Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: A December To Remember
Upcoming Games (All time MST)
Friday, December 29: Tucson vs. Coachella Valley, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 30: Tucson vs. San Diego, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 3: Tucson at San Jose, 8:00 p.m.
Returning Back To The Planet Of The TCC:
The Roadrunners return home after three games in the planet system of California for two matchups against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on December 29 and San Diego Gulls on December 30. Saturday marks the team’s annual Star Wars Night, CLICK HERE for a Star Wars Ticket Package that includes ticket and Roadrunners Lightsaber. Join us for Tucson’s Doubleheader as the Roadrunners host San Diego at 7 p.m. after the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl at 2:30 p.m. CLICK HERE for Arizona Bowl Tickets.
December Onslaught:
It has been quite a month for the Roadrunners in their previous nine games of December. The team is 7-2-0 averaging 4.55 goals per game including games where they broke season highs in goals for in a game (8) on December 20 and period (4) three times. Entering the week, only the Roadrunners and Hershey Bears have records of 8-2-0 in their last 10 games which are tied for first in the AHL.
December’s elites:
With Tucson averaging well over four goals per game in December, many players have stepped into the spotlight to propel the offense to one of the most effective in the league. Aku Raty (6-4-10) and John Leonard (3-7-10) are currently tied at 10 points each for the team lead in scoring in December. This includes Raty’s four-point night in San Jose on December 20, where he scored his first career AHL hat-trick. Guenther is second on the team in points this month with nine (2-7-9), including his four-point night a game after Raty’s against Bakersfield where he had two goals and two assists in Tucson’s 4-3 overtime win against the Condors. Josh Doan is third with eight (5-3-8) including two game-winning goals against Colorado and Bakersfield, where the game was tied in the late stages of the game. Finally, Soderstrom is fourth with seven points (4-3-7) in December.
Potvin’s All-Star Bid:
With the AHL’s All-Star game coming in February, the bid to coach the Pacific Division’s All-Star team looms near and Roadrunners Head Coach Steve Potvin is well within the mix of candidates who can be chosen to lead the squad. Essentially, the Roadrunners must win both games this week while Abbotsford wins both games against Calgary or Calgary wins one past regulation. Not only Potvin would win the bid to Coach the Pacific Division, but the Roadrunners would also have sole possession of first place in the division.
Arizona Hockey Success:
As the Roadrunners quickly became one of the hottest teams in a matter of a month and a half, their NHL affiliate Arizona Coyotes have also made noise as both clubs make a significant push to climb up their respective standings. According to Arizona Daily Star’s Sports Editor Brett Fera, on Dec. 23, the Coyotes and Roadrunners combined record was tied for ninth-best among the 31 NHL/AHL partnerships. CLICK HERE to read the full article.
We’re Live:
Tucson Roadrunners Happy Hour airs every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app, with a podcast version also available after each episode on the iHeartRadio app. This week “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny, with Kim Cota Robles, Brett Fera and Jonathon Schaffer are joined by Roadrunners Goaltending Development Coach Charlie McTavish. In addition, a new episode of the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast released on Tuesday as Adrian Denny and Jonathon Schaffer discussed Tucson’s Cali road trip and what it was like hoteling together for the week.
