Game #60: Tucson Roadrunners (2) @ Colorado Eagles (6)
Game #60: Tucson Roadrunners (2) at Colorado Eagles (6)
SOG: TUC (28) – COL (41)
PP: TUC (1/4) – COL (1/3)
COLORADO SCORING: Jason Polin (10, 11), Jayson Megna (15), Chris Wagner (17, 18), Tye Felhaber (18)
TUCSON SCORING: Kailer Yamamoto (19), Austin Poganski (13)
Roadrunners Fall 6-2 to Eagles in Series Opener
Loveland, CO – The Tucson Roadrunners (29-26-3-2) opened their five-game road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Eagles (36-16-5-3) on Saturday at Blue FCU Arena.
Colorado jumped out to an early lead with two goals just 1:14 apart midway through the first period, as Jason Polin and Jayson Megna found the back of the net to put the Eagles up 2-0. Polin struck again six minutes into the second, followed by a shorthanded goal from Chris Wagner at 11:54—just the sixth short-handed tally Tucson has surrendered this season.
Tye Felhaber extended Colorado’s lead to 5-0 just 1:10 into the third, but the Roadrunners quickly responded. Kailer Yamamoto buried his 19th goal of the season less than a minute later, forcing a turnover at the blue line before snapping a shot past Eagles goaltender Trent Miner. Wagner added his second goal of the night on the power play at 6:53 to make it 6-1. Tucson answered with a late power-play marker of its own, as Austin Poganski redirected a Robbie Russo point shot with 2:30 remaining.
The loss snapped Tucson’s two-game winning streak and dropped the Roadrunners to 1-3-1 in the season series against Colorado.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Tucson has only been shut out twice this season, and Yamamoto made sure that didn’t change, getting the Roadrunners on the board just two minutes into the third period. The goal was his second in the last three games, and the 26-year-old forward now has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four outings.
Rookie Julian Lutz picked up his ninth assist and 11th point of the season on Yamamoto’s tally, continuing his recent hot streak. The 21-year-old has recorded four points (4A) in his last five games.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Saturday’s game may have been one to forget for the Roadrunners, but the team can build on its strong finish, highlighted by a pair of fights from Curtis Douglas and Hunter Drew, as well as Poganski’s late power-play goal. The tally marked his 13th of the season—three of which have come on the man advantage—and his second point (1G, 1A) in the last three games. Poganski is just one goal away from matching his career-high of 14, set last season in his first year with Tucson. The St. Cloud, Minnesota, native also needs just one more point to tie his career-best mark of 31, which he previously recorded last season and in 2018-19 with the San Antonio Rampage.
THEY SAID IT
“We just gotta play the same way. Gotta have that urgency. I thought we had a good first, though we were down two-to-zero after it, but yeah, we gotta play with some ugency tomorrow for sure.”
Roadrunners forward Kailer Yamamoto on how the team can build off of its strong third period
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
Roadrunners forward Andrew Agozzino picked up where he left off last weekend and slipped behind the Colorado blue line for a partial breakaway in the opening minute. However, Miner turned aside his point-blank opportunity to keep the game scoreless.
Agozzino’s early chance was the most dangerous opportunity for either team through the first half of the period. But, then the game opened up after Colorado defenseman Devante Stephens was called for slashing Ben McCartney at 10:06, giving Tucson its first power play. Yamamoto fired a slap shot from the right circle 34 seconds into the man advantage, but Miner made the save. Moments later, Sammy Walker skated in from the left circle and aimed for the top short-side corner, but his shot just missed the mark.
Colorado killed off the penalty and quickly seized the momentum, striking twice in just over a minute. Moments after Stephens’ penalty expired, Polin snapped a quick shot past Matthew Villalta from in front of the net to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead with 7:54 remaining. Just 1:15 later, Megna extended the lead to 2-0, hammering a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle. Matthew Phillips set up the goal with a nifty backhand feed from behind the net, threading the puck through traffic to find Megna at the back door.
The Roadrunners faced more adversity late in the period when Max Szuber was whistled for high-sticking with 1:39 to play. However, Villalta stood tall, turning aside Jacon McDonald’s one-timer from the right circle. Tucson also got a strong defensive effort from Yamamoto, who sprawled out to block Megna’s slap shot from the high slot just before the buzzer to keep the deficit at two heading into the first intermission.
SECOND PERIOD
Tucson killed off the final 21 seconds of Szuber’s minor and generated some sustained pressure through the opening five minutes. Roadrunners forward Ryan McGregor had an early opportunity two minutes in, receiving a pass from Szuber just beyond the Eagles’ blue line and deking past a Colorado defender, but his backhand attempt sailed just wide of the far post.
The Roadrunners continued pressing, and five minutes into the frame, Poganski nearly capitalized on a one-timer from the left side of the net. Defenseman Lleyton Moore threaded a pass through traffic from the blue line, but Poganski’s backdoor attempt trickled just wide.
Despite Tucson’s push, Colorado’s defense held firm, and the Eagles capitalized off the rush to extend their lead. Polin scored his second goal of the night at 5:57, blasting a one-timer from the right circle off a setup from Ivan Ivan, who carried the puck into the Tucson zone before feeding Polin in stride.
The Roadrunners looked to respond after defenseman Maveric Lamoureux drew a hooking penalty on Ivan at the 10-minute mark, earning Tucson its second power play of the night. However, despite being shorthanded, Colorado generated multiple high-danger chances and ultimately netted a short-handed goal.
Villalta initially came up big, denying Megna’s one-timer on a two-on-one rush and stopping an Eagles breakaway attempt. But Colorado broke through moments later when Stephens intercepted a Tucson breakout attempt along the right boards and quickly fed Wagner above the right circle. With time and space, Wagner picked his spot and beat Villalta with a wrist shot, making it 4-0 Colorado at 11:54.
THIRD PERIOD
The Eagles extended their lead to 5-0 just 1:10 into the final frame after capitalizing on a Tucson miscue. Villalta played the puck behind the net and sent a pass to Szuber, but an unlucky bounce redirected the puck straight to Felhaber, who buried it into the open net.
Despite the five-goal deficit, the Roadrunners responded less than a minute later. Yamamoto forced a turnover near the Colorado blue line, and Lutz jumped on the loose puck, quickly feeding Yamamoto in the slot. Yamamoto wasted no time, firing a wrist shot past Miner to get Tucson on the board at 2:02.
A few minutes later, Yamamoto was whistled for holding, and Colorado took advantage on the power play. Wagner notched his second goal of the night at 6:53, restoring the Eagles’ five-goal cushion at 6-1.
Tucson continued to press offensively and nearly cut into the lead again on the power play with 3:24 left in regulation. Yamamoto teed up a one-timer from the left circle, but Miner slid across the crease to make a highlight-reel glove save. However, the Roadrunners broke through moments later on the same man advantage, as Poganski deflected a point shot from Russo to make it 6-2 with 2:30 remaining.
Following the goal, tempers flared as Tucson looked to set the tone for Sunday’s rematch. Just five seconds after the ensuing faceoff following Poganski’s goal, Douglas squared off with Chad Hillebrand, and Drew dropping the gloves with Chase Bradley less than 30 seconds later.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners wrap up their two-game series against Colorado on Sunday. Puck drop is set for 2:05 p.m. MST. Fans can catch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
