GAME #30 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS at TEXAS STARS

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Game #30: Tucson Roadrunners (17-11-1-0) vs Texas Stars (17-12-1-0)

Time: 6:00 p.m. MST, H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, TX

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #51 Bobby Jo Love, #27 Jackson Kozari

Linespeople: #30 Fred Hudy, #18 Michael Miggans

The Tucson Roadrunners aim for their sixth series sweep of the season as they face off against the Texas Stars in Saturday’s finale at the H-E-B Center. Puck drop for game two is set for 6 p.m. MST.

Friday’s opener came down to the wire, tied 3-3 late in the game, but the Roadrunners pulled away with three unanswered goals in the final 2:30 to secure a thrilling 6-3 victory over the Stars. The win marked Tucson’s first against a non-Pacific Division opponent this season and extended their road-winning streak to a season-high three games. It was also the second time this season the Roadrunners scored six goals in a single game, equaling their 6-2 win over Calgary on Nov. 23.

The victory moved Tucson into fourth place in the Pacific Division with 35 points, just three points behind third-place San Jose. Meanwhile, Colorado and Coachella Valley are close behind in fifth and sixth, also with 35 points. Tucson holds the tie-breaker over both rivals, thanks to more regulation wins.

Three things:

  • Cameron Hebig delivered a standout performance Friday, becoming the first Roadrunner to record a hat trick this season. His three-goal effort marked the first hat trick of his career, coming in the 350th AHL game of his career, including Calder Cup Playoff appearances. Hebig also became just the sixth Roadrunner to post a three-point game this season. In addition to his offensive contributions, Hebig finished the game with a +4 rating, tying Max Szuber’s team season high set on Dec. 18 against San Diego. Hebig’s three-goal game highlighted his impressive six-week stretch, during which he has registered a point in 11 of his last 14 games. Over that span, he has tallied 14 points with seven goals and seven assists.

  • Josh Doan shined with three assists on Friday, marking his first three-point game of the season and the second of his career. His first three-point performance came on Feb. 17, 2024, against Ontario, when he tallied a goal and two assists. Doan joins Austin Poganski (Nov. 23 vs. Calgary) and Artem Duda (Dec. 13 vs. Henderson) as the only Roadrunners this season to record three assists in a single game. Duda also had a standout night, contributing two assists for his second career multi-point game. His first helper set up Hebig’s game-winning tap-in goal with 2:30 remaining. The rookie defenseman is now tied with Robbie Russo for the most points among Tucson blueliners, with 14 points each.

  • Kailer Yamamoto continued his scoring surge on Friday, tying the game 1-1 in the first period to extend his goal streak to three games. Impressively, he has accounted for all of Tucson’s opening goals during this stretch. Yamamoto joins Hunter Drew (Oct. 10–25) and Egor Sokolov (Oct. 30–Nov. 10) as the only Roadrunners to post a three-game goal streak this season. Additionally, Yamamoto extended his point streak to five games and has notched a point in seven of his last eight outings. During this stretch, he has recorded nine points with four goals and five assists.

What’s the word?

“We had a two-on-one, and he (Cameron Hebig) was wide open. It wasn’t anything crazy, I just gave him (Hebig) a pass, he scored, and we finished the game strong.“

Roadrunners defenseman Artem Duda on setting up Cameron Hebig’s game-winning goal in game one.

Number to Know:

4 – The Roadrunners entered the third period of Friday’s game with a 3-2 lead and secured a 6-3 victory over the Stars. With the win, Tucson improved to 4-0 in road games when leading after two periods and 11-1 overall this season in such situations.

It also marked the Roadrunners’ first road victory when allowing three goals, bringing their record to 1-2 away from Tucson Arena and 4-3-1 overall in similar scenarios. Additionally, Tucson remains undefeated on the road when scoring four or more goals, improving to 5-0 in those games and 12-1 overall this season.

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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 H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey and across all FloHockey social media platforms as part of the Live on Social Game of the Week.