Game #20: Tucson Roadrunners (3) @ Calgary Wranglers (6)
Game #20: Tucson Roadrunners (3) at Calgary Wranglers (6)
SOG: TUC (31) – CGY (31)
PP: TUC (0/5) – CGY (2/3)
CALGARY SCORING: William Strömgren (5), Jeremie Poirier (2), Rory Kerins (16), Sam Morton (4, 5), Dryden Hunt (5)
TUCSON SCORING: Kevin Connauton (3), Josh Doan (5), Hunter Drew (6)
Roadrunners Fall 6-3 in Shootout Against Calgary
Calgary, AB – For the second night in a row, the Tucson Roadrunners (10-10-0-0) surged back from a multi-goal deficit before falling 6-3 to the Calgary Wranglers (17-5-1-0) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.
Calgary took an early first-period lead, but Tucson quickly responded when defenseman Kevin Connauton scored his third goal of the season to tie the game. Forward Josh Doan assisted on Connauton’s goal and then found the back of the net just two minutes later, giving the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.
The Wranglers answered in the second period by tallying three consecutive goals to pull ahead 4-2. Roadrunners forward Hunter Drew kept Tucson within striking distance after scoring his ninth goal of the season late in the second period to make it a 4-3 game heading into the final frame.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Doan’s two-way play in the first period shifted the momentum in the Roadrunners’ favor after falling behind. He notched an assist on Connauton’s game-tying goal after driving the play that set up the defenseman’s one-timer. On his next shift, Doan stole the puck from Wranglers defenseman Yan Kuznetsov behind the net and scored from a slick backhand shot to put the Roadrunners ahead 2-1.
Saturday’s two-point outing marked Doan’s fourth multi-point game of the season, tying him with teammates Egor Sokolov and Kailer Yamamoto for the team lead. The goal also extended his point streak to three games. Doan has registered a point in six of the last seven games, notching three goals and six assists for nine points in that span.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Drew started the season on fire, recording points in six of his first seven games. He broke through again on Saturday with a clutch goal late in the second period to trim the deficit to 4-3. The goal marked Drew’s sixth of the season, tying him for the second-most on the team despite having played just 13 games.
Drew has made the most of his opportunities this season. He’s found the back of the net in 46% of his games, the second-best goals-per-game rate on the team. Only Egor Sokolov, with nine goals in 19 games (47%), has a slightly better scoring percentage. Drew has had a knack for scoring when the Roadrunners need it the most.
THEY SAID IT
“At the end of the day, I think in this league, it’s not just about points. It’s about how we play. And I think a lot of guys’ games are in a good spot right now.”
Roadrunners Forward Egor Sokolov on positive takeaways from Saturday’s 6-3 defeat to Calgary.
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
For the second consecutive night, Calgary forward William Strömgren opened the scoring just three minutes into the game. Capitalizing on a neutral-zone turnover, Strömgren intercepted the puck from Roadrunners defenseman Kevin Connauton and slipped a breakaway shot through Villalta’s five-hole, giving Calgary an early 1-0 lead.
Tucson had an opportunity to respond just three and a half minutes later when Wranglers forward Jeremie Poirier was called for interference at 6:36. This gave the Roadrunners’ dangerous power play an opportunity to tie the game. However, Calgary’s aggressive penalty kill stifled Tucson by denying zone entries, disrupting possession, and preventing a single shot on goal.
Midway through the period, matching roughing penalties created a four-on-four situation, and Tucson capitalized on the extra ice. Doan intercepted the puck deep in his own zone and raced toward the Calgary end on a two-on-one rush with Connauton, who joined the play. Threading a pass over the stick of a Calgary defender, Doan set up Connauton, who batted the rolling puck into the net to tie the game at 1-1 with nine minutes remaining.
Just a few shifts later, Doan’s playmaking led to another Tucson goal. After Roadrunners forward Aku Räty’s one-timer from the slot sailed high, Calgary defender Yan Kuznetsov attempted to control the rebound off the glass. Doan checked Kuznetsov, forcing a turnover, and recovered the puck. He drove to the net and beat Ignatjew with a backhand shot to give Tucson a 2-1 advantage with 6:49 left in the period.
Though the Roadrunners managed only four shots in the opening frame, compared to Calgary’s eight, Tucson maximized its chances, scoring on 50 percent of its shots.
Second Period
After trailing for the first time in the series, the Wranglers responded with two goals in the opening three minutes of the second period to seize a 3-2 lead. Jeremie Poirier tied the game 1:16 into the frame, and Calgary’s leading scorer, Rory Kerins, fired a shot past Villalta at 3:02 to put the Wranglers ahead.
Calgary dominated early in the period, outshooting Tucson 7-1 through the first seven minutes. The situation worsened for the Roadrunners when a tripping penalty at 7:37 gave the Wranglers its first power play of the game. Calgary capitalized on the man advantage after forward Sam Morton scored to extend the lead to 4-2 before the midway point of the period.
The Wranglers maintained control for the rest of the period, using its aggressive play to keep the Roadrunners on its heels. Tucson struggled to generate offense, with its first real scoring chance coming at 12:20. Hunter Drew found an open shooting lane as he entered the offensive zone, and fired a wrist shot into Ignatjew’s midsection.
Villalta’s play continued to keep the Roadrunners in the game. With six minutes remaining, a turnover led to a Calgary rush the other way, but Villalta made an acrobatic save to rob Strömgren of a second goal. Villalta’s save of the game gave Tucson some momentum, and the forward group rewarded its goaltender’s efforts.
With less than two minutes remaining, Drew received a breakout pass and carried the puck to the far blue line into Calgary’s zone. With no passing options available, Drew fired a hard shot from the right circle past Ignatjew’s glove to make it 4-3.
Calgary outscored and outshot Tucson 14-7, but the Roadrunners headed to the second intermission with the momentum.
Third Period
After managing just 11 shots through the first two periods, Tucson came out firing in the third, outshooting Calgary 9-2 in the opening seven minutes. For the first time in the game, the Roadrunners sustained consistent pressure on the Wranglers. Tucson created several quality chances and tested Ignatjew, but the Calgary goaltender stood tall and turned away every shot.
After weathering Tucson’s early surge, Calgary earned its second power play of the night following a Roadrunners tripping penalty. Despite being shorthanded, Tucson maintained its pressure, and Doan created a pair of scoring chances. He intercepted the puck in his own zone and set up Roadrunners defenseman Artem Duda for a one-timer on a two-on-one. Although Duda’s shot off the rush was blocked, Doan beat Calgary’s defenders to recover the rebound and drove the puck toward the net.
Moments later, Tucson assistant captain Ben McCartney created another shorthanded opportunity. He stripped Wranglers defenseman Jonathon Aspirot of the puck in the neutral zone and blew past him for a breakaway. Ignatjew came up with his biggest save of the game to deny McCartney and preserve Calgary’s one-goal lead.
Though Tucson generated three grade-A short-handed chances, the Roadrunners couldn’t convert but killed the Calgary power play. However, a holding penalty put Tucson down a man again just one minute later. Morton scored his second power-play goal of the game to extend Calgary’s lead to 5-3 with 7:12 remaining.
With three minutes left, the Roadrunners pulled Villalta, but Wranglers forward Dryden Hunt scored an empty-net goal with 1:27 left to put the game out of reach.
The Roadrunners will head back to Arizona to kick off a four-game homestand, starting with Friday’s matchup against the Henderson Silver Knights at Tucson Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MST. Tickets can be purchased using the link here. The game will be available to stream on AHLTV on FLO HOCKEY.
