Game #25: Tucson Roadrunners (4) @ Abbotsford Canucks (2)
Game #25: Tucson Roadrunners (4) at Abbotsford Canucks (2)
SOG: TUC (26) – ABB (33)
PP: TUC (0/3) – ABB (1/3)
ABBOTSFORD SCORING: Jonathan Lekkerimäki (11), Danila Klimovich (10)
TUCSON SCORING: Hunter Drew (7, 8), Cameron Hebig (5), Andrew Agozzino (9)
Roadrunners Rally with Three Late Goals to Defeat Canucks 4-2, Extend Win Streak to Five
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The Tucson Roadrunners (15-10-0-0) came back from a late one-goal deficit to defeat the Abbotsford Canucks 4-2 on Friday at the Abbotsford Centre. The Canucks (14-12-0-1) held a 1-0 lead after the first period and a 2-1 advantage heading into the third, but Tucson rallied to score three unanswered goals, securing their season-high fifth straight victory.
Tucson forward Hunter Drew tied the game in the second period and then netted the game-winning goal with 5:40 remaining. Forward Cameron Hebig scored the equalizer nine minutes into the third, and assistant captain Andrew Agozzino added an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal the win.
Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta made 31 saves, earning his fifth consecutive win and improving his record to 9-8 on the season.
With the victory, Tucson passed both Abbotsford and the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the standings, moving into third place in the Pacific Division with 30 points.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Drew notched his eight goal of the season and second of the game late in the third period. It was his first game-winning goal, second multi-goal game and third multi-point performance of the season. He is now tied with rookie Sam Lipkin for the third-most goals on the team.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Rookie defenseman Artem Duda recorded an assist on Hunter Drew’s go-ahead goal, marking his fifth assist in the last five games. Defenseman Kevin Connauton tallied an assist on Drew’s first goal, earning his third point in the last two games. Forwards Travis Barron and Curtis Douglas each registered an assist, contributing to a three-point performance for their line alongside Drew.
THEY SAID IT
“Those guys (Travis Barron and Curtis Douglas) are great. They’re my best buddies off the ice and we’re linemates. They help me every single night and I try to do the same for them, and we’re finding our stride. It feels good to get into a little bit of a rhythm and let’s keep it rolling for tomorrow. “
Roadrunners forward Hunter Drew on the chemistry with his linemates Travis Barron and Curtis Douglas.
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
The Roadrunners came out strong to open game, and Tucson’s Ben McCartney tested Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs with a low wrist shot on the first shift, as forwards Josh Doan and Aku Raty crowded the crease looking for a rebound.
Villalta also looked sharp early and denied a point-blank chance from Abbotsford’s Ty Glover just two minutes in and followed it up with a pair of stops on Jonathan Lekkerimäki during a dangerous two-on-one rush. Villalta’s play between the pipes kept it a scoreless game midway through the period when he turned aside Canucks forward Ty Mueller’s tap-in attempt on another odd-man break.
Abbotsford eventually broke through late in the period on their second power play. Lekkerimäki capitalized with a shot from the right side of the point to put the Canucks ahead 1-0 with 4:54 remaining. Tucson responded immediately, as McCartney drove cross-ice through two defenders and fired a strong backhand shot on goal, creating one of the Roadrunners’ best scoring chances up to that point.
Despite the play, Tucson struggled to generate many scoring chances in the first 15 minutes because of the Canucks’ aggressive attack. Abbotsford dominated time of possession and outshot Tucson 15-7 in the first period. The shot disparity and deficit could have been greater had it not been for the Roadrunners’ shot blocking and play of Villalta.
Tucson had an opportunity to tie the game with back-to-back five-on-three power plays in the closing minutes, but the Canucks’ red-hot penalty kill denied both of the Roadrunner’s opportunities with a two-man advantage. Šilovs made a few big stops, including a save on Doan’s one-timer in the final seconds. Despite trailing, the Roadrunners carried some momentum and 40 more seconds of power-play time into the second period.
Second Period
The Roadrunners controlled the tempo early in the middle frame and generated more scoring chances and shots than the Canucks.
Their efforts paid off 7:23 into the period when forward Curtis Douglas set up Hunter Drew at the top of the left circle to tie the game. With forward Travis Barron screening Šilovs, Drew fired a shot glove-side past the Canucks goaltender to make it 1-1.
The Roadrunners maintained their momentum after the equalizer and continued to put the pressure on the Canucks. Tucson’s defense played a pivotal role in generating offense, particularly the pairing of Kevin Connauton and Maksymilian Szuber. Connauton, who overcame a minor injury from the first period, not only assisted on the tying goal but also created several scoring chances.
The forward group also contributed, with Tucson’s Cameron Hebig setting up Kailer Yamamoto for a grade-A scoring opportunity with five minutes left in the period. Hebig’s pass from behind the net caught Šilovs off guard, and Yamamoto’s one-timer had the goalie beat, but his shot clanged off the post.
Moments later, Yamamoto and Abbotsford’s Arshdeep Bains were sent off for coincidental minors. Tucson capitalized on the ensuing four-on-four play—a strength for the team this season—as Szuber blasted a one-timer off a feed from Josh Doan to nearly give the Roadrunners their first lead of the night.
However, the Canucks responded quickly after play returned to even strength. With two-and-a-half minutes left in the period, forward Danila Klimovich scored to reclaim Abbotsford’s lead, and the Canucks went into the second intermission ahead 2-1.
Third Period
The Roadrunners recorded the first three shots and an early scoring chance. Forward Egor Sokolov disrupted an Abbotsford rush with a poke check in the Tucson zone, quickly snapping a pass to assistant captain Andrew Agozzino. This set up a two-on-one rush with Josh Doan, but the Canucks’ backcheck sealed off both passing lanes. Agozzino opted for a low shot, which bounced off the far-side pad of Arturs Šilovs.
Doan hustled to track down the rebound and managed two quick follow-up attempts, but both were deflected away.
Just over seven minutes into the third, Roadrunners forwards Sam Lipkin and Aku Räty connected on back-to-back scoring chances. Lipkin set up Räty for a quick one-timer and, moments later, nearly tipped home Räty’s snapshot.
A few shifts later, Villalta came up clutch again for Tucson, stopping Abbotsford’s Aatu Räty on a breakaway to keep the deficit at one. The save proved pivotal, as the Roadrunners tied the game moments later at the 9:00 mark. Captain Austin Poganski found Hebig from behind the net, and Hebig’s one-timer from below the left circled tied the game at 2-2.
The Roadrunners came close to taking their first lead of the night just past the midway point. On a two-on-one rush, Josh Doan snapped a pass to Barron, who deked across the crease looking for the go-ahead goal. Šilovs stretched out to make the pad save and also denied Barron’s rebound attempt.
Tucson’s pressure paid off late in the third period as Drew scored his second goal of the game with 5:37 remaining to give the Roadrunners a 3-2 lead. Barron sparked the play by breaking out of his own zone, and by chipping the puck off the boards twice to evade Abbotsford defenders. Barron then found Drew near the Canucks’ blue line, and Drew fired a quick shot from below the left circle past Šilovs.
The Canucks came close to equalizing with under four minutes left. Defenseman Christian Wolanin fired a shot from the point that created a dangerous rebound in front of the net, but Villalta turned aside both the initial shot and Glover’s follow-up attempt to preserve Tucson’s one-goal advantage.
Abbotsford threw everything they could on the net in the final minute, but Villalta stood tall, allowing Agozzino to score an empty-net goal with 30 seconds remaining to put the game away.
The Roadrunners will look for their third-straight series sweep in Saturday’s game against the Abbotsford Canucks at the Abbotsford Centre. Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. MST. The game will be available to stream on AHLTV on FLO HOCKEY.
