Game #58: Tucson Roadrunners (6) vs San Jose Barracuda (3)
Game #58: Tucson Roadrunners (6) vs San Jose Barracuda (3)
SOG: TUC (34) – SJ (34)
PP: TUC (2/7) – SJ (2/7)
SAN JOSE SCORING: Colin White (11), Andrew Poturalski (25), Rem Pitlick (2)
TUCSON SCORING: Curtis Douglas (6), Andrew Agozzino (15, 16, 17), Kailer Yamamoto (18), Ben McCartney (11)
Agozzino’s Hat Trick Powers Roadrunners Past Barracuda, 6-3
Tucson, AZ – Roadrunners alternate captain Andrew Agozzino recorded a hat trick, and defenseman Max Szuber tallied three assists to propel Tucson to a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Barracuda (29-21-4-3) on Saturday at Tucson Arena. The Roadrunners (28-25-3-2) jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead in the first period and never trailed.
Curtis Douglas opened the scoring for the third consecutive game, netting the first goal early in the opening frame. Agozzino then struck twice in a span of just over five minutes, including a power-play tally, to extend Tucson’s advantage to three before the first intermission.
San Jose responded early in the second when Colin White went bar down just 1:35 into the period to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, Agozzino completed his hat trick on a five-on-three power play midway through the frame to restore Tucson’s three-goal cushion. Agozzino became the second Roadrunner to record a hat trick this season, joining Cameron Hebig, who notched the team’s first on Jan. 3 against Texas.
Szuber recorded his third assist of the night on the goal, marking his first three-point game of the season and the second of his AHL career—both coming against San Jose. Ben McCartney also assisted on the play, earning his 100th career AHL point.
The Barracuda stayed in the fight, as Andrew Poturalski capitalized on the power play late in the second to make it 4-2 heading into the third.
San Jose inched closer when Rem Pitlick scored on the man advantage with 5:04 remaining in regulation to cut the deficit to one. The Barracuda pressed for the equalizer late, but Kailer Yamamoto and McCartney each buried empty-net goals in the final minute to secure the 6-3 win.
The victory snapped Tucson’s three-game losing streak and improved the Roadrunners’ season record to 2-1 against San Jose. Tucson goaltender Matthew Villalta made 31 saves to secure his 15th win of the season.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Agozzino’s second-period power-play goal not only completed his hat trick but also gave the Roadrunners a commanding three-goal lead. It marked the fourth hat trick of his AHL career and his first since Nov. 27, 2021, with the Belleville Senators. Agozzino is on a tear, tallying four goals in his last four games and racking up eight points (6G, 2A) over his last seven contests.
He’s been especially lethal on the power play. After netting two power-play goals on Saturday, Agozzino now leads Tucson with seven on the season and is tied with Yamamoto for the team lead in power-play points with 15 (7G, 8A).
The goal also stood as the game-winner, marking Agozzino’s team-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Douglas continued his hot streak, lighting the lamp for the third straight game—all of them serving as the game’s opening goal. The three-game goal streak is the first of his career, and his sixth tally of the season in 50 games surpasses last year’s total of five, achieved in seven fewer contests. The 6-foot-9, 242-pound forward has developed a knack for striking early, with four of his six goals coming in the first period. Douglas now sits at 91 career AHL points with his latest marker, inching closer to the 100-point milestone.
THEY SAID IT
“I mean, he (Andrew Agozzino) is the kind of player who you just give him the puck and let him do his thing. It’s awesome to have him on the team and he just buried it for us.”
Roadrunners defenseman Max Szuber on Andrew Agozzino’s hat trick
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
The Roadrunners stormed out of the gates and controlled the game in the early going. Five minutes in, the forward trio of Julian Lutz, Douglas, and Ryan McGregor nearly opened the scoring. McGregor initiated the sequence with a wraparound attempt before Douglas followed up with a point-blank shot from the low slot. San Jose goaltender Gabriel Carriere made the initial save and denied McGregor’s rebound attempt.
That strong shift sparked Tucson’s offense, and moments later, Agozzino nearly capitalized on a breakaway. The veteran forward slipped behind the Barracuda defense and charged in alone, but Carriere kicked aside his shot to keep the game scoreless.
The Roadrunners’ relentless pressure finally broke through with two goals in a span of 2:34. Once again, the Douglas-McGregor-Lutz line delivered as Douglas put Tucson on the board for the third consecutive game at 7:30. McGregor set up the play from behind the net, snapping a perfectly placed pass to Douglas in the slot, where he buried a one-timer past Carriere to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead.
Tucson doubled its advantage just over two minutes later when Agozzino struck for his first of the night. Robbie Russo’s shot from the point was blocked, but Agozzino corralled the loose puck, spun, and rifled a wrist shot glove-side to make it 2-0 at 10:04.
The intensity ramped up 90 seconds later when Travis Barron dropped the gloves with San Jose’s Anthony Vincent. Barron dominated the fight, sending Tucson Arena into a frenzy before motioning to the crowd to get louder as he skated to the penalty box.
With 5:30 left in the period, Tucson nearly made it 3-0 after a costly mistake by the Barracuda. San Jose defenseman Luca Cagnoni broke his stick attempting a pass deep in his own zone, allowing Cameron Hebig to intercept and lead an odd-man rush. Hebig fed Artem Duda for a one-timer in the slot, but Carriere made a sliding stop to keep the Roadrunners from extending their lead.
Poturalski took a tripping penalty off the ensuing faceoff, and Tucson wasted no time capitalizing on the power play. Just 35 seconds into the man advantage, Agozzino netted his second goal of the night, blasting home Yamamoto’s cross-slot pass from the left circle to put the Roadrunners up 3-0 with 4:28 remaining.
Tucson carried its three-goal lead into the first intermission after outshooting the Barracuda 17-6 and dominating the opening frame in all three phases of the game.
SECOND PERIOD
After a dominant first period by Tucson, San Jose responded early in the second. Just 1:35 into the frame, Colin White ripped a shot bar down from the top of the right circle to cut the Roadrunners’ lead to 3-1.
Tucson had a prime opportunity to restore its three-goal cushion when Cagnoni was called for interference, sending the Roadrunners to their second power play of the night. Forwards Sammy Walker and Egor Sokolov each had quality scoring chances, but the man advantage was cut short after Tucson took a holding penalty. The Roadrunners, however, successfully killed off San Jose’s abbreviated power play to regain momentum.
Tucson found itself on a five-on-three power play just past the midway point after Lucas Vanroboys and Pavol Regenda took penalties 11 seconds apart. The Roadrunners capitalized on the two-man advantage, as Agozzino completed the hat trick with 9:10 remaining. Agozzino fired a missile of a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, picking the top-left corner to beat Carriere blocker side and put Tucson up 4-1.
San Jose pushed back late in the period and earned a power play with 3:22 remaining after McCartney was called for high-sticking. The Barracuda took advantage, as Poturalski blasted a one-timer past Villalta to make it a 4-2 game with 1:32 left in the period.
THIRD PERIOD
After a tightly contested start to the final frame, Villalta made a crucial stop to maintain the Roadrunners’ lead. San Jose’s Jake Furlong ripped a heavy wrister that struck Villalta square in the mask, dislodging his helmet and halting play. Unfazed, Villalta regrouped quickly and continued to command the crease.
Villalta turned aside the first four shots of the period before a slashing penalty on Scott Sabourin at 6:20 put Tucson on the power play. The Roadrunners created several quality chances, including a pair of one-timers from Agozzino, but Carriere stood tall to keep it a two-goal game.
San Jose earned back-to-back power plays later in the period and capitalized on the second opportunity. Pitlick pounced on a rebound and buried a power-play goal to pull the Barracuda within one with 5:04 remaining.
San Jose pulled Carriere for the extra attacker with just under two minutes left, but Tucson iced the game with a pair of empty-net goals. Yamamoto struck first with 45 seconds left, followed by McCartney 25 seconds later to seal a 6-3 Roadrunners victory.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners wrap up their two-game series against San Jose on Sunday. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. MST. Fans can catch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.
