Game #30: Tucson Roadrunners (0) @ Texas Stars (5)
Game #30: Tucson Roadrunners (0) vs Texas Stars (5)
SOG: TUC (24) – TEX (29)
PP: TUC (0/3) – TEX (3/6)
TEXAS SCORING: Curtis McKenzie (8), Kyle McDonald (3), Emilio Pettersen (4), Matej Blümel (16), Gavin White (1)
TUCSON SCORING:
Roadrunners Shut Out by Stars, Split Series in Texas
Cedar Park, TX – The Tucson Roadrunners (17-12-1-0) split their series against the Texas Stars (18-12-1-0) following a 5-0 loss on Saturday at the H-E-B Center.
The Stars struck twice in a 1:47 span late in the first period and added two power-play goals in the second to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Texas notched their third power-play goal early in the third to seal the victory.
The defeat marked just the second time Tucson has been shut out this season and snapped their three-game road winning streak.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
After falling behind 2-0 late in the first period, Hunter Drew looked to energize the Roadrunners by dropping the gloves with Texas’ Jack Becker in the final minute of the frame. It marked Drew’s third fight of the season, tying defenseman Montana Onyebuchi for the second-most on the team, and the 12th fight overall for Tucson this season. The Roadrunners, who went four weeks without a fight in December, now have two bouts to start the New Year following Curtis Douglas’ tilt on Friday night. Douglas leads the team with five fights on the season.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
The Roadrunners were unable to find the back of the net, but alternate captain Andrew Agozzino led Tucson’s offense with a team-high five shots on goal, matching his season best. Agozzino came within one shot of tying the team’s single-game season high, set by Cameron Hebig and Josh Doan, who each recorded six shots in Tucson’s 6-2 win over Calgary on Nov. 23. With his performance, Agozzino pulled ahead of Egor Sokolov to lead the team with 62 shots on the season. It marked the second time this year Agozzino tallied five shots in a game, with his previous effort coming just three games earlier on Dec. 28 against Colorado.
THEY SAID IT
“I think I think we were good on the forecheck. I think we played hard and heavy, but they did too. They excelled at capitalizing on their chances. But there are little tweaks we need to improve on.”
Roadrunners defenseman Peter DiLiberatore on the positive takeaways from Saturday’s loss.
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
The Roadrunners started strong and dominated possession and scoring chances early in the game. Tucson had the first five shots on goal in the opening 90 seconds of play, and their aggressive offense was backed by solid defensive play. The backend held the Stars without a shot for the first six and a half minutes. However, Texas gained momentum midway through the period and took control with a flurry of five straight shots.
The Stars continued to push and broke the scoreless tie with 4:38 left in the period. Chase Wheatcroft intercepted a deflected Tucson breakout pass and faked a wraparound before finding Curtis McKenzie above the crease for a one-timer to make it 1-0. Less than two minutes later, Texas doubled their lead when Kyle McDonald fired a tough-angle shot past Matthew Villalta, putting the Stars up 2-0.
Tucson pushed back late in the period with near goals from Artem Duda and Andrew Agozzino. Duda’s point shot through traffic was denied by Texas goaltender Remi Poirier, and Agozzino’s one-timer and subsequent rebound attempt off the post narrowly missed cutting the deficit in half.
In the closing seconds, Hunter Drew tallied in his third fight of the season, taking on Texas’ Jack Becker in an evenly matched bout that capped a tightly contested first period that was closer than the score indicated.
Second Period
The Roadrunners faced an uphill battle early in the second period as Agozzino joined Drew in the penalty box for slashing, granting Texas the game’s first power play. The Stars capitalized late in the man advantage when defenseman Gavin White fired a point shot, and forward Emilio Pettersen buried the rebound to extend the lead to 3-0.
Despite the early setback, Villalta stepped up with a big kick save on a dangerous attempt by Texas’ Antonio Stranges to keep the deficit from growing. However, Tucson’s penalty troubles continued with back-to-back slashing calls, giving the Stars consecutive power plays, including a brief five-on-three. The Roadrunners killed the first penalty, but Matej Blümel scored moments later to make it 4-0 at 8:32.
Tucson pushed for a response in the latter half of the frame after earning two power plays of their own. Despite creating quality chances, the Roadrunners were plagued by bad luck as Josh Doan’s slapshot from the slot was saved, and both Agozzino and Egor Sokolov rang consecutive rebound attempts off the post. Unable to convert, Tucson entered the second intermission down 4-0 after being outshot 15-8 in the period.
Third Period
For the second straight period, penalty trouble derailed the Roadrunners’ efforts as they were called for two consecutive infractions, handing Texas back-to-back power plays and a nearly minute-long five-on-three opportunity. The Stars took advantage, and defenseman Gavin White blasted a shot from the point to extend the lead to 5-0 just five minutes into the third.
The penalties prevented Tucson from finding any rhythm offensively, leaving them with just one shot on goal through the first half of the period. A delay of game penalty against the Stars’ goaltender offered the Roadrunners a chance to regroup. On the ensuing power play, Agozzino unleashed a one-timer from below the right faceoff circle, but Texas effectively kept Tucson’s chances to the perimeter and successfully killed the penalty.
Both teams managed just four shots on goal apiece in the final frame, as Texas’ defensive effort stifled any hopes of a Roadrunners comeback, and the Stars secured the 5-0 win.
The Roadrunners will visit the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday for the third game of their seven-game road trip. The action begins at 8 p.m. MST and will be streamed live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
