Tucson Roadrunners on brink of elimination after falling again in Texas

CEDAR PARK, Texas — Tucson Roadrunners defenseman Trevor Murphy slammed his stick to the ice in frustration Wednesday with 10 seconds left.

His action summed up what Tucson felt as a team all game long.

The Roadrunners now trail 3-1 in the series following a 2-0 shutout by the Texas Stars at the H-E-B Center in Game 4 of their second-round Calder Cup playoff series, after being stymied on offense and failing to take advantage of power plays.

“The puck isn’t just bouncing our way in front of the net,” Murphy said. “We got shut out and obviously you have to score goals to win hockey games. But we’ve won a lot of games this year in spurts where we’ve won three or four in a row, so we just have to stay positive and see where it goes.”

The Stars scored both of their goals in the second period when the teams played at a frenetic pace.

Curtis McKenzie took advantage of a power play at the 12:08 mark, then Texas added an insurance goal three minutes later when Andrew Bodnarchuk found the net.

“I thought we got a little bit away from our identity in the second, but it comes down to their power play scored and we didn’t,” Tucson coach Mike Van Ryn said. “We need to find a way to get more pucks finding their way in.”

The Roadrunners failed to take advantage of two power plays in the third, including one in the final three minutes when they pulled goaltender Adin Hill for another forward.

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“I feel like special teams have been a big part of the series,” Murphy said. “We’ve been struggling on the power play, and in these next few games it’s going to be crucial.”

Hill was brilliant through the game’s opening 30 minutes, turning away the first 19 shots he saw and facing far more action than his Texas counterpart, Mike McKenna.

He was equally as sharp in the third, stifling a Stars one-on-one and blocking several point-blank shots on the way to 26 saves.

“He’s given us a chance,” Van Ryn said of Hill. “He’s doing everything he can, he’s making big saves, we just have to find a way to score. We’re not going to win any games not scoring.”

The Roadrunners will head home regardless of whether they win or lose Game 5 in Texas on Friday.

The question is will they get to play again at Tucson Arena, or will their season will be over?

“Everything is possible and it starts with one game Friday,” Roadrunners captain Andrew Campbell said. “We win Friday, we get the ball rolling our way, we go back home and get our crowd behind us and anything can happen.”