Coyotes, Roadrunners to scrimmage Oct. 9 in Tucson

Arizona’s two professional hockey teams will square off in a preseason exhibition in October, with the proceeds benefiting the University of Arizona’s club hockey team.

The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and their top minor-league affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, will scrimmage Oct. 9 at the Tucson Convention Center.

“It won’t be AHL vs. NHL. We’ll mix the two rosters together,” Roadrunners President Brian Sandy said Wednesday. “Fans will get a chance to see some of the greatest hockey players in the world playing right here.”

The game is free and those attending won’t need tickets, but fans are encouraged to donate $5 per person. The Rio Nuevo board voted Tuesday to waive the $2-per-person facility user fee, meaning all money raised will go toward the UA team. The board members who were present passed it unanimously.

The Roadrunners, who relocated from Springfield, Massachusetts, this spring, will play their first season in Tucson starting in October. They will share the TCC ice with the UA club team formerly known as the Icecats.

The scrimmage will be “a great opportunity for everybody to actually see what’s coming,” Roadrunners general manager Doug Soetaert said.

“With the Arizona Coyotes, you’ll see some of the Shane Doans and guys like that who have been around and are stars in the NHL. And you’ll also see some of the kids that’ll be here playing,” he said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for people locally. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a fun night for everybody to actually see the big team with some of our players filtered through there.”

TCC renovations are ongoing, said Elaine Becherer, a project manager with the City Manager’s Office.

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“Construction is moving forward and it is still moving at a very fast pace,” Becherer said. “Just this past week, I received colors for the new Zamboni.”

TCC renovations, which include new locker rooms, a weight room, team offices and other minor improvements, should be complete by the Oct. 1 deadline and will adhere to the $3.7 million budget, Becherer said.

Demolition of a kitchen area and other parts are complete, and new walls are already going up, Becherer said.

The Roadrunners make their debut this fall. Becherer said she is working to integrate the new team into the city before then. She said she wants the team to feel welcome in not only the TCC but across the community..

“We are connecting with them. Last week, some of them came down and saw the construction firsthand,” Becherer said. “The manager’s office is receiving phone calls as to where and how people can purchase Tucson Roadrunner equipment and jerseys.”

Rio Nuevo board member Edmund Marquez was given a tour and said he was impressed with the progress made at the TCC.

“The fact that it’s on budget, on pace and, oh my gosh, the previous look for the TCC was so bad,” Marquez said. “I’m so sad to know that Mariah Carey, James Taylor and everyone spent time in the TCC prior to the renovation. … This project was worth every dollar.”