Game #66: Tucson Roadrunners (4) vs San Diego Gulls (1)
Game #66: Tucson Roadrunners vs San Diego Gulls
SOG: TUC (39) – SD (26)
PP: TUC (1/3) – SD (0/4)
SAN DIEGO SCORING: Konnor Smith (1)
TUCSON SCORING: Hunter Drew (7), Victor Soderstrom (9), Cam Hebig (10), Curtis Douglas (5)
When did Matthew Villalta make some big time stops? Early and often. Beginning with this breakaway chance for the Gulls early in the first period all the way through the contest Matthew Villalta stood on his head for the Roadrunners allowing just one goal and recording 25 saves. Those 25 saves would move Villalta to the top of the list in saves this season in the AHL. Villalta picked up his 27th win on Saturday night which also boasts the top spot in the AHL.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
SAN DIEGO’S WORST NIGHTMARE – We probably don’t even need to tell you who we’re talking about, but we will anyway. Hunter Drew, Curtis Douglas, and Travis Barron. Three Canadian born Roadrunners that San Diego Gulls fans and players will have nightmares about. The Drew/Douglas/Barron line accounted for the Roadrunners first goal of the night, the last goal of the night, and a heavy tilt. Hunter Drew had two points, Travis Barron had an assist worth rewatching, and Curtis Douglas was an assist away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
LOOK AT THIS
Forward Sam Lipkin makes his professional debut for the Roadrunners in Saturday night’s contest and battles for a puck in front of the San Diego net. Lipkin, who won a NCAA National Championship with Quinnipiac University in 2023, record an assist early in the third period of the contest to give him his first professional point. Lipkin was a 7th round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 draft and joins the Roadrunners amid their playoff push. Lipkin, a Pennsylvania native, is no stranger to assists as he recorded assists on both the game-tying and game-winning goals in that NCAA National Championship game.
THEY SAID IT
“That one felt good, it’s been a long time coming to play in this arena again and it feels good to help the team win especially at this time of the year. We are jelling at the right time and all year he (Matthew Villalta) has been our rock. Home ice goes a long way in this league and in this division and we want to stay in Tucson as much as possible,”
Forward Hunter Drew following Tucson’s 4-1 victory over San Diego on Saturday night.
THE RUNDOWN
Hunter Drew got the scoring started in San Diego at the 14:22 mark on a rip from just in front of the blue line. Drew, who scored his seventh of the year and third against San Diego, was assisted by defenseman Max Szuber on the play. Matthew Villalta stood on his head all night, especially in the first, stopping a breakaway chance from San Diego and all nine shots he faced in the frame.
Matthew Villalta kept the hot streak rolling into the second period where he was again, perfect, making nine saves on nine attempts and keeping San Diego scoreless. It wouldn’t be until a cross-checking minor on San Diego late in the frame that Tucson would extend their lead. Defenseman Victor Soderstrom would light the lamp for the Roadrunners on the power-play and give Tucson the 2-0 lead. Colin Theisen and Austin Poganski assisted Soderstrom on the power-play snipe.
The third period would truly begin at the 6:15 mark when Cam Hebig would receive a pass from Sam Lipkin, a Quinnipiac alum making his professional debut, and dance his way through defenders and bury the puck. It was Hebig’s 10th goal of the season and the first professional point for Lipkin who assisted Hebig. San Diego would answer with a goal at the 15:02 mark breaking the 55+ minutes of shutout hockey from netminder Matthew Villalta. It would take just 47 seconds for Curtis Douglas to respond with a Roadrunners goal making it a 4-1 game. Douglas was assisted on a beautiful pass in front of the net from Travis Barron who picked up his seventh assist of the season. Hunter Drew would also assist Douglas on the goal giving him a two-point night, his second multiple point game of the season.
Tucson would hold on to win with a score of 4-1 and look to add another two standings points on Sunday against the Gulls.
