Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: 13 Mile Marker
Upcoming Games (All Times MST)
Monday, January 20 vs. Henderson Silver Knights at 6:00 p.m. (Martin Luther King Day Kids Workbook Giveaway)
Tuesday, January 21 vs. Henderson Silver Knights at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, January 24 vs. Abbotsford Canucks at 7:00 p.m.
Roadrunners Record Through 35 Games: 19-15-1-0, 39 points, 6th in the Pacific Division
The Halfway Point:
The Roadrunners are just about halfway through the 2024-25 campaign at 35 games of 72: with a 19-15-1-0 record and a sixth-place spot in the Pacific Division Standings. Though the sixth-place spot is in playoff position, Tucson has a long way to go to secure a trip to the 2024-25 postseason. The team is currently just one point above the Abbotsford Canucks (38 points); who have begun to heat up again winning their last four straight and just four points ahead of the Bakersfield Condors (35 points) who are the one team with a winning record who is not in a playoff spot. Roadrunners have admiralty had a good season despite a slow start; the team did not get three games over .500 until it was 13-10-0-0 at 23 games. Tucson turned the season around after a disastrous 6-2 loss to the last place Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, November 25: falling to 5-7-0-0 on the season. Since the 5-7-0-0 start, Tucson has gone 14-8-1-0; including a season-high six-game winning streak from December 13 to December 21. The Roadrunners are about middle of the pact in the stat categories: ranking 16th in goals for per game (3.08) and goals against per game (2.97) and 14th in power-play percentage (17.7%). Tucson’s penalty-kill took a big dip in the recent road trip going 15-for-23 (65%), resulting in the drop to 23rd on the PK (80.8%). As for the player stats, Forwards Egor Sokolov and Cameron Hebig are tied for the team lead in goals at 13; while Sokolov leads the team in total points (28). In addition, forward Kailer Yamamoto and defenseman Robbie Russo are both tied for the team lead in assists at 16. Russo also leads all defenseman in scoring with his 16 points while fellow blue liner Artem Duda leads Tucson rookies in total points at 15 (1 goal, 14 assists). Sam Lipkin leads Roadrunners rookies in goals at nine which is tied for fifth best amongst rookies in the AHL.
Back Home:
The Roadrunners return home for a much-needed homestand after completing a stretch of nine of eleven on the road: including the recent seven-game road trip. Tucson finished the seven-game road trip with a 3-4-0-0 record that dipped their overall road record to 9-10-0-0 on the road. Though one game under .500 for Tucson when away from home, the Pacific Division has grown to be a difficult place to win on the road. Teams such as the Calgary Wranglers (8-7-1-0), Colorado Eagles (6-7-1-0), San Jose Barracuda (8-7-1-1) and Abbotsford Canucks (7-8-1-1) have under or just barely .500 records on the road despite all being in the playoff picture: including Calgary and Colorado in the top two spots of the division as of Friday. Tucson this season has a .656 winning percentage (10-5-1-0 record) at home which is the fourth best in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. The next six-game homestand comes against the Henderson Silver Knights, Abbotsford Canucks and Ontario Reign: who have a combined record of 22-25-2-1 on the road. In addition, Tucson is 3-1-0-0 versus both the Henderson Silver Knights and Abbotsford Canucks: including two-game sweeps the last time the Roadrunners faced them.
Hebig On Fire:
Roadrunners forward Cameron Hebig continues to be Tucson’s most consistent scorer on the roster: coming off the seven-game road trip scoring seven goals and adding one assist for eight points; including two multiple-goal games with his first career hat trick on January 3 versus the Texas Stars and a two-goal game in Tucson’s recent match versus the Calgary Wranglers on January 15. He is also riding a three-game goal streak; joining the list of Egor Sokolov (two times), Kailer Yamamoto and Hunter Drew who have three-game goal streaks this season. Hebig’s 13 goals are now tied for his season high in which he set in the 2021-22 season in 68 games played. Hebig has tied his career high in 38 less games played this season at 30 games. Hebig is also on his best line of points-per-game at .73: with his best coming last season at .52 points-per-game and 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 61 games played. If Hebig continues this pace, he can end up with 49 points; combining both career bests of 29 goals and 20 assists in 67 games.
Tandem Tightening Things Up:
The Roadrunners goaltending union as a whole has had plenty of success in the first half of the season. Despite a record of 10-12-1-0, netminder Matthew Villalta has kept the Roadrunners in a plentiful of games: ranking second in the league in saves at 693 with a .906 save percentage and 2.89 GAA. Overall, Tucson goalies have played well above average this season; combining for a 2.71 goals against average and .913 save percentage. As of Friday, January 17, the league goalie goals against average sits at 2.73; while the save percentage is at .906. Jaxson Stauber, who was reassigned to the Roadrunners on January 9, has a 2.45 goals against average and .924 save percentage in nine starts. He compiled a 2-1-1 record as a member of the Utah Hockey Club; compiling a 2.23 goals against average and .925 save percentage, including the team’s first ever shutout in team history and his NHL career. As a whole, Stauber has gone 8-4-1 with a 2.38 goals against average and .924 save percentage in his 2024-25 pro hockey season.
The Importance of Depth:
The Roadrunners have relied much on their depth pieces in the past and are doing so again this season. After the callup of Josh Doan to the Utah Hockey Club on January 9 and Andrew Agozzino’s recent injury; the Roadrunners have lost two of their top five scoring forwards. This however has given opportunities for players including long-time Roadrunner forward Ryan McGregor and rookie Miko Matikka to fill in the holes. McGregor finished Tucson’s recent trip on a high note with two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in the final three games; including his first goal of his season. Matikka has one assist this season and no points since returning from injury but has provided chances for Tucson on the road trip and continues to develop as the season roles on. Fellow rookie Julian Lutz, who has four assists in 12 games, is also expected to return in short time and will instantly play a vital role as the Roadrunners try to stay in a playoff spot in the second half of the year. In addition, forward Hunter Drew has nine goals this season that ranks third on the team despite playing 27 of Tucson’s 35 total games. As for the defense, Peter DiLiberatore and Lleyton Moore have filled in nicely for the Roadrunners when called to action. Moore has one goal and four assists for five points in 23 games this season: including four (1 goal, 3 assists) of his five points on the road. As for DiLiberatore, he has two goals and a plus minus rating of +2 in 14 games played: with two of the goals coming in game-tying fashion. Finally, goaltender Dylan Wells went 2-0 with a 2.43 goals against average and .897 save percentage in two starts for Tucson. Wells was reassigned back to the ECHL’s Allen Americans on January 12 after Utah goaltender Connor Ingram returned from absence.
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 past week, “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer and Co-Host Kim Cota-Robles were joined by Roadrunners Defenseman Kevin Connauton. Listen live each week HERE and the podcast version after HERE.
