Carcone's breakout, line brawl, new jerseys highlight Roadrunners' gems from '1st half' of season

No matter where the schedule is actually at, in professional sports, the All-Star break is often referred to as the season’s midway point.

That’s where the Tucson Roadrunners and the rest of the American Hockey League are at this week. Tucson has played 46 of its 72 regular-season games, sitting at an even 21-21-4-0 and in sixth place in the Pacific Division as the league paused for a few days after last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Laval, Quebec.

On Friday at 8 p.m., Tucson comes back from the All-Star break to continue its gem-show road trip at Abbotsford. Even broken up by the All-Star pause, the seven-game road trip is the Roadrunners’ longest of the season, directly following their longest homestand of the season of six games.

While Tucson Arena and the rest of the Tucson Convention Center are still overtaken by the annual Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show, the Star’s Roadrunners reporters, James Kelley and Brett Fera, picked a few gems of their own from the first “half” of the Roadrunners’ season:

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JK: Not only did defenseman Dysin Mayo set the record for most career appearances for the Roadrunners in December, he’s played for them in every season they’ve existed. Mr. Roadrunner would have been Tucson’s captain last year but spent almost the whole season in the NHL.

BF: It’s nothing if not obvious, but Michael Carcone has risen from being loaned to the Roadrunners exactly two years ago this week to leading the AHL in points and being a candidate (if not favorite) for league MVP at the All-Star break. Carcone is producing at a rate not seen in the AHL in 15 years.

Best fight

JK: The Roadrunners have had some interesting throwdowns, but one went viral online. Before their Oct. 29 game at the San Jose Barracuda, eight of the 10 skaters in the starting lineup that night dropped the gloves before the opening faceoff even took place. A combined 120 penalty minutes later, and the clock still read “20:00” left in the first period.

BF: Agreed. The battle royale of the year, arguably league-wide, with the Roadrunners’ mighty Travis Barron at the center of the action for Tucson (he was cross-checked prior to the opening draw, starting the fracas). Steve Potvin and John McCarthy, coaches for the Roadrunners and Barracuda, respectively, were even fined for their teams’ actions.

Biggest win

JK: After losing four of their first five against expansion Coachella Valley, the Roadrunners snapped the Firebirds’ three-game winning streak in front of 6,487 in just the second game at the Firebirds’ new Acrisure Arena. (Tucson lost the first game there the night before.) Tucson killed all six Coachella Valley penalties and outshot the Firebirds — the team today with the best record in the AHL — 34-33 that night.

BF: On a seven-game losing streak (tied for a club record), Tucson fell behind 3-1 after one period on Jan. 14 at Bakersfield. A new mark for futility seemed imminent. But a second-period Milos Keleman goal followed by a third-period Laurent Dauphin marker knotted it up. Adam Cracknell and Carcone both lit the lamp in a post-overtime shootout, giving Tucson the 4-3 win. The Roadrunners have won six of nine since the skid.

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JK: Forwards Jean-Sebastien Dea and Dauphin are tied for second in points with 37, often getting assist points from each other’s goals. Tucson’s French connection, both hailing form the Montreal area, came to Southern Arizona in the offseason after the Quebecois duo played together in Laval, and both have earned NHL call-ups with the Arizona Coyotes this season too.

BF: Defensemen Cam Dineen and Mayo are the sentimental choices — both at more than 200 career games played for Tucson, they’ve buoyed Tucson’s blueline side by side more than any pair in team history. But it’s also really fun seeing the moments when 6-5 Hudson Elynuik and 6-9 Curtis Douglas are on the ice together. Talk about imposing.

Best sweater

JK: This season’s “El Lazo” jerseys are maroon with a black and gray desert silhouette that blends in beautifully with the unique-looking black shorts and black socks combo. The lasso subtly separates the top tan from the maroon main part of the sweater.

BF: The Coyotes’ white “Kachina” is considered one of the top jerseys in all of hockey. Let’s be bold: The Roadrunners’ version — new this season — may just be better. The white sheen with purple piping and “Tucson” shoulder patch is next level.

Next to the NHL?

JK: Although he’s on an AHL contract, could the Coyotes sign Cracknell, Tucson’s captain, for an eventual recall? With 34 points, Cracknell is having one of his best seasons in his 17th as a pro. Cracknell, 37, who has played for seven NHL teams, appears worthy of another shot.

BF: The NHL trade deadline is March 3. If the Coyotes somehow deal superstar defenseman Jakob Chycrun, that blueline hole might just go to current Roadrunner Victor Sodorstrom. Good enough offensively, but quietly steady and dependable, Sodorstrom now has 107 AHL games under his belt. An everyday NHL role may be next.

MVP

JK: Carcone led the Roadrunners in goals the last two seasons, including a team-record 24 last year. With 62 points, he’s comfortably on pace to eclipse the Roadrunners’ record of 67 points in a season. In addition to 22 goals, he has 40 assists already, putting him clearly on pace to break both of those marks, too.

BF: Carcone’s not just the Roadrunners’ MVP, he’s the league’s top player. No debate. Full stop. But doing the crystal-ball thing, if Tucson wants to wreak any havoc down the stretch and into the playoffs, its MVP the rest of the way must be goaltender Ivan Prosvetov. As the team struggles, so does Prosvetov. And vice versa. His worst two statistical months as a pro — from Nov. 15 through Jan. 13, Prosvetov let in four or more goals eight times in 14 starts — appear to be in the rearview mirror. He’s 4-2 in his last six starts, allowing three or fewer five times with a shutout last time out.