GAME #52 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS vs ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

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Game #52: Tucson Roadrunners (25-22-2-2) vs Rockford IceHogs (21-25-5-1)

Time: 7 p.m. MST, Tucson Arena, Tucson, AZ

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WATCH LIVE HERE 

Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #41 Graedy Hamilton, #9 Sydney Harris

Linespeople: #54 Anthony Caruso, #74 Eric Anderson

Supervisor: Jay Sharrers

The Tucson Roadrunners (25-22-2-2) aim to complete their second consecutive series sweep in six days as they face the Central Division’s Rockford IceHogs (21-25-5-1) in the finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. MST at Tucson Arena. A win would mark Tucson’s fourth straight victory, a feat they haven’t accomplished since their season-high six-game winning streak in December.

The Roadrunners continued their offensive surge in Friday’s 5-1 win. It was the second straight game Tucson has scored four or more goals. The dominant performance matched Tucson’s largest margin of victory this season, last achieved in a 5-1 win over the San Diego Gulls on Dec. 18. Meanwhile, Rockford suffered its third consecutive loss.

Both teams remain in playoff position as the season enters its final stretch. Tucson currently holds the Pacific Division’s final postseason spot, sitting in seventh place with 54 points—three ahead of the eighth-place Bakersfield Condors and three behind the sixth-place San Jose Barracuda. Rockford, meanwhile, sits fifth in the Central with 48 points, maintaining a six-point cushion over the Iowa Wild.

Three Things:

  • Sokolov Stays Hot
    Among the four Roadrunners to record a multi-point game in Friday’s series opener, Egor Sokolov and Artem Duda led all skaters with three points each. Sokolov netted his third multi-goal game of the season, tying Hunter Drew for the team lead, while also tallying his team-best 11th goal at home. The veteran forward has now scored 19 goals for the fourth consecutive season and sits just two away from matching his career-high of 21. If he keeps up his current pace—six points in his last five games (4G, 2A)—he’ll easily set a new personal best.

  • Yamamoto’s Streak Continues
    Kailer Yamamoto opened Friday’s scoring with a pinpoint short-side snipe, extending his point streak to seven games with eight points in that stretch (2G, 6A). He’s now just one game away from matching his and Cameron Hebig’s team-season-high eight-game point streak. Yamamoto also notched his 10th power-play point and fourth power-play goal of the season, tying Andrew Agozzino for the second-most power-play goals on the team and third-most power-play points. The veteran forward continues to pace Tucson in scoring with 43 points (15G, 28A).

  • Hebig Nears Another Franchise Milestone
    Cameron Hebig extended his goal streak to three games on Friday and is now one goal away from matching both his and the team’s longest goal-scoring streak of the season (four games, Jan. 11–20). The goal was his 57th with Tucson, putting him just one shy of tying former Roadrunner and current Bakersfield Condor Lane Pederson for third-most in franchise history. Hebig’s two-point performance (1G, 1A) also brought his career total to 123 points with Tucson, leaving him just one point away from tying Pederson for third-most in team history. With a career-high 20 goals this season, Hebig remains Tucson’s leading goal scorer.

What’s the Word?

“I just go out there and play hockey. At the end of the day, I’m just having fun out there and feeding off the energy off the fans. As long as I’m having fun, I’m gonna have success.”

Roadrunners forward Egor Sokolov on his Game One three-point performance

Number to Know:

2 – The Roadrunners struck twice on the power play in a span of two minutes during the first period of Friday’s win, setting the tone for their 5-1 victory. The back-to-back tallies gave Tucson a 2-0 lead early, and they never looked back. The two-goal outburst matched a season-high for power-play goals in a single period, last accomplished on Feb. 7 against San Jose (4-3 W). Tucson finished 2-for-3 on the man advantage and has converted on 3-of-6 power-play opportunities over its last two games.

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We’re Doing It Live

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. MST with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who has all of the action from Tucson Arena. Fans can catch all the action on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey or purchase tickets using the link here.