After losing 5-0 to the Calgary Wranglers on Friday, the Tucson Roadrunners regrouped to beat the AHL’s top team 3-2 in a shootout at home on Saturday night.
The Roadrunners (26-28-6-0) held Calgary to 1 for 4 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal to earn the series split.
“I thought it was a great game, honestly,” Tucson coach Steve Potvin said. “I really thought it was similar to the game we had the night before to be honest with ya. I think the difference obviously was the special teams, and we were able to clean some things up 4-on-4. But I thought the game was pretty similar. We had control of a portion of the game, and they had good control of a good portion of the game.”
Tucson goalie Tyler Parks made 24 saves. He also stopped two of the Wranglers’ three shots in the shootout.
Tucson Roadrunners goaltender Tyler Parks stops Matthew Phillips of the first-place Calgary Wranglers in a shootout Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Tucson Arena. The stop secured the 3-2 victory for Tucson over the Wranglers, who own the AHL's best record heading down the stretch of the 2023 season. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Seventh-place Tucson hosts the fifth-place Ontario Reign for a two-game series starting Tuesday as the Roadrunners look to stay in playoff position in the Pacific Division.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Parks said. “I think we need to win as many games as possible. It’s gonna come down to the wire — it’s neck and neck. Things are tight, so if we can take these two games from them, then it’s just gonna give us more ground on San Jose.”
The San Jose Barracuda also won Saturday in overtime to stay mere percentage points behind the Roadrunners for that final divisional playoff spot.
In the shootout, forward Adam Cracknell scored to lead off for Tucson. Forward Josh Doan, playing in his second professional game for the Roadrunners after signing an entry-level deal with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes Thursday, missed his shootout attempt. But forward Nathan Smith scored what turned out to be the game-winner for the Roadrunners before Parks turned away Calgary’s last attempt.
Tucson forward Colin Theisen scored a shorthanded goal 13:37 into the second to give the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead. Defensemen Vladislav Kolyachonok and Steven Kampfer had assists.
“We all agreed, we didn’t think (Friday) was a 5-0 game,” Theisen said. “I thought our effort was there, just a couple bounces didn’t go our way, and (Saturday) we came out with the same approach, just cleaned up some small details. And I felt we executed.”
Tucson Roadrunners defenseman Vladislav Kolyochonok sets up forward Colin Theisen with the perfect drop pass while on a shorthanded rush, leading to Theisen burying the puck past Calgary Wranglers goaltender Oskar Dansk in the Roadrunners' eventual 3-2 win over the AHL-leading Wranglers at Tucson Arena. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Calgary right wing Adam Klapka opened the scoring Saturday with a power-play goal 11:52 into the game. The Czech tailed four points in the series after he scored an empty net goal and got two assists on Friday.
At 2:16 in the second, Tucson forward Hudson Elynuik scored to end the Roadrunners’ drought and tie it up. Forward Milos Kelemen got an assist.
It was their first goal against the Wranglers since the first two minutes of the third period of their Nov. 4 game in Calgary.
On Friday, Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf, who leads the league in goals against average (2.17), had 30 saves.
“Obviously we got shut out, but we thought we had our chances,” Elynuik said.
“Wolfie, he’s a good goalie, but we responded well (Saturday), went to a shootout ... that’s what it’s gonna take here down the stretch.”
Slap shots
Attendance on Saturday was 5,593. Tucson has earned at least one point in its five best-attended games this year and seven of the top eight. “It was awesome. Great environment,” Elynuik said. “Fans brought it. It was an unreal atmosphere. We love playing in front of our fans, and we’re gonna try and keep getting wins for them.”
With a league leading 90 points, Calgary became the first AHL team to clinch a playoff spot.
Potvin said forward Mike Carcone was unavailable for the shootout due to equipment issues after his fight with Wranglers defenseman Jeremie Poirier at 17:06 in the third period. Poirier returned for the shootout and scored against Parks.
The Tucson Fire Department won Saturday’s First Responders Game 4-3. The firefighters also won the annual tilt with the Tucson Police Department, 8-2, last year.
Prior to the Tucson Roadrunners matchup against the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Tucson Police Department and Tucson Fire Department took the ice for a First Responders Day Game at the Tucson Arena. The Tucson Fire Department secured a 4-3 come-from-behind victory for their second-straight win over the Tucson Police Department. The Roadrunners followed up their local First Responders by wearing Specialty First Responders Jerseys for the series finale against the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, that saw Tucson defeat the Wranglers in a shootout by a final score of 3-2. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Tucson wore special first responders jerseys and auctioned them off after the game, making almost $35,000 that will go to their charities.
The Roadrunners are 3-0-2-0 this year in televised games.
On Friday night a fan had a sign that said, “Welcome to Tucson Josh Doan.” In the second period Dusty, the Roadrunners’ mascot, held up a sign behind the Wranglers’ bench that read, “Calgary had Purdue in the Final Four.”
