The Tucson Roadrunners final regular-season homestand is this weekend, but with the Roadrunners already locked in to returning to the Calder Cup Playoffs, there is the possibility — although they have work to do — the Roadrunners could host postseason games for the first time since 2018.
And if they do, the team will wear their white “Kachina” jerseys, debuted earlier this season as a third jersey, throughout — and bring back the Tucson Arena “white out.”
The Roadrunners, currently the seventh seed in the Pacific Division’s bracket — there’s an outside chance they could move up to sixth depending how games go this weekend — will start the postseason on the road. The Pacific’s first round is a best-of-three series hosted entirely by the higher seed.
Should Tucson upset that higher seed — at the moment it looks like it will be the Coachella Valley Firebirds — the Roadrunners would play in the best of five division semifinals and be guaranteed at least one more home game.
The Roadrunners started pre-selling playoff tickets Monday. Visit TucsonRoadrunners.com/WhiteoutCentral or call (866) 774-6253.
In the meantime, the team announced watch parties for all road playoff games will be held at Main Event. Located at 4700 South Landing Way, the new entertainment venue that opened in March includes a restaurant, video games, bowling, laser tag and more.
Tucson Roadrunners forward Josh Doan found himself in prime position to bury a powerplay goal for the Roadrunners, cutting the Texas Stars one-time 4-0 lead to 4-2 early in the third period Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Tucson Arena. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Especially special teams crucial in playoff-securing OT game
Vital to Tucson’s rally on Saturday to secure a playoff spot was the Roadrunners special teams play.
The Roadrunners killed all five Texas penalties, including one where they were down to 5-on-4 for four full minutes.
The Roadrunners also went 2-for-4 themselves on the power play, normally one of their weaker units.
Tucson head coach Steve Potvin said the PK has been “doing so much for the Roadrunners for quite some time.”
“I can’t believe how well the power play did (Saturday) night in adverse situations,” Potvin said. “You could see that they were literally in the moment and they were just hungry, determined, relentless and you know what? They just weren’t going to be denied (Saturday) night."
Tucson is 18th in the league in penalty kill with 80.5 percentage and 28th in the league in power play with a 16.7 percentage. Milwaukee leads the league in power play (24.2%) and Calgary is first in penalty kill (85.1%).
Texas is seventh in the league in penalty killing (82.9%).
Tucson Roadrunners forward Colin Theisen beats Texas Stars goal Remi Poirier glove side on the powerplay to get Tucson on the board. The Roadrunners trailed 4-0, but eventually tied it at 4-4 to send the game to overtime on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Tucson Arena. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Holding their own vs. the best
Although Tucson is likely to enter the playoffs as a seventh seed, the Roadrunners aren’t intimidated by the top teams.
Tucson has played five teams with at least 86 points; teams at that point or better are in the top seven in total points league-wide. The Roadrunners went 0-3-1-0 against the Texas Stars (38-18-9-3, 88 points), first in the Central Division and sixth in the AHL. But this past weekend Tucson scored three third period goals in both games of the series at Tucson Arena.
Tucson was 2-2-0-0 against the Calgary Wranglers (50-15-3-1, 104 points). The Wranglers are not only in first in the Pacific Division, but are likely to finish with the best record of all 31 AHL teams. The Roadrunners were 2-5-1-0 versus Coachella Valley Firebirds (47-15-5-2, 101 points) the team with the second-most points in the league, and their most-likely first-round playoff foe.
Tucson forward Adam Cracknell, who has played in the AHL’s postseason six times, said the Roadrunners can do damage in the tournament.
“You have to bring your best. They’re a top team for a reason,” Cracknell said. “They’re gonna challenge you defensively, offensively, special teams. Playoffs is a different breed and guys have to know it’s not about statistics or personal success.”
Tucson was 1-3-0-0 against the Milwaukee Admirals (40-23-4-2, 86 points sixth most in the AHL) but were 1-1-0-0 on the road against the Ads.
The Roadrunners split the season series with the Colorado Eagles (38-22-7-3, 86 points), who are seventh in the AHL, going 2-2-0-0, but Tucson was 2-0 in Colorado, winning both games of a back-to-back in March.
Saturday night lighting the lamp
When they fell behind 4-0 to the Texas Stars, one of the best teams in the league, it seemed like Tucson would have to wait to clinch a playoff spot.
But this game was on a Saturday night, after all, and Tucson had picked up standings points in their previously four Saturday night home games.
Now its five — a streak that dates back to a 6-3 win over the Abbotsford Canucks on Jan. 28. The Roadrunners are 6-2-4-0 on home Saturday games and their 11 wins overall on Saturdays is the highest for any day of the week.
The Roadrunners have also managed to earn standings points in five of the six Saturday games following a Friday loss.
Tucson usually gets bigger crowds on Saturdays like the 4,892 attendance on Saturday versus the 4,419 on Friday.
“Our guys are excited to play at home, this was a very loud building and I think the fans were very entertained and they helped propel us to another level, “ Potvin said. “You could hear the cheers, you could hear the banter against the referees. That was a fun building to play in. Saturday nights are usually typically the most fun.”
Saturday night’s game on the CW Tucson, Tucson’s last scheduled TV game of the season, continued Tucson’s streak of getting a standings point in every televised game.
The Roadrunners were 3-0-3-0 on TV this season, beating Calgary 3-2 after a shootout on Mar. 18, besting Henderson 3-2 on Feb. 18, beating the Canucks 5-2 on Jan. 29, losing 3-2 in overtime to the Ontario Reign on Dec. 10 and falling to the Firebirds 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 12.
Tucson Roadrunners Josh Doan, left, and Ryan McGregor, celebrate Doan’s goal in the third period Saturday that cut the Texas Stars’ once 4-0 blowout lead to 4-2. Tucson added two more to send the game to overtime. While Texas won, 5-4, late in OT, the Roadrunners clinched a 2023 Calder Cup playoff berth by way of earning a single standings point.
Getting it Doan
Tucson forward Josh Doan scored his second goal as a professional on Saturday night, starting the Roadrunners’ three-goal third period rally that got them into the playoffs.
The power play goal extended the 21-year-old’s scoring streak to three games; he had an assist in each of the prior two games. Doan has earned five points in 12 games since joining Tucson in mid-March after two seasons playing for Arizona State University.
The son of longtime Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who was in attendance with family at Tucson Arena again this past weekend, was named Saturday’s third star.
