GAME #9: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS VS SAN DIEGO GULLS

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Game #9: Tucson Roadrunners (4-4-0-0) vs San Diego Gulls (3-7-0-0)

Time: 7:00 p.m. MST, Tucson Arena, Tucson AZ

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Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Referees: #64 Adam Forbes, #27 Jackson Kozari

Linespersons: #74 Eric Anderson, #54 Anthony Caruso

Supervisor: Jay Sharrers

The Tucson Roadrunners open November with a two-game slate against the San Diego Gulls on Saturday and Sunday. Game one is the Roadrunners’ annual Military Appreciation Night and t-shirt giveaway. The team will wear military-themed jerseys to commemorate America’s armed forces, which will be autographed and available for purchase at the postgame action.

Tucson went .500 in October and ended the season’s first month on a high note after defeating the Abbotsford Canucks 5-2 on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Forward Josh Doan scored two goals in the game, and forwards Egor Sokolov and Andrew Agozzino each tallied two-point to help the Roadrunners even its series against the Canucks.

San Diego went 2-6 in October and is also coming off a series split with Abbotsford. The Gulls were defeated by the Canucks 3-1 on Saturday before mounting a late comeback to take game two 6-4 on Sunday. San Diego trailed Abbotsford 4-1 midway through the third period and scored five unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes to win the game. The five-goal third period tied a Gulls record for most goals scored in a period.

Three things:

  • Gulls forward Jansen Harkins’ 13 points leads San Diego and is the second-most in the AHL. He had five assists in Sunday’s victory over the Canucks. Four of them came in the third period, including defenseman Roland McKeown’s game-tying goal with 6:14 left in the game. His five-assist night set a new San Diego single-game assist record and matched the franchise’s single-game points record. Harkins is one of two AHL players to have five points in a game this season and is the only one to have five assists. It was the second time Harkins had recorded five assists in a game in his AHL career. The former Winnipeg Jets second-round pick had five assists against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Nov. 2, 2019 while playing for the Manitoba Moose before pulling it off again five years and one day later.
  • Tucson holds a special teams advantage going into the San Diego series. The Roadrunners tallied two power-play goals in its last outing against the Abbotsford Canucks and has three power-play goals in its last three games. Tucson has a 20% success rate on the man advantage (7/35) this season, which ranks 11th in the AHL. Six of the team’s seven power-play goals have come on the road. Tucson has converted 27.3% of their opportunities on the man advantage in away games, which ranks 5th in the league. Sokolov leads the team with five power-play points from three goals and two assists. Two of his three power-play goals have come in the last three games. On the other side, San Diego has scored at a 13.9% clip (5/36) on the man advantage, which is 23rd in the league. The Gulls are 1/18 on the power play in its last four games. Harkins leads the team with two goals on the man advantage. On the penalty kill, Tucson’s unit ranks 17th (81.4%), and San Diego’s ranks 23rd (78.4%).
  • The Roadrunners found the back of the net four times in the first period in its last game against Abbotsford. It’s the most goals the team has scored in any period this season. Only three other teams have scored four first-period goals this year. The first 20 minutes have been Tucson’s best period through the first month of the season. The Roadrunners have tallied 12 goals in the opening frame, which is the second-highest in the league behind the Milwaukee Admirals (13), who have played one more game. San Diego has scored just five first-period goals this season, which ranks 27th in the AHL. The Gulls have also given up the third-most goals (11) in the first period so far this season. But San Diego has played its strongest hockey in the third period this season. The Gulls have 15 goals in the final frame, which is the second-most in the AHL. It’s the only period that San Diego has a positive goal differential. While the Roadrunners have a minus-six goal differential in the final 20 minutes. Only the Canucks and Iowa Wild have conceded more third-period goals than Tucson.

What’s the word?

“Obviously, I love Arizona. Being home and getting a chance to see family is always super special. Getting an opportunity to see them during the year is hard to do. It’s pretty exceptional to have the chance to go home and catch up with your siblings. I have a really tight sibling group, so to see my brothers and sisters again is always nice. It’s just nice to be back in the desert for a bit, playing hockey and having fun.”

Roadrunners forward Josh Doan on his family and returning to Tucson.

Number to Know:

9 – The Roadrunners have had nine days without a game since it’s win over the Canucks on Wednesday, Oct. 30. It’s Tucson’s largest reprieve of the season, including the All-Star break. The weekend off allowed the team to refine its systems in practice and improve chemistry amongst the forward group with last week’s additions of Kailer Yamamoto and Josh Doan. The rest versus rust debate is an annual tradition when it comes to playoff hockey, and it will be interesting to see how the Roadrunners respond to its extended bye this early in the season.

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We’re Doing It Live
Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up, hosted by “Voice of the Roadrunners” Jonathon Schaffer, who all of the action from Tucson Arena. The game can also be seen on AHLtv now on Flo Hockey.