GAME #20 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS AT CALGARY WRANGLERS

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Game #20: Tucson Roadrunners (10-9-0-0) at Calgary Wranglers (16-5-1-0)

Time: 6:00 p.m. MST, Scotiabank Saddledome, CGY, AB

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #49 Riley Brace, #70 Ben Becker

Linespeople: #81 Michael Roberts, #42 Luke Pye

Supervisor: Chris Edwards

The Tucson Roadrunners look to even its series against the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome following a 4-2 loss on Friday. The defeat ended Tucson’s two-game winning streak, but a win in game two would keep the Roadrunners over .500 and secure a 2-1 record on its three-game road trip. Meanwhile, Calgary’s victory on Friday extended its winning streak to three games.

Three things:

  • Roadrunners forward Egor Sokolov ended a three-game scoreless streak against the San Diego Gulls on Nov. 30 and followed up with his ninth goal of the season on Friday, extending his point streak to two games. Sokolov leads Tucson in both goals and points (18) and is nearing a significant career milestone. Friday marked the 85th goal and 198th point of his AHL career, leaving him just two shy of 200, a milestone he could reach on Saturday.
  • Forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Josh Doan each notched an assist on Sokolov’s third-period goal, extending their impressive streaks. Yamamoto is riding an eight-game point streak, the longest active streak in the league and the team’s best this season. It also ranks as the fourth-longest in the AHL this year. He is just three games shy of matching the season-high 11-game point streak set by Cleveland Monsters forward Rocco Grimaldi in November. Meanwhile, Doan has also been impactful, tallying points in five of his last six games with two goals and five assists for a total of seven points during that span.
  • Wranglers forward Dryden Hunt led all skaters on Friday with three points, recording a goal and two assists. The eight-year pro has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last four games, marking his most productive stretch this season. Hunt capped the game with an empty-net goal, while forward William Strömgren opened the scoring just 17 seconds in—the fastest goal allowed by the Roadrunners this season. Strömgren has now scored in back-to-back games and extended his point streak to four games, tallying five points (two goals, three assists) during that span.

What’s the word?

“We came out slow, and that hurt us against a team like Calgary. So we need a better start, to get to our game early, and to stick with it.”

Roadrunners assistant captain Travis Barron on what Tucson needs to improve in game two against Calgary.

Number to Know:

94% – Tucson has won five of its last seven games, bolstered by a dominant penalty-kill unit. During this stretch, the Roadrunners have allowed just one power-play goal, achieving a 94% success rate (16-for-17). The team has successfully killed off 13 consecutive power plays, including three against Calgary on Friday, and has even outscored its opponents 2-1 while short-handed.

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We’re Doing It Live
Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who has all of the action from the Scotiabank Saddledome. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.