GAME #7: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS AT ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS

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Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners (3-3-0-0) at Abbotsford Canucks (3-2-0-1)

Time: 7:00 p.m. MST, Abbotsford Centre, Abbotsford, BC

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #51 Bobby Jo Love, #20 Brendan Schreider

Linespersons: #37 Bradley Ewing, #28 Brennan Walker

The Tucson Roadrunners rebounded from a pair of losses and swept the Bakersfield Condors on Friday and Saturday to get back to .500 in the win/loss column. Forward Egor Sokolov was the hero of the weekend, scoring the game-winning goal in both games and four goals in the series. After winning consecutive games for the first time this season, the Roadrunners head north of the border looking to extend its winning streak against the Abbotsford Canucks on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MST.

Abbotsford currently sits in third place in the Pacific Division with seven points after splitting its first three series and leads Tucson by one point. The Canucks lost its last game against San Diego 4-1 but have won every game after a loss this season. The weekday matchup is new territory for both teams, as neither side has played a non-weekend series this season.

Three things:

  • Abbotsford is one of only two AHL teams with a winning record despite having a negative goal differential of three or more. The Canucks and Hartford Wolfpack are both over .500 with a minus-5 goal difference. Abbotsford has scored 14 goals in six games, which ranks seventh out of 10 in the Pacific and 13th out of 17 in the Western Conference. But Bakersfield is the only team below them that have played six games. Abbotsford’s season-opening win over the Calgary Wranglers on Oct. 11 is the only game the Canucks have scored four or more goals. The team has scored one goal in two of its last three games. On the other side, Tucson’s 20 goals ranks fourth in the Pacific and sixth in the West. And three of the five West teams ahead of them in goals have played more games. The Roadrunners have scored four or more goals in three of its six games.
  • The AHL named Sokolov the Player of the Week on Monday for his clutch performance over the weekend. After tallying his fourth goal and second game-winner in two nights, Sokolov has a team-high five goals and eight points. He also extended his point streak to six games. In his first season with the Roadrunners, Sokolov has notched a point in every game and has points in 10 of his last 11 games going back to the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • The Utah Hockey Club assigned forward Kailer Yamamoto to the Roadrunners on Saturday and forward Josh Doan on Monday. Doan needs no introduction. The son of former Coyotes captain Shane Doan was a 2024 AHL All-Star and All-Rookie Team member after tallying 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points with the Roadrunners in 2023-24. Doan led Tucson in goals, power-play goals (10) and points. He also led all AHL rookies in goals and power-play goals. This will be Doan’s first game back with Tucson since the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Arizona native opened the 2024-25 campaign with Utah, notching one goal and one assist for two points in nine games. Yamamoto also started the season with Utah after making the team on a PTO, and has zero points in three NHL games this month. He had eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 59 games with the Seattle Kraken last year after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Edmonton Oilers. The 26-year-old Spokane, Washington native has 134 points from 58 goals and 76 assists in 306 career NHL games. Yamamoto was drafted in the first round (22nd overall) by Edmonton in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. His best season came in 2021-22, tallying a career-high 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games. The duo will add even more scoring punch to the Roadrunners forward group.

What’s the word?

“I think anytime you get a chance to play, you want to compete, right? So after missing a game, it was nice to get back in there and try to help the boys. Getting the weekend sweep here was huge.”

Roadrunners forward Cameron Hebig on returning to the lineup on Saturday and scoring the game-tying goal.

Number to Know:

3 – Sokolov is one of three Roadrunners to notch a point in every game played this season. Forward Andrew Agozzino also extended his point streak to six games after collecting an assist on Sokolov’s power-play goal in the first period. He also has a nine-game points streak overall and and has 16 points in his last 14 games going back to last season with the San Diego Gulls. Fast starts are nothing new for Agozzino, who had nine points in his first 10 games last year and finished the season with a .93 points per game average. The 14-year veteran is tied with forward Hunter Drew for the second-highest points total on the team, with six points from three goals and three assists. Drew has racked up four goals in only four games, which is second on the team behind Sokolov. Two of them came in Tucson’s 5-3 win over Bakersfield on Friday. The seven-year pro has 15 points in his last 15 games, dating back to the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs and regular season (9-6-15).

Latest Transactions:

  • On Monday, Oct. 28, forward Josh Doan was reassigned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) from the Utah Hockey Club
  • On Saturday, Oct. 26, forward Kailer Yamamoto was reassigned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) from the Utah Hockey Club

We’re Doing It Live
Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who has all of the action from Tucson Arena. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.