Game #9: Tucson Roadrunners (4) vs Ontario Reign (3)
Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners at Ontario Reign
SOG: TUC (24) – ONT (23)
PP: TUC (0/1) – ONT (1/4)
ONTARIO SCORING: Martin Chromiak (4), Tyler Madden (3), Brandt Clakre (3)
TUCSON SCORING: Max Szuber (2), Victor Soderstrom (2), Justin Kirkland (1), Vlad Kolyachonok (2)
ROADRUNNERS DEFEAT ONTARIO REIGN 4-3 IN OVERTIME ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN ONTARIO, CA
Ontario, CA – The Tucson Roadrunners brought their umbrellas to the rink as they stayed dry of the Ontario Reign winning 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night improving to 6-3 on the year.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Tucson Roadrunners Defensemen Vlad Kolyachonok finds the back of the net in the Tucson Roadrunners first overtime action of the 2023-2024 season. Nathan Smith and Dylan Guenther both had assists on Kolyachonok’s overtime game-winning goal.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
DEFENSIVE GOALS GET US OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING – The Tucson Roadrunners defensive unit had three out of the four Roadrunners goals on Wednesday night’s overtime victory over the Ontario Reign. Victor Soderstrom hit a snipe from just about the eighth row of the seats to score in his second consecutive game. Max Szuber scored his second goal of the year and for the second-straight road game. Vlad Kolyachonok has had three overtime game-winning goals in his tenure with the Roadrunners and two ending in a final score of 4-3 in Ontario. His Tucson debut, on October 15, 2021, he scored a game-winner in Stockton and yet again in Ontario on December 18, 2021. He has now scored two overtime game-winning goals over the Ontario Reign in Ontario.
LOOK AT THIS
Tucson Goaltender Matthew Villalta awaits the oncoming Ontario shot in Wednesday night’s 4–3 overtime victory. Villalta was returning to Ontario for the first time since being a part of their team for the last four seasons.
THEY SAID IT
We just stuck with it and played our game. They applied some pressure there at the end but we stayed focused and did the best job we could
said Goalie Matthew Villalta after Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime victory
THE RUNDOWN
The first period of Wednesday night’s contest began with a flurry of chances for the Roadrunners. Through the first nine minutes of the game the stingy Roadrunners defense held Ontario without a shot attempt. Tucson also successfully killed a Montana Onyebuchi boarding minor early in the frame. It wasn’t until Max Szuber found himself on a breakaway opportunity that the scoring would begin. Szuber found the back of the net at the 12:05 mark assisted by Nathan Smith and Justin Kirkland. Ontario would answer four minutes later and knot things up 1-1 as the sides headed into the locker room to end the first.
Montana Onyebuchi kicked the second frame off dropping the gloves with an Ontario Reign player. It was a heavyweight battle as the two stayed upright for what seemed like a fortnight. Onyebuchi became the sixth Tucson player to drop the gloves in the last seven games. Following the Onyebuchi tilt, it would be Victor Soderstrom who scored giving Tucson the 2-1 lead. Soderstrom ripped a snipe from deep and snuck it by the Ontario defenders to light the lamp. Tucson out-shot Ontario 14-8 in the second and netminder Matthew Villalta, paired with the Tucson defense, was fantastic in those eight attempts against and throughout the entire period. It was a homecoming for Matthew Villalta who spent the last four seasons playing in Ontario for the Reign.
Under a minute into the start of the third Dylan Guenther would find Justin Kirkland who would score his first goal of the season. Guenther would get his team leading sixth assist. The 3-1 Tucson lead would be short lived as Ontario would answer with a goal of their own just 1:50 later. A Dylan Guenther tripping minor followed by a Justin Kirkland hooking minor would send Ontario to a 5-on-3 power play opportunity. The two extra players on the ice would be too much for Tucson to kill off and Ontario would tie things 3-3 with just over nine minutes left to play in the third. Tucson would get a big kill in the following 5-on-4 Ontario power-play, but regulation would end all knotted up 3-3.
To overtime the two sides would go, skating three a side. It was just 1:10 into the overtime 3-on-3 when Vlad Kolyachonok would end the night with a game-winning overtime goal for the Roadrunners. Kolyachonok was assisted by Dylan Guenther and Nathan Smith on the play that sent Tucson home victorious.
