Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: Good Vibes Hit The Road 

Upcoming Games (All times MST) 

Tuesday, January 31: Tucson at Bakersfield, 7:30 p.m. 

Friday, February 3: Tucson at Ontario, 8:00 p.m. 

Saturday, February 4: Tucson at Ontario, 7:00 p.m. 

Who’s On The Schedule 

The Roadrunners embark on their longest road trip of the season this week, a seven-game stretch that begins on Tuesday in Bakersfield against the Condors. Tucson has taken on the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers five times this season for a record of 4-1-0-0. The Roadrunners can secure the season series against the Condors with their second-straight win at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on the year, with the first being a 4-3 shootout victory on January 14. Tucson has outscored the Condors 22 to 14 over their first five meetings on the year with five multi-goal periods. Following the standalone matchup with Bakersfield, the Roadrunners will continue on to Ontario for a two-game weekend series with the Reign starting on Friday. 

Fun Times At The Tucson Arena 

Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Abbotsford Canucks at the Tucson Arena marked the end of a six-game home stand that saw the Roadrunners go 5-1 with a pair of series sweeps. Besides the strong showing by the team on the ice, the six-game stretch featured several notable theme nights and promotions. The opening contest on January 20 against Bakersfield represented the first El Lazo de Tucson Night of the season, as the Roadrunners debuted their new El Lazo alternate jerseys in a 6-2 win over the Condors. The next game with Bakersfield was the first Harry Potter Night since the 2019-2020 campaign, followed by another $2 Twos-Day and Kids Free Wednesday in a series sweep of the Chicago Wolves. The final weekend of the home stand began with the highest attendance at the Tucson Arena since November 2019 for Saturday’s Star Wars Night with 5,717 fans on hand, while Sunday’s Arizona Coyotes Day saw the Roadrunners earn their fourth-straight in front of a home crowd. 

It’s Not Goodbye… 

The Roadrunners will be back at the Tucson Arena for a pair of games with the Henderson Silver Knights Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19. The weekend series with the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights marks the only Tucson home games in the month of February, compared to eight contests on the road. The series opener will be the fourth Roadrunners game this season to be televised live in Southern Arizona on The CW Tucson, while also featuring a Youth Jersey Giveaway presented by DentalPros. The following afternoon is Kids Day Presented by Stantec, with all kids 12 and under admitted for free at the Tucson Arena Box Office with a paying adult. 

Dominant In The Desert 

All five of Tucson’s wins on their last home stand were by at least three goals, as the Roadrunners outscored their opponents 28-12 overall across the six-game slate. Tucson scored first in all five victories while leading for at least 52 minutes in four of the five wins on their home ice. The Roadrunners offense overwhelmed their opponents by posting eight multi-goal periods, and 22 different Roadrunners players recorded a point. Their four-straight wins to close out the home stand represent their longest winning streak at the Tucson Arena on the season. 

Carcone Keeps Climbing 

Forward Mike Carcone maintained his spot atop the American Hockey League in total scoring with nine points (2g 7a) over his last four outings. The 2023 AHL All-Star was the first player to reach 60 points on the season and currently leads his closest competitor by nine points with four less games played. Despite only taking the ice for four of Tucson’s six games on the home stand (Carcone was in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes until January 23), the 26-year-old narrowly led the team in scoring on the home stand. Carcone’s 1.67 points per-game is the highest among qualified skaters at this point in a season over the last 15 years. 

Dea Dazzles At Home 

Tucson Roadrunners forward J.S. Dea had a home stand to remember, as he finished the six-game slate with eight points (4g 4a), including the first hat trick of his professional career on January 28. Dea is tied with common linemate Laurent Dauphin for second on the team in total points (36) and is in sole possession of second place in goals with 18. The 28-year-old has an even 18 goals and 18 assists on the year, while appearing in each of Tucson’s first 43 games. 

Three-Straight For Tyler Parks 

Goaltender Tyler Parks earned three of Tucson’s five total wins over their six-game home stand. Since being recalled from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, Parks has posted a .930 save percentage with only six goals allowed across three outings. Along with netminder Ivan Prosvetov, the Roadrunners never allowed more than three goals in a single game on the contest with an overall save percentage of nearly .931 and a goals against average of exactly 2.00. 

Nathan And Milos Make The Grade 

During Tucson’s six-game home stand, Nathan Smith and Milos Kelemen became the fifth and sixth Roadrunners to tally double-digit goals and assists on the season. Smith was the first to achieve the feat by tallying his tenth goal and tenth assist of the season in back-to-back contests January 21 and 24. Kelemen matched Smith with his tenth goal on January 29, after the 23-year-old made his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes earlier in the week on January 24. The pair join forwards Mike Carcone, J.S. Dea, Laurent Dauphin and Adam Cracknell as Roadrunners skaters to reach ten goals and ten assists, while defensemen Cam Dineen (29) and Victor Soderstrom (21) have also eclipsed 20 total points on the season. 

Did You Know? 

The Roadrunners achieved a rare feat on Saturday night against the Abbotsford Canucks, as their special-teams units were both perfect in the 6-3 win. Tucson made the most of their two trips to the man-advantage by cashing in on both with a pair of power-play goals by J.S. Dea. On the other end, the Roadrunners kept the Canucks from scoring all three times they went shorthanded Saturday and have allowed just one power-play goal over their last 27 penalty-kill situations overall. 

On The Air 

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. This week, co-hosts Adrian Denny, Brett Fera and Kim Cota-Robles will be joined by a member of the Roadrunners in a special pregame edition of Happy Hour live from the road before Tucson takes on the Bakersfield Condors. In addition, a new episode of the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast released on Sunday, as “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny and TucsonRoadrunners.com’s Jimmy Peebles heard from Captain Adam Cracknell and Head Coach Steve Potvin as they looked back on the successful home stand for the Roadrunners. The podcast can be found on the iHeartRadio App.