Game #49: Tucson Roadrunners (3) vs Abbotsford Canucks (2)
Game #49: Tucson Roadrunners (3) vs Abbotsford Canucks (2)
SOG: TUC (24) – ABB (30)
PP: TUC (0/2) – ABB (0/5)
ABBOTSFORD SCORING: Sammy Blais (9), Aatu Räty (13)
TUCSON SCORING: Egor Sokolov (17), Cameron Hebig (18), Hunter Drew (12)
Roadrunners Open Homestand with 3-2 Victory Over Abbotsford
Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (23-22-2-2) led wire to wire, kicking off their four-game homestand with a 3-2 win over the Abbotsford Canucks (27-21-1-1) on Saturday night at Tucson Arena.
Forward Andrew Agozzino returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 14 after missing 15 games due to injury. Hunter Drew powered Tucson’s effort with a goal and a fight, marking his third goal in the last two games.
The Roadrunners struck first late in the opening frame when Egor Sokolov showcased his skill, lifting a backhand shot past Nikita Tolopilo for his 17th goal of the season.
Tucson took control in an action-packed second period, scoring twice and engaging in two fights. Cameron Hebig buried a one-timer from the high slot midway through the period to push the lead to 2-0, notching his team-leading 18th goal. With just 1:10 remaining in the frame, Drew extended the advantage to 3-0, firing a wrist shot from the right circle past Tolopilo, his second unassisted goal in as many games.
Earlier in the period, Drew dropped the gloves with Joe Arntsen after Agozzino leveled Nate Smith in the Tucson zone. Just 80 seconds later, defenseman Max Szuber squared off against Abbotsford’s Chase Wouters, marking the first fight of his AHL career.
Tucson carried a 3-0 lead into the third, but Abbotsford battled back. Sammy Blais got the Canucks on the board midway through the period, and Aatu Räty struck in the final minute with the extra attacker. However, the Roadrunners’ defense held firm in the closing seconds, with Travis Barron blocking a last-second blast from the point to secure the win.
Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta made his third consecutive start, and made 37 saves to notch his 12th win of the season.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Sokolov’s first-period highlight-reel goal was his 17th of the season, momentarily tying Hebig for the team lead. The Russian winger has been especially effective at Tucson Arena, where nine of his goals have come—also a team high. Sokolov now has two goals and three points over his last three games.
Defenseman Robbie Russo and alternate captain Travis Barron picked up assists on Sokolov’s goal. It marked Russo’s 20th assist and 23rd point of the season, the most among Roadrunners defensemen. The veteran blue-liner has been red-hot in February, tallying seven points (3G, 4A) in his last eight games, with points in six of those contests.
Barron has also been a steady contributor, notching three points (2G, 1A) in his last four games.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
After Sokolov tied Hebig for the team lead in goals, Hebig responded with a snipe of his own early in the second period to regain the team lead with 18. It was Hebig’s second point in the last three games (1G, 1A) and he ranks third on the team with 33 points.
Kailer Yamamoto extended his point streak to five games with an assist on Hebig’s second-period goal against the Canucks, bringing his total to six points (1G, 5A) during this stretch. The veteran forward leads Tucson in both points (41) and assists (27) this season. Yamamoto has recorded at least one point in 30 of his 40 games. It’s also his third point streak of five games or longer this season.
THEY SAID IT
“I give them (the defense) all the credit. They played a great great game tonight, with box outs, lifting sticks, and protecting the house. They’ve been great all year, and tonight was one of those nights where everyone as a team was clicking and doing their job to a man. They battle, they work hard for me in front of the net, they allow me to see pucks, and they lay their bodies on the line, too.”
Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta on the team’s defense
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
The Canucks generated the game’s first scoring chance just over four minutes in, attacking off the rush. Villalta came up big, kicking out a rebound attempt from Tristen Nielsen to keep the game scoreless.
The Roadrunners responded with their first Grade-A opportunity moments later. Captain Austin Poganski led a two-on-one rush with forward Sammy Walker, gaining a step on the defender before ripping a shot that Abbotsford goaltender Nikita Tolopilo turned aside.
On the following shift, Aku Räty drove the puck to the net from the right wing. Tolopilo made the initial save but fell to the ice as the rebound trickled inches from the goal line. Rookies Julian Lutz and Sam Lipkin crashed the crease, jabbing at the loose puck, but Tolopilo managed to smother it.
Midway through the period, Tucson defenseman Kevin Connauton was called for cross-checking, sending Abbotsford to its first power play of the night. The Roadrunners’ penalty kill stood strong, limiting the Canucks to a single sharp-angle shot from Nielsen, which Villalta deflected away with his stick blade.
With five minutes remaining, Egor Sokolov broke the deadlock to give Tucson a 1-0 lead. Skating in from the right circle, he faked a shot, deked to his backhand, and lifted the puck past Tolopilo’s blocker into the top-left corner.
Tucson continued to press for an insurance goal in the final minutes, but Tolopilo stood tall. He turned aside Ben McCartney’s one-timer from the right circle before denying Lutz as he powered toward the crease. Defenseman Montana Onyebuchi pounced on the rebound, but his attempt was blocked and redirected to Lipkin in the slot. Lipkin quickly fired a wrist shot, but Tolopilo made another key stop, keeping it a one-goal game heading into the intermission.
SECOND PERIOD
The Roadrunners wasted no time generating a prime scoring chance off the rush just seconds into the frame. Yamamoto fed Hebig in the high slot, but Hebig’s one-timer rang off the right post just 11 seconds in.
Abbotsford nearly responded six minutes into the period when Linus Karlsson slipped behind the Tucson defense for a potential breakaway. However, Connauton and Maveric Lamoureux got their sticks in the passing lanes to break up the dangerous opportunity.
Just over two minutes later, Hebig found the back of the net to double Tucson’s lead. Yamamoto set him up with a hard pass from below the right circle, and Hebig’s one-timer went bar down, past Tolopilo’s glove at 8:17.
Midway through the period, tensions boiled over after Agozzino delivered a heavy hit on Smith, knocking off the Canucks forward’s helmet. A full-line scrum followed, and Drew answered the challenge by dropping the gloves with Arntsen. The fight marked Drew’s sixth of the season, tying Curtis Douglas and Onyebuchi for the team lead.
Just 80 seconds later, Szuber squared off against Wouters after growing frustrated with the Canucks forward’s grip on his stick. The scrap was Szuber’s first career AHL fight.
Villalta came up big late in the frame, backstopping Tucson’s penalty kill with key stops on Abbotsford’s second power play of the period. The Roadrunners netminder turned aside four shots, including a point-blank rebound chance from Karlsson with 4:30 remaining.
With under three minutes to play, the Canucks threatened again as Cooper Walker sped down the left wing on a two-on-one. However, Hebig showcased his two-way ability and raced back to strip the puck from Walker and break up the play.
Tucson quickly countered, with Sokolov rifling a hard shot from below the blue line. Tolopilo made the stop but couldn’t control the rebound. Ben McCartney pounced on the loose puck in the slot, deked to his backhand, and nearly beat Tolopilo glove side, but the Abbotsford goaltender recovered just in time to make the save.
The Roadrunners kept the pressure on and extended their lead to 3-0 with 1:10 remaining in the period. Drew carried the puck cross-ice into the Canucks zone and snapped a hard wrist shot past Tolopilo’s glove to cap off a dominant second frame for Tucson.
THIRD PERIOD
The Canucks trimmed Tucson’s lead to 3-1 with 12:15 remaining in regulation. Blais carried the puck into the Roadrunners’ zone and fired a shot from the left circle that deflected on its way to the net, sneaking past Villalta.
Drew nearly completed the Gordie Howe hat trick with 8:12 left, setting up Agozzino in the slot with a crisp pass. However, Tolopilo came up with a clutch save on Agozzino’s one-timer, keeping Abbotsford within striking distance.
With Tolopilo pulled for an extra attacker, Abbotsford made it a one-goal game with 30 seconds left. Räty capitalized on a rebound in front, burying the puck to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Canucks had one final push, setting up for an offensive-zone faceoff with just over 10 seconds remaining. Abbotsford won the draw cleanly, and Danila Klimovich ripped a hard shot from the point. But Barron sacrificed his body, laying out to block the shot and secure the Roadrunners’ victory.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners wrap up their two-game set against the Abbotsford Canucks on Sunday at 4 p.m. MST at Tucson Arena. Fans can watch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.
