Game 5 Preview: San Antonio at Tucson
Game #5 – San Antonio (3-0-1-1) at Tucson (3-1-0-0)
7 PM MST, Tucson Arena – Tucson, AZ
LISTEN LIVE Fox Sports 1450, iHeart Radio app
WATCH LIVE AHL TV
Roadrunners Current Roster: Click here
Referees: Mason Riley (#79), Brandon Schrader (#46)
Linesmen: Colin Besch (#58), Rob Fay (#32)
Well last night was fun, wasn’t it?
The team didn’t get the fast start we had referenced in yesterday’s preview and still managed to earn a win in a game in which they were somewhat-heavily outshot and were scored on first.
The answers were there though and along with the play of goaltender Adin Hill, the two combined to equal a chance at winning, one that was capped by a chancy move of his own from Andy Miele in overtime.
So now what? How does tonight go? It’s almost certain tonight will be the aspired contest fans look for when coming to Tucson Arena.
Three Things
1) The bubble didn’t pop last night but the physicality between the two sides started to show it’s colors as the game wore on. From 5-foot-9 Andy Miele going toe-to-toe with 6-foot-3, 210-pound Jake Dotchin in the neutral zone during the second period to the several dust-up’s in each respective crease, it just feels like things could get dicey tonight. These are two teams with a lot of compete and both that want to be tough to play against.
2) Often times when the two sides combine for seven goals, goaltending isn’t the first facet looked at in a positive manor. However, last night it was another Ville Husso vs. Adin Hill matchup at Tucson Arena that provided a consistent workload of saves for the two. A bevy of two-on-one’s for Tucson, primarily during the late first period, Husso, like Hill, made some crucial stops to keep the game scoreless through one. With that being said, at least from the Tucson side, 42 shots against is quite the night for Hill. Back-to-back’s are tough, might it be time for Ivan Prosvetov’s pro debut?
3) After mentioning how fast starts were so pivotal to the team’s wins in Texas and Ontario yesterday, Tucson goes out and takes four first period penalties last night. Including two by Brayden Burke, the Roadrunners nearly shot themselves in the foot from the get-go last night. The consensus if you just can’t give a team like San Antonio six cracks on the man advantage. That’ll have to be amended tonight from the home side.
What’s The Word?
Roadrunners forward Kevin Hancock on making his AHL debut last night…
“I was really excited, obviously, getting my first pro game under my belt. It was a great atmosphere here for the home opener, I couldn’t have asked for a better first.”
Roadrunners forward Kevin Hancock on the team’s play last night…
“I thought we did alright, we got into some penalty trouble, which gave them some momentum. We did a great job on the penalty kill, we were blocking shots and getting them out when we needed them.”
Roadrunners forward Kevin Hancock on the message going into round two…
“They have a good power play over there and they can kill teams. Staying out of the box is going to be huge for us tonight.”
Number to Know
2. Only two players, Reid Boucher of Utica and Stefan Noesen of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have more goals than Lane Pederson this season amongst all AHL skaters. While last Saturday’s hat trick in Ontario was grand, Pederson’s power play marker, the first of which San Antonio allowed all season, was a nice way to kick off the home ice scoring.
We’re Doing It Live
Catch tonight’s active LIVE on AHLTV or join Roadrunners play-by-play voice Adrian Denny on Fox Sports 1450 AM Tucson as he calls the game from the Roadrunners’ flagship radio station, where coverage begins at 6:45 PM.
