Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend

 

 

 

Roadrunners Record Through 13 Games (6-7-0-0), 8th in the Pacific Division

Upcoming Games (All Times MST)

Friday, November 22, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Wranglers (Faith and Family Night)

Saturday, November 23, 7:00 p.m. vs. Calgary Wranglers (Hockey Fights Cancer Night)

Tuesday, November 26, 6:30 p.m. vs. Coachella Valley Firebirds

Revenge Game:

The Tucson Roadrunners return home to the Tucson Arena after a three-game road trip: in which they snapped a three-game skid and are now one game under .500 at 6-7-0-0. The road does not get any easier for Tucson: as the squad now faces the juggernaut Pacific Division leader Calgary Wranglers to start off a four-game homestand. The Roadrunners and Wranglers only played four times last season: splitting each two-game series in their respective barns. However, the Wranglers got the final laugh as they swept the Roadrunners in round one of the Calder Cup playoffs in 2023-24 in two games. The Roadrunners look to avenge the 2023-24 season against a team who is top ten in both goals for and goals against at 3.62 goals per game and 2.32 goals against per game. 

Yoyo Yamamoto:

Roadrunners Forward Kailer Yamamoto notched Tucson’s two goals in the teams’ 2-1 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, November 16: with one coming even strength and another as a go-ahead power-play goal. Yamamoto, who was placed on waivers by the Utah Hockey Club and reassigned to the Roadrunners on October 26, has three goals and two assists for five points in five games this season. Two of the former first round pick’s three goals have come in game-winning fashion: with both of them coming in the back half of the third period. Yamamoto’s first game-winning goal came as part of Tucson’s 5-2 win over the San Diego Gulls on Saturday, November 9. He now has two multiple-point games this season: which is tied for second best on the team with Aku Raty and Hunter Drew. Yamamoto has 3 goals and one assist in his multiple point games this season.

  

Bringing The Identity:

Dating back to last season, the Roadrunners have always had a line within the lineups known as the “Identity line.” This line usually consists of players including Hunter Drew, Curtis Douglas, Travis Barron, Cameron Hebig and Ben McCartney. Within the past few games, Hunter Drew and Ben McCartney have stood out within the set of hard-working players. Hunter Drew, who has only played in eight of Tucson’s 13 games this season, ranks third on the team in points (8) and second in goals (5): while scoring a point in all but two of his games played this season. Drew, who is in year two with the Roadrunners, ended his last nine games of the 2023-24 regular season with five goals and four assists for nine points. In addition to his playoff goal in two games and his start to this season, Drew has 11 goals and 7 assists for 18 points in his last 20 total games. McCartney has also played strong as of late: notching two points in the last three games with a goal and an assist: including four total points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his last six games.

Duda The Dude:

Tucson Roadrunners rookie defenseman Artem Duda has quietly been a reliable presence on the blue line for Tucson. He currently ranks second amongst Roadrunners defenseman and first amongst rookies in points with five (1 goal, 4 assists): including two different back-to-back point streaks this season from October 11 to October 12 and now currently in the last two games. The 20-year-old former second round pick of the Arizona Coyotes only played 47 games in the past two seasons prior to 2024-25 but has now been placed in an everyday role for Tucson in the early part of the season.

Rolling Russo:

Fellow defenseman Robbie Russo has put together a great start in his return to the Roadrunners since 2019-20. In his first 13 games, Russo leads Tucson defenseman in scoring with seven assists for seven points and is tied with Aku Raty for fourth on the Roadrunners in points.  His four power-play assists lead the Roadrunners as well and are tied for fourth in the AHL. 

We Are Live:
Tucson Roadrunners Happy Hour airs every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app, with a podcast version also available after each episode on the iHeartRadio app and Apple Podcast. This week, “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer and Co-Host Kim Cota-Robles were joined by Roadrunners Forward Kailer Yamamoto. Listen live each week HERE and the podcast version after HERE.