Game #21: Tucson Roadrunners (4) vs Henderson Silver Knights (2)
Game #21: Tucson Roadrunners (4) vs Henderson Silver Knights (2)
SOG: TUC (30) – HSK (28)
PP: TUC (1/3) – HSK (0/3)
HENDERSON SCORING: Christoffer Sedoff (3), Jakub Brabenec (3)
TUCSON SCORING: Peter DiLiberatore (2), Ben McCartney (5, 6), Egor Sokolov (10)
Sokolov Tallies 200th Career Point in Roadrunners 4-2 Victory Over Henderson
TUCSON, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (11-10-0-0) kicked off its four-game homestand with a 4-2 win over the Henderson Silver Knights (6-17-0-0) on Friday at Tucson Arena. Assistant captain Ben McCartney broke a 1-1 tie midway through the third period and sealed the game with an empty-net goal for a two-goal night. Forward Egor Sokolov added another empty-net insurance goal in the final minute to cap his two-point night and tally the 200th point of his career. Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta made 26 saves to secure his fifth win of the season.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
The Silver Knights got within one goal after forward Jakub Brabenec scored to make it 3-2 with 1:23 left in the game. However, Sokolov sealed the victory for Tucson with an empty-net goal in the final 26 seconds, extending the Roadrunners’ lead to 4-2. The goal marked his 10th of the season and the 200th point of his career. Earlier in the game, he recorded an assist on defenseman Peter Diliberatore’s second-period goal, achieving his fifth multi-point performance of the season – a team-high.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Diliberatore scored the equalizer early in the second period against his former team, marking his second goal of the season. Both of his goals this season have been game-tying scores, including his third-period goal against the San Diego Gulls on Nov. 9. The 24-year-old is now just one goal shy of matching his career-high of three goals, set during the 2021-2022 season. A sixth-round pick (180th overall) by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 draft, Diliberatore spent three seasons with Henderson before joining the Roadrunners ahead of the 2023-24 season.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s pretty cool to get it done with this group. I never thought about it, you just go out and play the game. I got rewarded at the end with an empty net. But we got back on the winning track, and that’s all that matters.”
Roadrunners forward Egor Sokolov on his 200th career point.
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
Henderson took an early lead just 52 seconds into the game after defenseman Christoffer Sedoff scored from a shot below the left side of the point.
A couple of shifts later, Silver Knights forward Robert Hägg was sent to the box for tripping, giving the Roadrunners its first power play and opportunity to find the equalizer. Tucson couldn’t capitalize on the man advantage, as the Henderson penalty kill limited the Roadrunners power play to just one shot. It was Tucson’s only shot through the first 10 minutes, while Henderson tallied five.
With nine minutes remaining in the period, Tucson’s offense came to life. Taking advantage of a delayed penalty from Henderson forward Mitch McLain’s tripping minor, the Roadrunners had a two-on-one rush with an extra skater. Forward Aku Räty came close to scoring on a one-timer set up by Ben McCartney.
On the ensuing power play, Tucson generated several high-quality chances. Silver Knights goalie Carl Lindblom stood tall and made key saves on a pair of one-timed shots from Egor Sokolov, while defenseman Robbie Russo blasted a shot from the point that rang off the crossbar.
After McLain’s penalty expired, Tucson was called for holding, giving Henderson its first power play of the game. Roadrunners goalie Matt Villalta came up big on the penalty kill. He made a string of critical saves and fended off two Silver Knights forwards trying to jam a loose rebound past him to keep it a one-goal game.
At the end of the play, a Tucson cross-checking penalty handed Henderson a five-on-three power play for just over a minute. Until a Tucson delay of game penalty extended Henderson’s two-man advantage. The Roadrunners killed all three penalties, despite being down two skaters for nearly two minutes. The score remained 1-0 at the first intermissions, and shots were 13-5 in favor of Henderson.
Second Period
Villalta denied three Henderson chances in the first two minutes, before the Roadrunners took over the middle period. Tucson registered the next four scoring opportunities before tying the game 1-1 at 4:38. Diliberatore received a pass across the slot from Sokolov and ripped a one-timer from above the right circle past Lindbom.
Just past the halfway point, offsetting minor penalties led to two minutes of four-on-four play. Tucson took full advantage of the open ice and dominated possession in the Henderson zone for nearly the entire stretch. Defensemen Artem Duda and Lleyton Moore each created quality scoring opportunities, while Montana Onyebuchi came close to deflecting a shot home from just above the crease.
Although the Roadrunners couldn’t find the go-ahead goal, Tucson outshot the Silver Knights 10-1 in the final 10 minutes and 16-7 overall in the second period.
Third Period
It was a tight game to open the third period, as both sides combined for three total shots in the first nine-and-a-half minutes. Henderson generated the first quality scoring chance at 7:20 when forward Cal Burke received a pass above the slot and fired a shot that clanged off the post. On the next shift, Duda fed Yamamoto a one-timer off the rush, but his shot sailed just wide.
Tucson finally broke through on the power play at 10:05. Assistant captain Ben McCartney pounced on a rebound from Duda’s point shot to tally the go-ahead goal.
Henderson pulled Lindbom with over three minutes remaining, and McCartney capitalized on the empty net, scoring his second of the night after receiving a center-ice pass from forward Cameron Hebig to extend the lead to 3-1 with two minutes to go.
The Silver Knights refused to go quietly, as forward Jakub Brabenec found the back of the net with 1:23 remaining to trim Tucson’s lead to 3-2. However, Roadrunners goalie Matt Villalta preserved the lead by denying Brabenec in the final minute. Then, Egor Sokolov sealed the win for Tucson with an empty-net goal—his second point of the night and the 200th of his career — making it a 4-2 game.
Tucson will look to complete the sweep against the Silver Knights on Saturday at Tucson Arena. The matchup will also be the Roadrunners’ annual Teddy Bear Toss Game. 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.
