Game #35: Tucson Roadrunners (3) @ Calgary Wranglers (4)
Game #35: Tucson Roadrunners (3) at Calgary Wranglers (4)
SOG: TUC (36) – CGY (25)
PP: TUC (0/4) – CGY (2/4)
CALGARY SCORING: Hunter Brzustewicz (2), Ilya Solovyov (5), Martin Frk (11), Dryden Hunt (11)
TUCSON SCORING: Cameron Hebig (12, 13), Ryan McGregor (1)
Hebig Shines with Two Goals, But Roadrunners Fall 4-3 to Wranglers
Calgary, AB – The Tucson Roadrunners (19-15-1-0) held three separate one-goal leads in the first 30 minutes, but the Calgary Wranglers (25-12-1-0) responded each time and secured a 4-3 victory on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary scored twice on the power play late in the second period to complete their comeback.
Cameron Hebig led the Roadrunners with two goals, extending his scoring streak to three games, while Ryan McGregor notched his first goal of the season. Hebig opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the game, capitalizing on a rebound from the slot. Calgary responded quickly, as Hunter Brzustewicz redirected a point shot into the net to tie the game minutes later.
Hebig struck again late in the first period, converting another rebound from the right circle to put Tucson ahead. However, Calgary’s Ilya Solovyov tied the game early in the second with a point shot that found its way through traffic. Midway through the frame, Ryan McGregor restored Tucson’s lead, finishing off a two-on-one rush with Egor Sokolov. The Wranglers then seized momentum on back-to-back power plays, as Martin Frk and Dryden Hunt scored in quick succession to give Calgary a 4-3 lead heading into the final period.
The loss marked Tucson’s second consecutive defeat and their fourth straight against the Wranglers. After starting their seven-game road trip with a 2-1 record, the Roadrunners dropped three of their final four games, finishing the trip with a 3-4 record.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
McGregor tallied his first goal of the season midway through the second period, putting the Roadrunners up 3-2 and giving Tucson their third lead of the game. The goal came off a perfect tic-tac-toe play with Sokolov, as the duo executed a sequence of three passes before McGregor’s initial one-timer and rebound effort found the back of the net.
In his fifth season with Tucson, McGregor has navigated a role that’s seen him in and out of the lineup, but he’s found his rhythm with more consistent playing time, tallying two points (1G, 1A) in his last three games. With one goal and three assists in 15 games this season, McGregor continues to contribute valuable offensive depth for the Roadrunners.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Hebig continues to stay red-hot, and scored for the third straight game to become the fourth Roadrunner this season with a three-game goal streak, joining Hunter Drew, Kailer Yamamoto, and Sokolov. Then, Hebig regained Tucson’s lead late in the first with his 13th goal of the season, matching his career-high set in 2021-22, and doing so in just 30 games. He is now tied with Sokolov for the team lead in goals.
The tally also marked Hebig’s second multi-goal game of the season, making him only the third Roadrunner to achieve that feat alongside Drew and Sokolov. Cementing his status as Tucson’s MVP of the seven-game road trip, Hebig notched seven goals and one assist over the stretch.
THEY SAID IT
“He (Cameron Hebig) is phenomenal. Hardest worker I think I’ve ever seen. His shot is great, and he’s a great guy off the ice. I have nothing but the best words for that guy right now. I’m happy he scored two goals and hopefully keeps it going.”
Roadrunners forward Kailer Yamamoto on Cameron Hebig’s two-goal game
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
The Roadrunners wasted no time getting on the board, striking just 50 seconds into the game. Hebig buried a rebound past Calgary goaltender Waltteri Ignatjew to make it 1-0. Lleyton Moore set up the play with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, and Hebig pounced on the loose puck and snapped a low shot into the left corner of the net.
Tucson nearly doubled their lead on the next shift when Kailer Yamamoto raced into the Wranglers’ zone and rang a shot off the crossbar. The pressure forced Calgary into a tripping penalty, giving the Roadrunners an early power-play opportunity. Despite several quality chances, including a rebound scramble in front following Kevin Connauton’s point shot, Ignatjew held firm to keep it a one-goal game.
The Wranglers continued their knack for timely scoring in the series, capitalizing on their first opportunity at 4:27. Brzustewicz redirected Yan Kuznetsov’s point shot past Tucson goaltender Jaxson Stauber, knotting the game at 1-1.
Tucson continued to dictate play, outshooting Calgary 11-3 through the first seven minutes. Peter Diliberatore’s shot from the blue line created another flurry in front, with Sam Lipkin getting two rebound attempts that Ignatjew managed to stop.
A tripping call against Tucson at the midway mark gave Calgary their first power play, but the Roadrunners’ penalty kill stifled the Wranglers’ attack, limiting them to two perimeter shots.
Back at even strength, Tucson regained the lead at 13:26 with Hebig’s second goal of the night. Connauton’s shot from the left point generated a juicy rebound, and Hebig was perfectly positioned to tuck it in from just outside the crease, putting the Roadrunners up 2-1.
After falling behind, Calgary needed a spark late in the period, and Alex Gallant challenged Montana Onyebuchi to a spirited fight with four minutes remaining. The pair traded punches in an even and lengthy bout, and Onyebuchi tapped Gallant’s helmet in mutual respect as officials intervened.
Second Period
The Wranglers tied the game 2-2 early in the period at 3:35 with another goal from the point. Frk worked the puck along the boards to defenseman Artem Grushnikov, who sent it across to Solovyov at the opposite blue line. Solovyov’s shot threaded through traffic and beat Stauber to even the score.
Minutes later, Calgary’s Jonathan Aspirot took a slashing penalty, giving Tucson their second power play of the night. The Roadrunners’ best chance came off a quick transition when Stauber launched a cross-ice pass to Yamamoto during a Calgary line change. Yamamoto had a clear step on the Wranglers’ backcheck but was tripped by a poke check before getting a shot off.
While Tucson couldn’t convert on the man advantage, they regained the lead midway through the frame. With 9:55 remaining, Ryan McGregor and Egor Sokolov executed a textbook give-and-go on a two-on-one rush. Ignatjew made an initial stop on McGregor’s one-timer, but McGregor stayed with the play and knocked in his own rebound to make it 3-2 Roadrunners.
The Wranglers wasted no time answering back, capitalizing on consecutive power-play opportunities in a 3:26 span to take their first lead of the game. Frk buried the first power-play tally, and Hunt followed up with a one-timed slap shot from above the right circle to put Calgary ahead 4-3 with 4:10 left in the period.
Calgary nearly extended their lead in the final minute on a two-on-one rush, but Stauber came up big with a save on Frk’s one-timer to keep the game within reach heading into the third.
Third Period
Both teams tightened up defensively in the opening minutes of the third and limited scoring chances in what remained a tight, one-goal game. Only four total shots were recorded in the first six and a half minutes. Tucson’s offensive push began shortly after, led by Yamamoto, who generated back-to-back chances: a near-side attempt down low followed by a booming shot from the point that created a rebound opportunity for Moore.
This sequence sparked a stretch of six consecutive Roadrunners shots, but Calgary kept most attempts to the perimeter to limiting quality opportunities for Tucson.
With 3:33 remaining, Yamamoto carried the puck coast to coast before threading a cross-ice pass to Hebig, who was set up for a backdoor one-timer. However, Hebig’s shot was blocked. Moments later, on an offensive-zone faceoff, Calgary’s David Silye was called for a faceoff violation after covering the puck with his hand, granting Tucson a late power-play chance. Hebig came close to equalizing, walking the puck into the slot and narrowly missing the top left corner of the net.
Stauber was pulled with 90 seconds left to give the Roadrunners an extra attacker. In the dying seconds, Yamamoto set up Hebig for one final one-timer from the right circle, but Ignatjew made a critical pad save to secure Calgary’s 4-3 victory.
The Roadrunners will return home for a two-game set against the Henderson Silver Knights, starting with the series opener on Monday at 6 p.m. MST at Tucson Arena. The matchup kicks off a season-high six-game homestand. Fans can catch all the action on AHLTV on FloHockey and tickets can be purchased using the link here.
