Tucson Roadrunners right wing Conor Garland (8) is a little more excited than teammate left wing Lawson Crouse (67) after Crouse's goal the San Jose Barracuda during the first period in game three of their AHL playoff series at Tucson Arena, Wednesday, April 25, 2018.
By Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star
There were a plethora of questions surrounding the Tucson Roadrunners' first home playoff game in franchise history.
How many fans would show up? What's the atmosphere going to be like? How much will a beer cost? And most importantly, how will the Roadrunners bounce back from its Game Two loss in San Jose?
To answer all of those questions, 4,799 fans were in attendance at the Tucson Arena, atmosphere was a rowdy bunch wearing white t-shirts that were given to each fan, the price for a large premium beer was $10 and the Roadrunners put their foot on San Jose's throats from the moment that puck dropped.
It wasn't even close. After the first period, Tucson led 3-0 and center Dylan Strome racked up two assists in 13 minutes and finished the night with four assists.
The defense, particularly from goalie Adin Hill, sparked the Roadrunners to convert stops into points. San Jose had 21 shots on goal, while the Roadrunners had 23. Having two more shots than the opponent, scoring six goals while shutting them out is usually a successful night for any hockey time, and the Roadrunners made the most out of it in their first playoff home game. Plus, who doesn't love a hockey game with a few fights?
Hill, Strome, Lawson Crouse and head coach Mike Van Ryn spoke to the media after the win, here's what they had to say.
