GAME #1: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS AT COLORADO EAGLES

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Game #1: Tucson Roadrunners at Colorado Eagles

Time: 6:05 p.m. MST, Blue FCU Arena, Loveland, CO

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #46 Stephen Hiff, #71 Brody Sutter

Linespersons: #62 Mitch Hunt, #24 Eric McDonald

The Tucson Roadrunners open their season on the road against the Colorado Eagles to start the 2024-25 season. It will be Tucson’s first of nine series matchups against Pacific Division teams and the first of two trips to Colorado this season. The Roadrunners look to build off its historic 2023-24 campaign, where the team finished with the most wins in team history (43-23-4-2), and the Whiteout returned to Tucson Arena in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The Eagles have epitomized sustained success since joining the AHL as an expansion franchise in 2018 as an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. The team has qualified for the playoffs in each of its first six seasons. Last year, the Eagles finished fourth in the Pacific Division (40-25-5) and were defeated in the first round by the Abbotsford Canucks, losing the decisive game three in overtime. 

Three things:

  • After last year’s record-setting season, the Roadrunners bolstered the team by signing four new players: forwards Egor Sokolov and Andrew Agozzino, defenseman Kevin Connauton, and goaltender Jaxon Stauber. Last season Agozzino led the San Diego Gulls with 26 goals, 38 assists, and 64 points and finished seventh in the AHL in scoring. In July Tucson acquired Sokolov in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for Jan Jenik. The former second-round pick is the Belleville Senators’ all-time leader in points (180) and games played (240). He has scored over 19 goals in the last three seasons and has 76 career goals.  Connauton should be a familiar name with Roadrunners fans. He was with the organization from 2015-19, playing 185 games with the Arizona Coyotes. This will be his 15th season in professional hockey, playing 745 games (360 NHL and 385 AHL). The most surprising move was the addition of Stauber, who gives the team even more depth in the crease. He has played 48 games over the last two seasons for the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks affiliate) and has a 24-16-3 record and .899 save percentage. Last year was his best season with 18 wins, a 2.85 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. He also tallied one goal and five assists to lead all AHL goaltenders in scoring last season
  • Tucson has six players making their North American pro hockey debuts this season – defensemen Artem Duda, Will Gavin, Maveric Lamoureux, and forwards Julian Lutz, Miko Matikka, and Noel Nordh. Four of them were drafted in consecutive order by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022. Lamoureux was taken in the first round (29th overall). Duda and Lutz were drafted in the second round (36th and 43rd overall). Matikka was picked in the third round (67th overall) and won an NCAA title with Denver last spring, which give the Roadrunners two representatives from the previous two winners of the Frozen Four. Teammate Sam Lipkin, who is currently out with an injury, won a championship with Quinnipiac in 2023. The undrafted Gavin also had a prolific college career. He led Air Force with 49 goals over four seasons, including a career-high 19 in 2023-24. The youngest rookie is Nordh. The 19-year-old Swede was drafted by Arizona in the third round (72nd overall) in 2023 and he forced his way onto the roster with his play throughout training camp. He led Tucson in scoring in the preseason with two goals, two assists, and four points in two games.
  • Colorado reunited with forward Jayson Megna on a two-year AHL contract this summer and made him the team captain on Tuesday. The 34-year-old veteran previously played four seasons in the Avalanche organization from 2019 to 2022, where he led the team to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2021 and 2022. During his time in Colorado, he had five assists in 49 games with the Avs and 41 goals and 82 points in 103 games with the Eagles. Over his career, Megna has played 204 NHL games with the Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, and Boston Bruins and 484 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Hartford Wolf Pack, Utica Comets, Hershey Bears, and Providence Bruins. He had 19 goals and 37 assists (56 points) in 69 games with Providence last season and played one game in Boston’s regular-season finale. 

What’s the word?

 “Super excited. The Roadrunners are a great organization. Last year, we had a good season that ended in a first-round loss. But I think this year we have a lot of big components coming in with (Andrew) Agozzino, (Kevin) Connauton, and some really dynamic rookies that are going to help us make a good push this year.”

Captain Austin Poganski on his expectations for the team and improving upon last year’s record-setting season.

Number to Know:

6 – The number of season openers the Roadrunners have won in a row dating back to the 2018 season when they defeated the San Diego Gulls by a score of 6-4 on Oct. 6. In that six-game span, they’ve outscored their opponents 16-8. A win on Friday against Colorado would make it seven straight seaons. Tucson defeated Texas 3-2 to open last year’s campaign.

We’re Doing It Live
Friday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who has all of the action from Blue FCU Arena in Loveland. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey. It will also be free to stream as part of AHL TV’s Freeview, where all opening weekend games are free to stream.