GAME #62 PREVIEW: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS at ONTARIO REIGN

/in , /by

Game #62: Tucson Roadrunners (29-27-3-2) at Ontario Reign (36-21-3-1)

Time: 7 p.m. MST, Toyota Arena, Ontario, CA

LISTEN LIVE HERE

WATCH LIVE HERE 

WATCH PARTY AT COLD BEERS & CHEESEBURGERS: DETAILS HERE

Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #3 Jake Kamrass, #96 Scott Allan

Linespeople: #31 Nikolaus Diehr, #4 Jacob Fraser

Supervisor: Jay Sharrers

The Tucson Roadrunners (29-27-3-2) continue their five-game road trip Wednesday with a showdown against the Ontario Reign (36-21-3-1) at Toyota Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MST in what will be the eighth and final regular-season meeting between the Pacific Division rivals.

Tucson looks to bounce back after dropping both games in Loveland against the Colorado Eagles over the weekend. The Roadrunners are searching for their first win of the road trip and aiming to snap a two-game skid as they take on an Ontario team that has posed a tough challenge all season. Tucson is 1-5-0-1 against the Reign, with the lone victory coming in their most recent visit to Toyota Arena—a 4-1 win on March 5. Ontario swept the most recent two-game set in Tucson on March 11 and 12, both by 4-2 scores.

Both teams enter Wednesday’s matchup with a 2-2 record over their last four games. Ontario split its weekend series against the Iowa Wild, capping it off with a 7-4 victory on Sunday in Des Moines to maintain its hold on second place in the Pacific with 76 points—three ahead of the Abbotsford Canucks. Tucson, meanwhile, remains in the seventh and final playoff spot with 63 points, just two ahead of the Bakersfield Condors in an increasingly tight race down the stretch.

Three Things:

  • Douglas Dominates the Reign
    Curtis Douglas has been Tucson’s top performer in the season series against Ontario, leading the team with four points (2G, 2A). The 6-foot-9, 242-pound forward has scored in each of the last two meetings with the Reign, a stretch that jump-started his team-best and personal career-high four-game goal streak from March 11 to March 16. During that span, Douglas netted five goals, including his first career multi-goal game against San Jose on March 16. His recent surge gives him eight goals on the season—tying the second-highest total of his career and leaving him five shy of his career-high 13 with Toronto in 2021-22. Douglas also sits just two points away from matching last season’s 21-point total, his second-best career mark and his highest as a Roadrunner.

  • Captain Clutch
    Austin Poganski has been leading by example, recording assists on all three of Tucson’s goals in Sunday’s series finale against Colorado. The performance marked his second three-assist game of the season, making him the only Roadrunner to achieve the feat multiple times this year. Poganski also led the team with four points (1G, 3A) in the series and has now set a new career high with 33 points this season. The Roadrunners captain is just one goal away from matching his career-high 14, set last year, and two assists from tying his career-best 22-assist campaign in 2018-19 with San Antonio. With five points (1G, 4A) in his last five games, Tucson will look for Poganski to stay hot as they try to flip the script against Ontario.

  • McCartney Making Moves
    Ben McCartney delivered another strong performance Sunday, posting a goal and an assist for his seventh multi-point game of the season, ranking fourth on the team. The 23-year-old alternate captain has been heating up, tallying three goals and five points in his last five outings. His nine points (5G, 4A) in March are second only to Andrew Agozzino’s 10 (6G, 4A) on the team. McCartney also continues to climb Tucson’s all-time leaderboards—he is one goal shy of tying Jan Jenik for sixth in franchise history (46 goals) and one assist away from matching Laurent Dauphin for 11th (60 assists). He also needs just two more points to reach 106, which would tie Hudson Fasching for seventh in team history.

What’s the Word?

“Playing with (Kailer) Yamamoto obviously is a privilege. He makes plays out of nowhere. And, Ben (McCartney), he’s a spark plug for us. 
He’s fast; he wins his battles, and he gets to the net. It’s a good group effort and hopefully we can keep that going.”

Roadrunners captain Austin Poganski on playing alongside forward Kailer Yamamoto and Ben McCartney

Number to Know:

1 – Three Roadrunners are just one step away from major career milestones.

Cameron Hebig is set to make history, as his next game will be his 279th in a Roadrunners sweater, tying Dyson Mayo for the most games played in franchise history. If he remains in the lineup, Hebig will set the team’s all-time record Friday in San Diego. The veteran forward also sits at 58 career goals with Tucson—just one shy of passing Lane Pederson for sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time goals list.

Robbie Russo is on the verge of a major career achievement, needing just one point to reach 300 in his AHL career. The veteran defenseman has 88 of those points with Tucson across three seasons and needs one more to tie Nick Merkley for 12th in franchise history. He is also just two points away from matching Cam Dineen for second all-time among Roadrunners defensemen.

Matthew Villalta is expected to start Wednesday, marking a major milestone—his 200th career AHL game. The Roadrunners’ goaltender has been a workhorse between the pipes all season, leading the AHL in minutes played (2,353:57). His durability and consistency have been key to Tucson’s push for a playoff spot,

Latest Transactions:

  • None

We’re Doing It Live

Wednesday’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 Toyota Arena. Fans can catch all the action on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.