Preseason Game #1 – Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights
Game #1 (Preseason) – Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights
6:00 p.m. MST, The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, Nevada
LISTEN LIVE HERE or on Fox Sports 1450AM
AHLtv will return for regular season.
Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE
Referees: Jackson Kozari and Jordan Watt
Linespersons: Aaron Story and Logan Wescott
The Tucson Roadrunners head to Henderson for their first and only preseason game against the Silver Knights at The Dollar Loan Center. Out of now 24 original players on the training camp roster, 14 of them are returning from last year’s Roadrunners squad. Seven players on the roster have appeared against the Roadrunners in previous seasons for other Pacific Division Teams. As for the Silver Knights, their training camp roster began with 39 players, including 17 of them who appeared for at least one game with the Silver Knights last season.
Two Players to Watch:
- Former Arizona State Hockey player Josh Doan has made noise in the desert in the early stages of his career. The son of former Coyotes star Shane Doan has been the recent talk of Arizona hockey fans, especially after his hat trick in preseason action against the St Louis Blues on September 23 in Wichita. The hometown kid from Scottsdale has an admirable track record that is beginning to be noticed around the league. In 74 games played as a Sun Devil, Doan totaled 28 goals and 47 assists for a total of 75 points. Doan joined the Roadrunners in the late stages of the 2022-23 season, playing just 14 games and finishing with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. He also added an assist in three playoff games against the defending Western Conference Champs Coachella Valley Firebirds.
- New netminder Matthew Villalta comes with already four years of pro experience, spending those seasons all with the Ontario Reign. In four years with the Los Angeles Kings affiliate, the former third round draft pick in 2017 made 108 appearances, compiling a record of 58-32-11-2, a 3.04 goals against average and .901 save percentage. However, his best season came last year where he had a goals against average of 2.65 and a .910 save percentage.
What do they have to say?
“One of the things is that (joining the Roadrunners) is my first time down in Tucson, it’s funny being from Arizona, I haven’t really been all around of Arizona yet so getting to go down to Tucson and seeing what it’s like and seeing the mountains down there and getting to know some of the people down there it’s definitely something different and unique and its own little version of Arizona and I think it’s special.”
Josh Doan on joining the Roadrunners in Tucson for the first time last March.
“So far it’s been great, obviously it’s my first time checking out Tucson coming to the TCC and now seeing that side of the rink. It’s been a pleasure to be here now with the Roadrunners, just trying to get better every day and ready for opening night…It’s been fantastic so far.”
Matt Villalta on his first training camp with the Roadrunners and his excitement to be playing in Tucson.
Thursday Transactions:
· Michael Lombardi, Reece Vitelli and Micah Miller have been assigned to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators.
· Alex Whelan and Anthony Firriolo have been released from PTOs and are reporting back to the Atlanta Gladiators.
· Tyson Helgesen has been released from his PTO and is reporting to the Rapid City Rush.
· Goaltender Reid Cooper has been released from his PTO and will join an ECHL training camp.
We’re Doing It Live
Tonight’s game will be broadcasted live on the radio on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by Jonathon Schaffer, before “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny has all of the action from The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson.
