Game #37: Tucson Roadrunners (3) vs Henderson Silver Knights (7)
Game #37: Tucson Roadrunners (3) vs Henderson Silver Knights (7)
SOG: TUC (41) – HSK (33)
PP: TUC (0/1) – HSK (1/3)
HENDERSON SCORING: Raphael Lavoie (7, 8), Calen Addison (3), Grigori Denisenko (9), Brandon Hickey (2), Jonas Rondbjerg (7), Christoffer Sedoff (4)
TUCSON SCORING: Austin Poganski (7), Kailer Yamamoto (11, 12)
Yamamoto’s Two Goals Not Enough as Tucson Falls 7-3 to Henderson
Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (19-16-2-0) battled back from an early deficit but were unable to overcome the Henderson Silver Knights (12-25-2-0), falling 7-3 on Tuesday night at Tucson Arena. The loss extended Tucson’s losing streak to a season-high four games and marked their fifth defeat in the last six outings.
Captain Austin Poganski gave Tucson an early lead, scoring just 59 seconds into the contest. However, Henderson responded with three straight goals—two from Raphael Lavoie and one from Calen Addison—before the halfway mark of the first period. Refusing to back down, Kailer Yamamoto found the back of the net twice in the final seven minutes of the frame, tying the game at 3-3 heading into intermission.
Cameron Hebig played a pivotal role in the opening period, recording assists on all three Tucson goals to extend his point streak to six games, matching the second-longest by a Roadrunner this season. Poganski added an assist on Yamamoto’s second tally, earning his second multi-point night of the year. Rookie Maveric Lamoureux notched an assist on Yamamoto’s first goal, extending his point streak to five games with two goals and four assists during that stretch.
The momentum swung back in Henderson’s favor in the second period, as Grigori Denisenko scored early, followed by a late goal from Brandon Hickey to give the Silver Knights a 5-3 advantage heading into the third.
Henderson extended their lead with an early goal in the final frame from Jonas Rondbjerg, and Christoffer Sedoff sealed the win with a late empty-net goal.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
The Roadrunners faced an uphill battle early, falling into a 3-1 deficit midway through the first period. However, Yamamoto led the comeback, scoring twice in a span of 5:35 to bring Tucson back into the game. His second tally, coming with just 1:24 remaining in the opening frame, tied the contest at 3-3.
The performance marked Yamamoto’s second multi-goal game of the season, tying him for the team lead. It was also his seventh multi-point game, the most of any Roadrunner alongside Egor Sokolov. With 28 points on the season, Yamamoto is now tied with Sokolov for the team lead in overall points with 28, and ranks third in goals with 12.
Yamamoto has been a consistent force for the Roadrunners, notching 15 points (7G, 8A) in his last 16 games.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Hebig was the catalyst for Tucson’s offense in the first period, recording an assist on all three goals. He joins Poganski and Artem Duda as the only Roadrunners this season to tally three assists in a single game. However, Hebig stands alone as the only player on the team to post both a three-assist game and a three-goal performance following his hat trick against the Texas Stars on Jan. 3.
Hebig’s playmaking extended his point streak to a season-high six games, during which he has tallied nine points (5G, 4A). The 27-year-old now has 26 points on the season, just two behind Yamamoto and Sokolov for the team lead. With half the season remaining, Hebig is only six points away from matching his career-best 32-point campaign from last year, positioning himself for a potentially career-defining season.
THEY SAID IT
“He (Cameron Hebig) is more confident. His shot is amazing. He sees the ice a lot better now. I have alot of praise for him. He’s a great buddy.”
Roadrunners forward Kailer Yamamoto on forward Cameron Hebig’s growth
THE RUNDOWN
First Period
The Roadrunners wasted no time getting on the board, striking just 59 seconds after puck drop. Poganski finished off a perfect drop pass from Hebig with a laser into the top corner of the net from above the right circle for his seventh goal of the season.
Henderson answered quickly, capitalizing on an early power play to knot the score at 1-1. Jakub Brabenec quarterbacked the rush, feeding Addison along the wall, who delivered a perfect cross-ice pass to Lavoie. Lavoie’s quick wrister beat Roadrunners goaltender Jaxson Stauber at 5:10 for his first of two goals in the period.
The Roadrunners nearly regained the lead minutes later when Hebig and Yamamoto broke free on a two-on-one rush. Hebig sent a centering pass to Yamamoto, but Henderson’s Akira Schmid made a sliding pad save to deny the one-timer.
Momentum shifted back to the Silver Knights shortly after as they added two more goals in quick succession. Addison broke the tie at 9:47 with a low shot from the point that slipped through Stauber’s five-hole, thanks to a screen from Braeden Bowman. Just two minutes later, Lavoie intercepted a neutral-zone turnover and converted a clean breakaway with a deke to his forehand, giving Henderson a 3-1 advantage.
Needing a spark, Montana Onyebuchi ignited the Tucson bench with a spirited fight against Henderson’s Riley McKay. The tilt came with 7:30 left in the frame and marked McKay’s second bout of the series after Monday’s scrap with Sam Lipkin.
The Roadrunners fed off the energy immediately, and Yamamoto delivered the payoff. Just 35 seconds after the fight, Yamamoto carried the puck into the zone and fired a shot into the top corner to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Yamamoto wasn’t done yet. With under two minutes left in the period, the winger struck again, finishing off a beautiful play after Hebig and Poganski won a puck battle in the corner. From behind the net, Poganski found Yamamoto in the slot, and the 26-year-old buried another glove-side snipe to even the score at 3-3 heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
The Roadrunners came inches away from taking their first lead less than two minutes into the middle frame when Aku Räty drove the puck to the crease. Räty’s close-range effort clanged off the post, keeping the score tied at three.
Henderson made the most of their first chance. Denisenko put the visitors back on top at 3:40, taking a feed from Rondbjerg in the slot and snapping a one-timer past Stauber to give the Silver Knights a 4-3 edge.
The Silver Knights nearly extended their lead midway through the period after drawing a Roadrunners tripping penalty. On the ensuing power play, both Denisenko and Lavoie rang shots off the post within seconds of each other, and Tucson escaped the dangerous situation unscathed.
Tucson earned their first power play of the night when Dysin Mayo was whistled for tripping with under nine minutes left in the period. The Roadrunners came close to tying the game as Egor Sokolov jumped on a loose rebound near the left post, only to watch his shot ricochet off the iron.
Henderson successfully killed the penalty and nearly capitalized as Mayo exited the box. The defenseman broke free on a near breakaway but was hauled down on his shot attempt, earning a penalty shot. Stauber stood tall and stoned Mayo with a blocker save on the one-on-none opportunity.
Moments later, Henderson struck again to restore their two-goal cushion. Hickey fired a glove-side wrist shot from the right circle that put the Silver Knights up 5-3 with 5:55 left in the second.
Third Period
The Roadrunners came out strong early in the final frame, and Yamamoto nearly completed the hat trick just 1:36 in. Lamoureux set up Yamamoto with a backdoor pass near the crease, but the Silver Knights’ defense cleared the puck before Yamamoto could capitalize.
Henderson responded with another early-period goal, as Rondbjerg extended the Silver Knights’ lead to 6-3 at 4:21, marking their largest advantage of the game.
Tucson pressed to close the gap in the final eight minutes, with Curtis Douglas nearly finding the back of the net for the second consecutive game. Rookie Julian Lutz orchestrated the chance from behind the net, but Schmid denied Douglas’ one-timer.
Desperate for a comeback, the Roadrunners pulled Stauber in the closing minutes for an extra attacker. However, Sedoff capitalized with an empty-net goal for Henderson at 17:33, securing a 7-3 victory for the Silver Knights.
The Roadrunners will continue their homestand with a two-game slate against the Abbotsford Canucks this weekend at Tucson Arena, starting with Friday’s series opener at 7 p.m. MST. Fans can catch all the action on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.
