looking to win the first game of a back-to-back for the third straight weekend to open the season. A key part of last Saturday’s 4-0 victory over the Texas Stars was the scoring clinic put on by forward Ben McCartney. The 20-year-old recorded his first professional hat trick with an even-strength goal, a power-play tally, and an empty-net score in that order, all while in his season debut. McCartney now has eight points in six career regular-season games at the AHL level, all with Tucson.

2) Three Roadrunners players were recalled to the Arizona Coyotes this week, joining the team on the road. Forward Barrett Hayton, defenseman Cam Dineen, and goaltender Ivan Prosvetov. Dineen, 23, earned his first-ever trip to the Coyotes roster, and his first appearance with the team will be his NHL debut. Prosvetov started in net for three of the four Roadrunners games this season and began his year by earning two-straight shutouts. Prosvetov started in net for the Coyotes on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and recorded 23 saves. Hayton, the former fifth overall pick, has further honed his playmaking skills with Tucson, and will look to make an immediate impact with the Coyotes.

3) With goaltender Ivan Prosvetov on the road with the Arizona Coyotes, the Roadrunners have received netminder David Tendeck from the Rapid City Rush to pair with Josef Korenar. Korenar made his Roadrunners debut in the opening weekend series with the Stockton Heat, recording 22 saves in a 3-2 loss to split the two-game series in California. The 23-year-old spent the last three seasons with the San Jose Barracuda.

What’s The Word?
Tucson Roadrunners forward Ben McCartney on entering the weekend series with the San Diego Gulls after recording his first professional hat trick last Saturday:

“I thought we played a pretty decent overall game [Saturday]. Every shift you have to treat it the same way and play the right way. You have to play a solid game and earn the coach’s trust.”

Number to Know
15 – The number of different players to record a point for the Roadrunners through four games this season. Eight of those players have multiple-points, with Ben McCartney, Michael Carcone, and Cam Dineen in a three-way tie for the team lead in points with three. Three of those players scored their first career AHL goals this season; Vladislav Kolyachonok, Liam Kirk, and JJ Moser.

We’re Doing It Live
Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on AHLtv, as well as on the radio on Fox Sports 1450AM, or on the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. MST with Roadrunners Warm-Up, as Jimmy Peebles gets you ready for the game before “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny has the call at 7:00 p.m. live from the Old Pueblo.