Game #63: Tucson Roadrunners (1) @ San Diego Gulls (5)
Game #63: Tucson Roadrunners (1) at San Diego Gulls (5)
SOG: TUC (23) – SD (23)
PP: TUC (1/3) – SD (1/3)
SAN DIEGO SCORING: Ian Moore (1), Tristan Luneau (7), Justin Bailey (17, 18), Judd Caulfield (9)
TUCSON SCORING: Egor Sokolov (21)
Hebig Makes History, But Tucson Comes Up Short Against Gulls
San Diego, CA – In their eighth and final matchup of the season, the Tucson Roadrunners (30-28-3-2) fell 5-1 to the San Diego Gulls (26-29-5-3) on Friday night at Pechanga Arena.
The night was highlighted by Cameron Hebig, who skated in his 280th game as a Roadrunner to become the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, surpassing Dyson Mayo’s previous record of 279.
Hebig also gained company atop Tucson’s season scoring leaderboard, as Egor Sokolov netted his 21st goal of the year, tying Hebig for the team lead.
Tucson entered the third period trailing 1-0 after San Diego rookie Ian Moore opened the scoring midway through the second. The Gulls extended their lead early in the final frame, with Tristan Luneau and Justin Bailey striking 2:21 apart before the midway mark. Bailey added his second goal of the night six minutes later to give San Diego a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The Roadrunners broke through on the power play with just over four minutes remaining, as Sokolov rifled home a one-timer to spoil Ville Husso’s shutout bid. However, Judd Caulfield answered with an empty-net goal just 20 seconds later to seal the 5-1 win for San Diego.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Sokolov showcased his elite shooting touch with a snipe from the blue line to put Tucson on the board late in the third period. The goal marked Sokolov’s seventh power-play tally of the season, tying Andrew Agozzino for the team lead. It also boosted his power-play points total to 13, ranking third on the Roadrunners behind Agozzino (16) and Kailer Yamamoto (15). Sokolov now has nine goals on the road this season, trailing only Hebig (11) for the team lead.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Captain Austin Poganski set up Sokolov’s late tally with a clean faceoff win, earning the primary assist on the play. The helper extended Poganski’s recent hot streak, giving him four assists in his last three games and five points (1G, 4A) over his last four contests.
THEY SAID IT
“It was a tight game. We didn’t give up a lot. They didn’t give up a lot, and then they made a few plays in the third to open it up. But it was definitely a tight playoff-type game”
Roadrunners alternate captain Andrew Agozzino on games getting tighter with the playoff race heating up
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
Agozzino wasted no time making an impact against his old club, and generated the game’s first quality scoring chance in the opening minute. The veteran forward raced past the Gulls defense for a breakaway, but Husso made a key stop to keep the game scoreless.
Tucson controlled the early pace and drew the game’s first penalty when Caulfield was whistled for high-sticking just under three minutes in. The Roadrunners couldn’t convert on the power play, but Agozzino and Sammy Walker both tested Husso with dangerous chances from the slot.
Through the first eight minutes, the Roadrunners outshot San Diego 8-1, but the Gulls found their footing and nearly broke through at 8:16 when Travis Howe got behind the defense for a breakaway. However, Tucson netminder Dylan Wells stood tall and turned aside Howe’s attempt to keep the game scoreless.
The action picked up in the second half of the frame. Sokolov and Roadrunners defenseman Montana Onyebuchi nearly cashed in on a two-on-one rush, and moments later, Caulfield found himself alone in the low slot but was denied by Wells’ right pad with eight minutes to go in the period.
San Diego had a prime opportunity to take the lead with 4:34 left after Maveric Lamoureux was sent to the box for slashing. But, Tucson’s penalty kill shut down the Gulls’ man advantage to maintain the scoreless deadlock.
The Gulls nearly found the back of the net in the final minutes, as Jan Myšák broke free for a late breakaway with 1:22 remaining, but once again, Wells came up big to send the teams into the intermission still searching for the first goal.
SECOND PERIOD
The Roadrunners opened the middle frame with an early scoring opportunity as Ben McCartney led a three-on-two rush with Lamoureux and Ryan McGregor. McCartney dropped the puck back to Lamoureux, whose shot from the high slot rang off the crossbar, just inches from leveling the score.
Tucson’s early pressure earned them their second power play of the game when Hinds was sent to the box for hooking three minutes in. The Roadrunners nearly fell victim to a shorthanded counterattack, but Wells came up with a crucial save on Ryan Carpenter’s point-blank wrister.
San Diego took control eight minutes in when Hebig was whistled for slashing, giving the Gulls their second power play of the night. This time, they capitalized, as Moore rifled a wrist shot from the point through traffic and past Wells to give San Diego a 1-0 lead at 8:23.
Hebig nearly made amends four minutes later, racing down the left wing on a two-on-one with Walker. The veteran forward snapped a hard wrister while Walker crashed the net, but Husso snagged the puck with his glove to maintain San Diego’s advantage.
On the ensuing shift, Tucson found themselves back on the penalty kill after Kevin Connauton was called for hooking. The Gulls threatened to double their lead, but Wells made another key stop, turning aside Yegor Sidorov’s one-timer from the right circle.
After successfully killing off the penalty, the Roadrunners pushed hard for the equalizer in the final minutes. Sam Lipkin had a breakaway chance, while Agozzino, McCartney, and Walker combined for a dangerous three-on-one opportunity. Despite the late flurry, Tucson couldn’t break through, and the Gulls carried their 1-0 lead into the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
The Roadrunners came out aggressive to start the final frame and applied relentless pressure in the offensive zone. However, San Diego capitalized on its first real opportunity of the period when Luneau blasted a shot from the point through traffic and past Wells at 6:06, extending the Gulls’ lead to 2-0.
Tucson continued to push back, and rookie defenseman Artem Duda nearly got the Roadrunners on the board with a hard one-timer from the left circle. However, Caulfield sacrificed his body, laying out to block the shot to keep Tucson off the scoreboard.
Less than a minute later, the Gulls struck again as Bailey deflected Hinds’ point shot from the slot, redirecting it past Wells to make it 3-0 San Diego.
Bailey wasn’t done, adding his second of the night with 5:24 remaining. Nico Myatovic set him up down low, and Bailey wrapped the puck around Wells’ outstretched pad, sneaking it glove side to push the Gulls’ lead to 4-0.
The Roadrunners finally broke through on the power play after Noah Warren was sent to the box for interference. Off the ensuing faceoff, Poganski won the draw cleanly to Sokolov, who ripped a one-timer from the high slot past Husso to end his shutout bid and cut the deficit to 4-1 with 4:22 to go.
Tucson pulled Wells for the extra attacker on the following shift, but San Diego quickly sealed the game as Caulfield buried an empty-net goal with 4:02 left, securing a 5-1 victory for the Gulls.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will conclude their five-game road trip on Saturday against the Bakersfield Condors at Mechanics Bank Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MST, and fans can watch the game live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
