Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners (0) @ Abbotsford Canucks (3)
Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners (0) at Abbotsford Canucks (3)
SOG: TUC (22) – ABB (36)
PP: TUC (0/4) – ABB (2/10)
ABBOTSFORD SCORING: John Stevens (1), Kiril Kudryavstev (1), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (1)
TUCSON SCORING:
ROADRUNNERS WIN STREAK SNAPPED IN 3-0 DEFEAT TO ABBOTSFORD
Abbotsford, B.C. – The Tucson Roadrunners were shut out for the first time this season, falling 3-0 to the Abbotsford Canucks on Tuesday. The game was tied 0-0 after two periods before the Canucks scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including two on the power play, to snap Tucson’s two-game winning streak.
Both teams combined for 20 penalties and 61 penalty minutes. The Roadrunners registered most of them with 13 infractions and 47 penalty minutes, nearly double its season high for a single game. Eight of Tucson’s penalties were in the third period, which is where the game unraveled for the Roadrunners. Goalie Matthew Villalta made several big saves in the first half of the final frame to give Tucson a chance, but the Roadrunners were shorthanded for most of the period. He had 33 stops on the night.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Roadrunners forward Milos Kelemen generated the most offense and scoring chances for Tucson. In the first period alone, Kelemen had the game’s opening shot, a short-handed breakaway, and three shots. He had three of the Roadrunner’s first five shots, and his first-period breakaway proved to be Tucson’s best scoring opportunity. Kelemen stole the puck off a faceoff draw in Tucson’s zone and skated it cross-ice on a breakaway. His speed and stickhandling froze Canucks goaltender Jiří Patera, but Kelemen’s shot rang off the right post.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Despite earning the loss, Villalta arguably had one of his best performances of the season. His .917 save percentage and 33 saves against the Canucks rank second behind his 39 stops and .929 save percentages against Bakersfield on Saturday. Villalta has 30-plus saves in each of his last three starts.
THEY SAID IT
“I don’t think anyone’s happy with that one tonight. Definitely a winnable hockey game. We kind of handed it to them. Gotta regroup, rest up, and be ready for tomorrow.”
Roadrunners defenseman Kevin Connauton on Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat
THE RUNDOWN
Both teams played on short rest and battled to create scoring opportunities in a scoreless first period. No skater had more of them in the opening frame than Tucson forward Milos Keleman. The 25-year-old Slovakian had four first-period shots (including posts) and one short-handed breakaway. He flew down the wing with the puck off the game’s opening faceoff and fired a hard shot on net eight seconds into the game. The Roadrunners had its first power play seven minutes later after Canucks defenseman Kiril Kudryavstev’s slashing penalty. Keleman had two shots on goal during the man advantage and three of Tucson’s first five shots of the night. Abbotsford went on the offensive after the penalty expired midway through the opening frame, but Villalta stopped three dangerous Canucks scoring opportunities, including a point-blank shot from former Roadrunner Nate Smith. Tucson’s defense bent but didn’t break, and Roadrunners defenseman Kevin Connauton fired a dangerous one-timer from the right point. His shot led to a rebound shot and scoring opportunity 12 minutes into the game. Tucson forward Andrew Agozzino’s holding penalty gave Abbotsford its first man advantage of the night with 5:45 left in the first. The Canucks won the ensuing faceoff but Kelemen intercepted the draw and blew past both defensemen for a breakaway. Kelemen approached Patera with speed, stickhandled, and his shot rang off the post. Agozzino’s penalty expired, and Abbotsford forward Tristen Nielsen’s slashing penalty put the Roadrunners on the power play for the second time. Tucson created a couple of dangerous scoring opportunities, including Doan’s wrist shot from below the slot that was deflected wide. The Roadrunners had nine shots in the first, and Villalta stopped all 13 Canucks shots.
Tucson’s line of Kelemen, Ryan McGregor and Aku Räty nearly found the back of the net 4:30 into the middle frame. McGregor rifled a low shot on goal and had a couple of whacks at the rebound, but Patera made the save. The next opportunity came on the power play 8:22 into the second from defenseman Robbie Russo’s bomb from the blue line, which knocked Patera to the ice. Doan’s slashing penalty ended the man advantage after a minute, leading to an abbreviated Abbotsford power play. Tucson didn’t concede a shot, and Yamamoto played like a one-man penalty kill unit. He won every puck battle and possessed the puck in the Canucks zone for most of Abbotsford’s man advantage. The home team had another chance on the power play four minutes later at 15:15 after Connauton was forced to hold defenseman Mark Friedman as he drove toward the net. On the penalty kill, Villalta made a big save on forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s one-timer from the left faceoff dot. After the penalty expired the Roadrunners had its best chance of the period. Russo’s slapshot from the right point trickled inches wide of the left post. Raty was positioned left of the net and nearly deflected the puck in with his skate. Shots were about even, 10-9 in favor of the Canucks, despite four Tucson penalties in the second. McCartney and Roadrunners defenseman Patrik Koch took minor penalties 45 seconds apart in the final minute of the frame to give Abbotsford a 5-on-3 to start the third.
The Roadrunners survived Abbotsford’s two-man advantage at the start of the period. Connauton blocking a hard slapshot from the blue line to keep it a scoreless game. The Canucks broke the tie 5:30 into the third after a Tucson turnover in its own zone. Friedman intercepted the puck before the Roadrunners could break out and poked it forward toward the Tucson goal. Forward John Stevens found the puck on his stick alone in front of the net, and his shot beat Villalta’s blocker high to give Abbotsford a 1-0 lead. The game was delayed for several minutes at 8:44 after a scary collision between Tucson defenseman Montana Onyebuchi and Friedman above the Roadrunner’s goal. Friedman remained down the ice and needed medical assistance getting off. Onyebuchi was ejected and given a match penalty for checking to the head. The Canucks were given a five-minute power play and Kudryavstev’s wrist shot from the slot found the back of the net at 11:16 to put Abottsford ahead by two goals. The Canucks remained on the power play for another two and a half minutes, giving the Roadrunners a little over six minutes to mount a comeback after Onyebuchi’s penalty expired. Tucson only had two minutes of 5-on-5 play before Räty’s slashing penalty put the Canucks back on the power play for the eighth time with 4:15 remaining. Lekkerimäki scored Abbotsford’s second power-play goal of the period to extend its lead to three. Tempers flared with 1:35 remaining as Roadrunners Travis Barron, Max Szuber, and Connauton scrapped with three other Canucks after the whistle. Both teams combined for 12 penalties in the period and the Canucks outshot Tucson 10-2 in the final frame.
The Roadrunners wrap up its mid-week series against Abbotsford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MST at Abbotsford Centre. The game will be available to stream on AHLTV on FLO HOCKEY.
