Game #59: Tucson Roadrunners (6) vs San Jose Barracuda (5) Shootout
Game #59: Tucson Roadrunners (6) vs San Jose Barracuda (5) Shootout
SOG: TUC (37) – SJ (40)
PP: TUC (1/7) – SJ (4/7)
SAN JOSE SCORING: Danil Gushchin (21), Lucas Carlsson (10), Andrew Poturalski (26, 27), Pavol Regenda (9)
TUCSON SCORING: Hunter Drew (13), Ben McCartney (12), Curtis Douglas (7, 8), Sammy Walker (7)
Roadrunners Rally Late, Defeat Barracuda 6-5 in Shootout
Tucson, AZ – The Roadrunners (29-25-3-2) staged a dramatic two-goal comeback in the final six minutes to defeat the San Jose Barracuda (29-21-4-4) in a 6-5 shootout thriller Sunday at Tucson Arena.
Trailing 5-3 late in the third period, Curtis Douglas netted his second goal of the night to pull Tucson within one. Then, forward Sammy Walker delivered the equalizer with 1:50 left in regulation to force overtime.
After a scoreless extra frame, Walker struck again in the shootout, tallying the game-winner before Max Szuber scored the insurance goal in the second round. Goaltender Matthew Villalta turned aside both San Jose shootout attempts and finished with 34 saves to secure his 16th win of the season.
Hunter Drew opened the scoring with his 13th goal of the campaign, while alternate captain Ben McCartney found the back of the net for the second consecutive game.
The win marked Tucson’s first shootout victory of the season and clinched the team’s first series sweep since a 4-3 overtime win against Abbotsford on Feb. 23. With the victory, the Roadrunners closed the gap to three points behind sixth-place San Jose in the Pacific Division standings while extending their lead over eighth-place Bakersfield to four points.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Douglas extended his goal streak to four games, igniting Tucson’s comeback early in the second period. It marked the first four-game goal streak of his career and makes him just the second Roadrunner this season to score in four straight games, joining Cameron Hebig, who registered the team’s other four-game streak from Jan. 11–20.
Then, the 6-foot-9 forward came through again, burying his second goal of the night with six minutes remaining to pull Tucson within one. The tally marked the first multi-goal game of his AHL career.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Drew and Travis Barron made an impact early, each recording two points in the first period. Drew notched a goal and an assist, while Barron picked up a pair of helpers. It marked Drew’s sixth multi-point game of the season, ranking fourth on the team, and Barron’s second of the 2024-25 campaign—his first since Jan. 20 against Henderson, when he had a goal and an assist. Barron now has three assists in his last four games. The Roadrunners’ alternate captain also dropped the gloves for the second consecutive game, squaring off with San Jose’s Lucas Vanroboys in the opening frame for his third fight of the season.
THEY SAID IT
“I mean, it just goes to show what kind of group we have. We had no quit the whole game. A lot of things happen, penalties and goals against, but we stuck in there and got a big Roadrunners win.”
Roadrunners assistant captain Travis Barron on Tucson’s 6-5 comeback victory
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
San Jose took a pair of early penalties, with Anthony Vincent whistled for tripping in the opening minute and Rem Pitlick heading to the box for the same infraction just four minutes in. Tucson had a chance to capitalize on the man advantage, but during their second power play, Villalta briefly left the game due to an equipment issue. Backup netminder Dylan Wells stepped in for less than a minute and made a key stop on Vanroboys’ wrist shot.
The Roadrunners couldn’t convert on either early power play but struck first at even strength moments later. Drew opened the scoring at 7:28, finding the net from a sharp angle along the goal line. Barron led a two-on-one rush and fed Drew from the high slot to the lower left circle. Drew attempted a centering pass back to Barron, but the puck deflected off San Jose goalie Aaron Dell’s right pad and slid in to give Tucson a 1-0 lead.
San Jose responded quickly, turning the tide with a pair of power-play goals just 53 seconds apart. Danil Gushchin fired a wrist shot home from the top of the left circle on a five-on-three advantage to even the score at 9:34. On the ensuing five-on-four power play, Lucas Carlsson buried a one timer from the right circle past Villalta to put the Barracuda ahead 2-1 at 10:27.
Tucson answered right back three minutes later. McCartney buried a quick wrister from inside the right circle off a feed from Drew, beating Dell cleanly to tie the game 2-2.
But the back-and-forth scoring continued. Less than a minute after the equalizer, Tucson defenseman Lleyton Moore was called for interference, giving San Jose its third power play of the period. The Barracuda took full advantage, as Luca Cagnoni’s shot from the point was tipped home by Andrew Poturalski, restoring San Jose’s lead at 3-2 with five minutes left in the frame.
Tensions flared late in the period, leading to a pair of fights in the final three minutes. Drew squared off against Scott Sabourin, while Barron dropped the gloves with Vanroboys, marking Barron’s second straight game with a fight. Between the two fights and a slew of minor penalties, the teams combined for 50 penalty minutes in the opening period—30 assessed to Tucson and 20 to San Jose.
After the dust settled, the Roadrunners went back on the power play and nearly tied it up when defenseman Artem Duda rang a shot off the left post from the right circle with 1:13 remaining.
SECOND PERIOD
The Barracuda struck first in the second period, extending their lead to 4-2 just 4:38 in when Poturalski jammed home a rebound above the crease after following up Cagnoni’s wrist shot from the slot. Poturalski’s second goal of the game gave San Jose its largest lead of the series.
However, Tucson answered just 1:12 later, as Duda unleashed a blistering slap shot from the top of the left circle, and Douglas deflected it past Dell to cut the deficit to 4-3 at 5:50. The goal extended Douglas’ scoring streak to a career-high four games.
The Roadrunners carried the momentum into the second half of the period and generated a pair of quality scoring chances in the final 10 minutes. Captain Austin Poganski had multiple whacks at a loose rebound in front, but Dell stood tall to keep San Jose in front. Later, Cameron Hebig led a two-on-one rush and fed a pass off Kailer Yamamoto’s skate just above the crease, but the puck trickled just wide of the open far side of the net.
Tucson’s sustained pressure earned a power play after Jack Thompson was called for holding with 7:10 left. However, San Jose’s penalty kill stood strong and prevented the Roadrunners from registering a shot on goal.
In the final minute, Max Szuber electrified the Tucson Arena crowd of 5,785 with a heavy hit on Vincent. However, after the play, Szuber was sent to the box for slashing, and Andrew Agozzino joined him for roughing, giving the Barracuda a five-on-three power play with 37 seconds left. But, Villalta came up big and made three clutch saves in the final 15 seconds to keep it a one-goal game heading into the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
Tucson began the third period still facing a five-on-three penalty kill, and San Jose capitalized just 49 seconds in. Pavol Regenda hammered home a point-blank one-timer from just outside the crease, extending the Barracuda’s lead to 5-3.
The Roadrunners pushed back four minutes later, nearly cutting the deficit when Julian Lutz fired a one-timer from the slot, but Dell made a stellar save to keep Tucson at bay. However, a tripping penalty against the Roadrunners seven minutes into the period stalled their momentum.
Tucson’s penalty kill delivered and neutralized the Barracuda’s power play. Shortly after, Yamamoto had a prime scoring chance, driving hard to the net one-on-one against a San Jose defender, but Dell kicked his shot aside 8:30 into the frame. Yamamoto was called for hooking three minutes later, putting Tucson back on the penalty kill.
Once again, the Roadrunners’ penalty kill came up big and successfully killed their second consecutive infraction to create momentum. Less than a minute after returning to full strength, Douglas struck again. The red-hot forward sniped a shot from the top of the left circle past Dell, cutting the deficit to 5-4 with six minutes remaining.
Tucson continued to press, and with 3:18 left, the Roadrunners were handed a golden opportunity when Vanroboys was called for delay of game. On the ensuing power play, Tucson delivered the equalizer. Walker buried a rebound in front with 1:50 remaining, capping a dramatic third-period comeback and forcing overtime.
OVERTIME
Villalta came up clutch just 28 seconds into the three-on-three overtime and made a huge point-blank stop to rob Ethan Cardwell and keep Tucson alive. On the ensuing faceoff, Poganski led a two-on-one rush into the Barracuda zone and set up Hebig for a one-timer, but Dell made the stop. Poganski crashed the net and took a couple of whacks at the loose rebound, but Dell held his ground.
The teams traded odd-man rushes, each generating dangerous scoring chances, but neither could break through. With 2:39 remaining, Tucson was handed a prime opportunity when Thomas Bordeleau was whistled for holding, giving the Roadrunners a four-on-three power play.
Tucson peppered the Barracuda net with quality looks. Yamamoto blasted a one-timer from the slot, while Szuber and Agozzino each had a good look from the top of the circles. However, Dell and the San Jose penalty kill stood tall, surviving the late push to force a shootout.
SHOOUTOUT
Tucson controlled the shootout, scoring on both attempts while Villalta denied San Jose’s two chances to secure the comeback victory.
In the opening round, Walker calmly skated in and snapped a shot past Dell to give the Roadrunners the early edge. On the other end, Villalta denied Danil Gushchin’s deke attempt to keep Tucson in the driver’s seat.
Szuber strengthened Tucson’s position, firing a shot past Dell to put Tucson up 2-0. Needing a goal to keep San Jose alive, Poturalski skated in for the Barracuda, but Villalta shut the door with a clutch save to cap the Roadrunners’ thrilling victory.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will hit the road for a two-game weekend set against the first-place Colorado Eagles. The series kicks off on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. MST. Fans can catch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
