GAME #53 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS at ONTARIO REIGN

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Game #53: Tucson Roadrunners (25-22-3-2) vs Ontario Reign (31-17-2-1)

Time: 8 p.m. MST, Toyota Arena, Ontario, CA

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #92 John Lindner, #93 Phil Kasko

Linespeople: #85 Steven Walsh, #31 Nikolaus Diehr

After a strong homestand, the Tucson Roadrunners (25-22-3-2) hit the road for a three-game trip through Southern California, starting with Wednesday’s matchup at Toyota Arena against the Ontario Reign (31-17-2-1) at 8 p.m. MST.

The Roadrunners are still searching for their first win against Ontario this season, having gone 0-3-0-1 in the series, including a 4-1 loss in their last meeting on Feb. 12. However, Tucson has been one of the league’s hottest teams since then, earning points in six of their last seven games with a 4-1-1-1 record. They enter the contest on a four-game point streak (3-0-1), most recently rallying from a two-goal deficit to force overtime in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Rockford.

While the Roadrunners are surging, the Reign have cooled off. Ontario is 4-3 in its last seven games, with just one of those wins coming in regulation. More recently, the Reign have been shut out in back-to-back games following consecutive 4-0 losses to the Colorado Eagles over the weekend. Ontario has dropped three of its last four games and scored just three total goals in that stretch.

Despite the recent scoring slump, the Reign remain in a strong playoff position, sitting fourth in the Pacific Division with 65 points—just two behind first-place Colorado and four ahead of the fifth-place San Jose Barracuda. Tucson, meanwhile, holds the division’s final playoff spot in seventh place with 55 points, two ahead of eighth-place Bakersfield and four behind sixth-place Abbotsford. With playoff positioning on the line, Wednesday’s game presents a key opportunity for both teams.

Three Things:

  • Mr. Consistency
    Kailer Yamamoto’s consistency might sound like a broken record to Roadrunners fans, but all he does is produce. The veteran forward picked up an assist on Andrew Agozzino’s power-play goal Saturday, sparking Tucson’s comeback and extending his point streak to eight games—the third-longest active streak in the AHL, trailing only Patrick Brown (Providence) and Tristan Luneau (San Diego), who both sit at nine. Yamamoto’s streak matches his own team-season high eight-game streak from Nov. 15 to Dec. 6 and has totaled 10 points (2G, 8A) since his current streak began on Feb. 11 against Bakersfield. The 26-year-old leads Tucson in points (44), assists (29), and multi-point games (11), while ranking third in goals (15) and tied for second in power-play points (11).

  • Sokolov’s Scoring Surge
    Egor Sokolov has been red-hot over the last two weeks, scoring in four of the last six games, including three of four during Tucson’s homestand. The 24-year-old has goals in back-to-back games, tallying three in that span, and five in his last six contests. It’s his best six-game stretch since recording seven goals from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10, when he had a season-high three-game goal streak—one he could match with another tally on Wednesday. Sokolov is now tied with Cameron Hebig for the team lead in goals (20) and ranks first in power-play points (12) and power-play goals (6). He also shares the team lead in game-winning goals (4, tied with Agozzino), while ranking second in points (39) and multi-point games (9).

  • Strong in the Crease
    Goaltending played a key role in Tucson’s successful homestand, as the Roadrunners allowed just 2.25 goals per game across four contests, and never conceded more than three. Matthew Villalta has won three of his last four starts, including back-to-back victories while allowing just three total goals in his last two outings. He stopped 56 of 59 shots (.949 SV%) in that span to collect his 43rd and 44th win with Tucson. Villalta now ranks third in franchise history in wins, needing 10 more to tie Ivan Prosvetov for second. If he gets the start on Wednesday, Villalta will look to collect win No. 45 as a Roadrunner against his former team. He spent the first four seasons of his career with Ontario, where he won 58 games with the Reign before signing with Tucson in the summer of 2023. Roadrunners netminder Jaxson Stauber has also been sharp, posting a 1-0-1 record in his last two starts while turning aside 58 of 64 shots (.906 SV%). In his last outing, Stauber made a pair of clutch breakaway saves in the third period to help Tucson force overtime against Rockford.

What’s the Word?

“You see a lot of NHL teams talking right now. For the teams that are battling for a playoff spot, every game is a playoff game for them. I think we have to have that same mindset. Utah, they’re in the hunt. (Utah defenseman Mikhail) Sergachev, he won two cups and he’s talking about that. Every game is a playoff game, so I think having that mentality is going to help us win. And once the playoffs come, hopefully we make it, and then we’ll be ready to play that kind of a hockey.”

Roadrunners forward Egor Sokolov on the team’s mindset as the playoff race tightens

Number to Know:

58 & 124 – Cameron Hebig has scored in three of the last four games and is on the verge of making franchise history. The 28-year-old forward sits at fourth all-time in Roadrunners goals (57) and points (123) and is just one goal and one point away from matching former Roadrunner and current Bakersfield Condor Lane Pederson for third place in both categories.

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We’re Doing It Live

Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 7:45 p.m. MST with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who has all of the action from Toyota Arena. Fans can catch all the action on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.