Different building. Different opponent. Same result — in virtually a carbon copy of the last time the Tucson Roadrunners took the ice.
This time, it was a 4-1 win for the Roadrunners (6-6-1-0) over the visiting Abbotsford Canucks (4-5-2-1). The victory, marking the first time this season Tucson has won back-to-back games, moves the Roadrunners back to .500 on the season. They’ll have a shot at their first true winning streak of the season Saturday in the rematch at 7 p.m. in Tucson Arena.
It wasn’t wire to wire, per se. But for the second straight game, the Roadrunners rolled offensively in the first period before shutting down their opponent for the final 40 minutes. On Friday, it was actually much longer than that. Abbotsford scored 1:06 into the game for a 1-0 lead, but would be held in check the final 58-plus minutes.
Last Sunday on the road against the Iowa Wild, Tucson led 2-1 after the first period. The score would stay that way the rest of the game.
“That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for that effort on a consistent basis,” Tucson head coach Jay Varady said after Friday’s win.
Abbotsford’s Will Lockwood slipped one past Tucson goaltender Ivan Prosvetov on the Canucks’ first shot of the night barely a minute in. Prosvetov would stop the next 29, with Friday being the first time he’d allow fewer than three goals on a single night since he posted shutouts in his first two outings of the year.
“You know it wasn’t the start we wanted,” Prosvetov said of Friday’s early goal against. “But then we hit our plan for the game.
“Those games are always fun. You’re down a goal, and that’s why we love hockey, right? Because of moments like this,” Prosvetov added. “You get one back, then you score another one. And then a two-goal lead — in pro hockey, it’s tough (for them) to catch up.”
Michael Carcone, the Roadrunners' leading goal scorer last season, picked up a pair Friday in his first multi-goal effort of the season. Matias Maccelli picked up his fifth goal of the season in the win. Maccelli is tied with fellow rookie Ben McCartney for the club lead with five goals, while Maccelli, who also had an assist, leads Tucson in points outright with 13 in 13 games played.
Hudson Elynuik scored his first of the season for Tucson, while Cameron Hebig, Travis Barron, Tyson Empey, JJ Moser also had assists for the Roadrunners.
“You try not to look too much into it. It doesn’t matter if it’s me or somebody else getting a couple points as long as we’re winning games and working together,” Carcone said. “Obviously it’s a nice feeling, but we just keep moving forward and it can be anyone.”
While Tucson has climbed back to an even .500 point percentage in the American Hockey League Pacific Division standings with Friday’s win, a follow-up win Saturday night in the rematch would mark the first time all season Tucson has won a weekend series outright. In five of their six two-game weekend sets prior to their pair with Abbotsford, Tucson has split evenly — one win, one loss.
“I think it’s important to have a big start right from the puck drop,” Elyniuk said of the chance at that three-game streak Saturday. “That’s what we’re working on here. Just consistency and putting a few games together here and going on a little winning streak.
“I think we’re in the right direction,” he added.
Abbotsford’s trip to Tucson marks the first time the Canucks have trekked to Southern Arizona. Formerly based in Utica, New York, about 55 miles due east of Syracuse, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks moved their AHL affiliate much closer to their Pacific Coast locale this offseason. Abbotsford is 45 miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia.
