The Roadrunners return to the Tucson Arena ice Saturday night for the first time in three weeks. Their goal: to play as well at home as they’ve played on the road.
The Roadrunners went 4-2 during their gem-show-mandated road trip. Saturday’s game against Bakersfield marks the first of four consecutive home games for the division-leading club.
Tucson is 16-5-1-1 on the road this season, the best mark in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The team is just 11-10-1 at home.
“It’s strange. I can’t put my finger on it why exactly that is,” Roadrunners forward Mike Sislo said. “We’ve prepared well at home and put ourselves in a good position to have success. We just haven’t been able to find the results.”
Saturday presents a good opportunity for Tucson to get back on track at home. The Roadrunners are 4-0 against Bakersfield this season, although the last meeting came back on Dec. 29. The Condors sit in last place among eight teams in the Pacific Division.
On top of that, the Condors are reeling off the ice. This week, Bakersfield suspended forward Mitch Callahan 20 games for violating the AHL’s Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Callahan, a 26-year-old with NHL experience, has struggled to find a groove with the Condors this year.
Bakersfield also lost captain Ryan Hamilton to a broken leg in the team’s defeat at San Diego on Wednesday night. Hamilton was fifth on the team in points.
Tucson, meanwhile, should be close to full strength. One question that remains on offense is whether Nick Merkley will be back in the lineup.
Merkley, who suffered an upper body injury against Ontario on Jan. 12, has only played in one game over the last month. That was Tucson’s home win over Chicago on Jan. 26.
Even without Merkley in the lineup, Tucson’s offense has found ways to score. The Roadrunners have netted four or more goals in three of their last six games.
“We’re creating a good club shooting on net,” forward Kyle Capobianco said. “We’re creating chances from rebounds.”
Tucson stands to maintain its spot atop the Pacific Division if it can take care of business against Bakersfield.
The Roadrunners still lead the division with a .633 winning percentage; second-place San Diego is right behind at .611.
“We want to do a lot of the same things we have been doing this year,” Sislo said. “We’re looking forward to getting off to a good start on Saturday and going from there.”
