Game #48: Tucson Roadrunners (2) @ Coachella Valley Firebirds (5)
Game #48: Tucson Roadrunners (2) at Coachella Valley Firebirds (5)
SOG: TUC (24) – CVF (37)
PP: TUC (0/1) – CVF (0/3)
COACHELLA VALLEY SCORING: Ty Nelson (5), Jani Nyman (22, 23), Luke Henman (6), Lleyton Roed (12)
TUCSON SCORING: Hunter Drew (10, 11)
Drew’s Two-Goal Night Not Enough as Roadrunners Fall 5-2 to Firebirds
Palm Desert, CA – In the finale of their seven-game road trip, the Tucson Roadrunners (22-22-2-2) rallied from a three-goal deficit but fell 5-2 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds (27-17-1-5) on Wednesday at Acrisure Arena.
Trailing 3-0 early in the second period, forward Hunter Drew put Tucson on the board with a one-timer from above the left circle, cutting the deficit to two with just over six minutes remaining in the frame. Drew struck again in the third, burying his second of the night from the perimeter to make it a one-goal game with four minutes left. The performance marked his third multi-goal game of the season, tying Cameron Hebig for the team lead.
Tucson pressed for the equalizer, but Coachella Valley secured the win with two empty-net goals in the final 90 seconds from Lleyton Roed and Jani Nyman. Nyman, who also opened the second-period scoring, finished with two goals on the night. Luke Henman extended the Firebirds’ lead to 3-0 just over two minutes after Nyman’s first tally. Defenseman Ty Nelson opened the scoring 3:33 into the game.
Despite the loss, Tucson remains in playoff position, holding the final Pacific Division spot with 48 points. The eighth-place Bakersfield Condors also sit at 48 points after Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Henderson Silver Knights.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Drew gave the Roadrunners life late in the second period, blasting home a one-timer to spark Tucson’s comeback push. He wasn’t done there—Drew struck again in the third, making it a 3-2 game with his 11th goal of the season. The tally surpassed his total from last year (10) in one fewer game (36 GP).
Kailer Yamamoto kept his hot streak alive, extending his point streak to four games with an assist on Drew’s first goal. The veteran forward now has a team-high seven points (1G, 6A) on the road trip and continues to lead Tucson in both points (40) and assists (26) this season.
Rookie defenseman Maveric Lamoureux also contributed to the comeback effort, notching an assist on Drew’s second-period goal—his second helper in the last three games.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta followed up his 100th career victory on Sunday with another standout performance Wednesday. Despite allowing three goals, Villalta was a rock in net, giving Tucson a chance to claw back into the game.
His biggest save of the night came midway through the third period on the penalty kill. With Coachella Valley pressing, a rebound found Firebirds forward Eduard Šalé alone with a wide-open net. Villalta slid across the crease and made a dazzling glove save to keep Tucson within striking distance.
The 25-year-old netminder finished with 32 saves, marking the 12th time this season he has turned aside 30 or more shots in a game.
THEY SAID IT
“That was awesome for him (Hunter Drew) to pop a couple there, and it’s nice playing with a guy like that. He brings the energy and he’ll get in there and make it so the defense doesn’t want go back and get pucks. They have to face a player like that, so it kind of frees you up a bit.”
Roadrunners forward Sammy Walker on Hunter Drew’s two-goal night
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
Roadrunners rookie forward Julian Lutz nearly found the back of the net for the second straight game just 1:14 into the contest. He fired a sharp one-timer from the right circle off a nifty feed from defenseman Max Szuber below the blue line.
Despite Tucson generating the first quality scoring chance, Coachella Valley struck first. Nelson blasted a slap shot from the point off an offensive zone draw past Villalta to give the Firebirds a 1-0 lead 3:33 into the game.
Nelson nearly doubled the lead six minutes in when he pinched deep into the offensive zone and redirected a perimeter shot toward the net, but the puck sailed just wide.
Tucson’s offense came alive shortly after, and the Roadrunners nearly netted the equalizer 12 minutes into the frame. Drew circled behind the net for a wraparound attempt. The puck kicked out to Sammy Walker, and his deflected rebound shot nearly found twine, but Firebirds goaltender Philipp Grubauer snagged the spinning puck out of the air.
In the opposing net, Villalta came up clutch with 4:06 remaining and turned aside a one-timer from Daniel Sprong in the left circle to keep the deficit at one.
The Roadrunners pushed for the tying goal late in the period. A little under three minutes before intermission, Szuber set up another dangerous chance, flipping a floating pass to Walker in the offensive zone. Walker controlled the puck, dropped it, and snapped a quick shot on goal. Although the play didn’t net the equalizer, the chance led to sustained pressure in the Firebirds’ zone to close out the period.
SECOND PERIOD
Tucson’s forward trio of Julian Lutz, Ryan McGregor, and Aku Räty generated early pressure in the Firebirds’ zone off the opening draw, but Coachella Valley eventually gained possession and transitioned the other way. Racing into the Tucson zone, Ben Meyers and Daniel Sprong moved the puck efficiently before setting up Nyman, who buried a one-timer from the left circle to put the Firebirds up 2-0 just 90 seconds in.
The Firebirds extended their lead to 3-0 just two minutes later. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson fired a wrist shot from the point, which Jagger Firkus redirected in the slot. Henman then got a second deflection on the puck, and tipped it past Villalta.
Down three, Tucson’s penalty kill came up strong after Hebig was sent off for hooking just over six minutes in. The Roadrunners’ PK unit never allowed the Firebirds to establish pressure, limiting them to just one shot on goal.
Despite surrendering two early goals, Villalta kept Tucson in the fight, making 10 saves in the opening 10 minutes—including one off his mask on a sharp-angle shot from Ville Ottavainen. The Roadrunners netminder stood tall throughout the period, turning away back-to-back grade-A chances from Nikolas Brouillard with eight minutes left, followed by a glove save on Sprong’s one-timer from the right circle a minute later.
Villalta’s strong play ignited Tucson’s bench, and Drew finally broke through, snapping a wrister from the left circle past Grubauer to make it 3-1 with 6:21 remaining. Lamoureux set up Drew’s goal. He maneuvered along the right point before threading a pass to Drew in open space on the left side.
A late-period penalty against Curtis Douglas briefly halted Tucson’s momentum, but the Roadrunners’ penalty kill stood firm once again, keeping the Firebirds off the board to head into the second intermission down by two.
THIRD PERIOD
The Lutz-McGregor-Räty line continued to generate chances early in the third. Just under six minutes in, McGregor found open space for a one-timer, but Grubauer turned it aside. Five minutes later, Lutz and McGregor connected again, as Lutz chipped the pick into the offensive zone and fed a centering pass to McGregor at the top of the crease, but Grubauer came up with another key stop.
McGregor’s net-front drive drew heavy attention from the Firebirds defense, leading to a post-whistle scrum. Räty was the only player penalized, sending Tucson to a crucial penalty kill. Villalta stood tall once again, turning aside a point shot from Max Lajoie before sliding across to rob Šalé on the rebound.
Tucson finally earned their first power play of the night with 8:17 remaining after Poganski was taken down by Ottavainen. The Roadrunners’ best look came from Poganski’s one-timer in the slot, but his shot sailed just wide.
The Roadrunners made a late push, and Drew netted his second goal of the game with 4:02 left to make it 3-2. From one knee, he blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue line past Grubauer to cut the deficit to one. Head coach Steve Potvin leaned on the hot line of Drew, Walker, and Sam Lipkin down the stretch, and the trio kept the pressure on in the Firebirds’ zone.
However, Coachella Valley sealed the win with a pair of empty-net goals in the final minutes. Nyman buried his second of the night with 1:33 left, and Roed added another in the final minute to secure a 5-2 victory for the Firebirds.
UP NEXT
After wrapping up their three-week road trip, the Roadrunners return to Tucson Arena for a four-game homestand, beginning with Saturday’s matchup against the Abbotsford Canucks at 7 p.m. MST. Fans can catch all the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.
