Game #40: Tucson Roadrunners (1) vs Ontario Reign (2)
Game #40: Tucson Roadrunners (1) vs Ontario Reign (2)
SOG: TUC (22) – ONT (31)
PP: TUC (1/5) – ONT (0/3)
ONTARIO SCORING: Jack Studnicka (12), Charles Hudon (15)
TUCSON SCORING: Egor Sokolov (14)
Roadrunners Rally in Third But Fall Short Against Ontario, 2-1
Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (19-19-2-0) battled back from a two-goal third-period deficit but ultimately fell short in a 2-1 loss to the Ontario Reign (25-14-1-1) on Friday night at Tucson Arena. The defeat extended Tucson’s losing streak to seven games.
Ontario struck twice in quick succession early in the second period, with Jack Studnicka and Charles Hudon scoring just 39 seconds apart on a pair of odd-man rushes to put the Reign ahead 2-0.
Tucson responded in the third period when Egor Sokolov converted on the power play just over four minutes in, marking the second consecutive game in which the Roadrunners have scored with the man advantage. Curtis Douglas and Aku Räty registered assists on the goal, bringing their season point totals to nine and 15, respectively.
Goaltender Matthew Villalta delivered a heroic performance in net, making 29 saves to keep the Roadrunners within striking distance throughout the game.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Sokolov cut Ontario’s lead in half early in the third period with a pinpoint snipe to the top shelf. The goal was Sokolov’s 14th of the season, tying him with Cameron Hebig for the team lead. It also marked his team-leading fifth power-play goal and 10th power-play point of the season, tying him with Andrew Agozzino for the most on the team. Sokolov’s tally was his first power-play goal since December 6 against Calgary.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Villalta stood on his head in the first period, turning aside all 17 shots he faced to keep the game scoreless through 20 minutes. It was his highest save total in a period since stopping 24 shots against San Diego on January 10. Villalta finished the night with 29 saves, his most in a game since his 42-save performance against the Gulls on January 10, giving the Roadrunners a chance to battle back in the third.
THEY SAID IT
“We just have to come in tomorrow and play as a team. We have to find a way to win an ugly one. That’s all we gotta do.”
Roadrunners forward Egor Sokolov on Saturday’s game two against Ontario
THE RUNDOWN
Ontario nearly struck early when Martin Chromiak broke in alone during a Roadrunners line change, but Robbie Russo hustled off the bench to break up the chance just in time.
Tucson generated their first quality scoring opportunity moments later when Hunter Drew fired a wrist shot from above the right circle, with Sokolov providing the screen. The shot deflected just wide, but Drew made his presence felt on the next shift—dropping the gloves with Ontario’s Luke Rowe in a spirited scrap at center ice that brought the Tucson Arena crowd to its feet.
The Reign responded with a dangerous two-on-one when Studnicka set up Taylor Ward for a one-timer in the slot, but Villalta shut the door with a big save seven minutes in.
Tucson countered with a grade-A chance of its own midway through the period. Off the rush, Austin Poganski snapped a perfect pass to Kailer Yamamoto in the slot. With time to pick his spot, Yamamoto let it rip, but Ontario netminder Pheonix Copley made a sprawling stop to keep the game scoreless. The Roadrunners kept pressing on the next shift, and Sokolov fired a low shot to Copley’s far pad, setting up Lleyton Moore with a prime rebound chance on the opposite wing.
Villalta continued to stand tall in the second half of the period, turning aside another one-time chance from Ward and making a clutch sliding stop on Hudon’s blast from the left point. His most impressive save came with just over two minutes remaining—somehow denying Tyler Madden’s point-blank one-timer while lying on his back. He finished the period with 17 saves to keep Ontario off the board.
The Roadrunners also put the pressure on late, as Ben McCartney drove hard to the net through traffic, and Russo and Matikka nearly capitalized on consecutive chances in the slot—both looking for their first goals of the season.
Despite a flurry of chances on both ends, the opening frame ended scoreless, thanks to stellar goaltending from Villalta and Copley.
Second Period
Ontario controlled possession early in the middle frame and finally broke through with two goals in under a minute. The first came at 5:32 when the Reign capitalized on a defensive breakdown and entered the Tucson zone on a three-on-one. Andre Lee sent a cross-ice pass to Cole Krygier, who drove the net before dropping it off to Studnicka for a tap-in goal, giving Ontario a 1-0 lead.
Just 39 seconds later, the Reign struck again. On another odd-man rush, Caleb Jones threaded a perfect pass across the slot to Hudon, who buried the one-timer from just above Villalta’s crease to double the lead.
Ontario nearly extended its advantage midway through the period following another Tucson defensive lapse. Angus Booth launched a long stretch pass to a wide-open Samuel Fagemo behind the Roadrunners defense, setting up a breakaway. Fagemo deked from left to right, but Villalta stood his ground and made a huge stop to keep Tucson within two.
Tensions boiled over in the final minute when Julian Lutz took exception to a post-whistle hit from Booth, leading to a heated exchange. Sam Lipkin and Hunter Drew quickly jumped in, sparking a scrum. Lutz, Drew, Booth, and Jeff Malott were all sent to the box for roughing, but the scuffle gave Tucson a spark. The Roadrunners also earned a late power-play opportunity, with 1:10 of man-advantage time carrying over into the third period.
Third Period
Tucson was unable to capitalize on the carryover power play but earned another man advantage two-and-a-half minutes into the period when Malott was called for tripping. On the ensuing power play, Sokolov put the Roadrunners on the board with a perfect shot, going bar-down from below the right circle to cut Ontario’s lead to 2-1 just over four minutes into the frame.
Villalta came up big again shortly after, denying Fagemo on a crafty wraparound attempt. Fagemo tried to fake the wrap and tuck the puck between Villalta’s pads from behind the net, but the Tucson netminder made a sprawling split save. The puck eventually trickled across the goal line, but only after the whistle had blown. McCartney immediately went after Fagemo to protect his goaltender, sparking another scrum. Both players were sent to the box, leading to a stretch of four-on-four play.
During the four-on-four action, Villalta made another remarkable pair of spectacular saves, stopping back-to-back point-blank chances from Chromiak and Glenn Gawdin to keep Tucson within one.
The Roadrunners regrouped at even strength and mounted a late push. With 6:18 remaining, defenseman Maveric Lamoureux set up Hebig for a one-timer from the slot with a pass from behind the net, but Copley came up with a big save to maintain Ontario’s lead.
Tucson’s momentum was halted when a hooking penalty sent them to the penalty kill with 3:13 left in regulation. The Roadrunners successfully killed off the penalty and immediately pulled Villalta for an extra attacker in the final minute. Tucson applied heavy pressure in the closing seconds but ultimately ran out of time, falling just short of completing the comeback.
The Roadrunners will look to split the series sweep against Ontario in the finale of their six-game homestand on Saturday at Tucson Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MST. Fans can watch the game live on AHLTV on FloHockey or secure their seats using this link.
