GAME #18 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS VS SAN DIEGO GULLS

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Game #18: Tucson Roadrunners (9-8-0-0) vs San Diego Gulls (4-11-1-1)

Time: 7:00 p.m. MST, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, CA

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #46 Stephen Hiff, #42 Jordan Samuels-Thomas

Linespeople: #71 Harrison Heyer, #85 Steven Walsh

Supervisor: Jay Sharrers

The Tucson Roadrunners open a three-game road trip with a Saturday night showdown against the San Diego Gulls at 7 p.m. MST at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Tucson closed its four-game homestand with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Wednesday after Andrew Agozzino tallied the game-winner with 1:23 left in OT. The Roadrunners have won four of its last five games and have climbed to sixth place in the Pacific Division standings with 18 points.

In contrast, San Diego has trended in the wrong direction this month and has the second-fewest points in the Western Conference. The Gulls defeated the Roadrunners 4-2 the last time these two met on Nov. 9. but they have not won since. San Diego has a five-game losing streak, with four losses coming by one goal.

Three things:

  • Roadrunners assistant captain Ben McCartney tallied his second short-handed goal in four games after scoring on a breakaway in the second period of Wednesday’s match. The 6-foot, 200-pound forward is the only Roadrunner to find the back of the net on the penalty kill this season. He is tied with several other players for the most short-handed goals in the league, one goal behind Brian Pinho of the Bridgeport Islanders (3). McCartney also has four points in his last four games and six points in his last seven contests.
  • Fellow forward, Cameron Hebig, also has a hot stick of late and has a season-high three-game point streak. He scored in back-to-back games against the Calgary Wranglers on Sat, Nov. 23, and the Firebirds on Tuesday before collecting an assist on captain Austin Poganski’s first-period goal on Wednesday. Poganski has also been on a tear, registering a point in four of the last five games. The captain has two goals and four assists for six points in that span.
  • Four of San Diego’s five straight losses have been decided by one goal. The Gulls scored the first goal in all four of its one-goal defeats. Only four AHL teams have scored first more often than San Diego this season. San Diego has opened the scoring 11 times and have a 3-6-1-1 record when doing so. Only two teams in the league (Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Utica Comets) have fewer points from games where its scored first. On the other side, the Roadrunners have put the first goal on the board eight times for a 6-2 record.

What’s the word?

“Two really good teams came into our rink, and overall, we played some really good hockey. Winning three out of four, you have to be happy with that. We have to carry that on to San Diego this week.”

Roadrunners assistant captain Kevin Connauton on Tucson’s homestand.

Number to Know:

4 – Forward Kailer Yamamoto has Tucson’s longest assist streak of the season (four games) after setting up Agozzino’s overtime winner on Wednesday. He also extended his point streak to six games on the play, tying him with Agozzino and forward Egor Sokolov for the team’s longest streak of the season. Yamamoto has three goals, six assists, and nine points in his last six games.

Latest Transactions:

  • On Saturday, Nov. 30 defenseman Maksymilian Szuber was recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) to the Utah Hockey Club (NHL).

We’re Doing It Live
Saturday’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 all of the action from Pechanga Arena. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.