The first quarter of the Tucson Roadrunners’ 2021-22 season has been pretty much the same story.
Practice Tuesday through Thursday, then play a weekend two-fer.
Starting this weekend, when the Roadrunners (8-7-1-0) take on the first place Stockton Heat (14-2-2-0), Tucson’s schedule starts to change a bit.
The Roadrunners, who sit in fourth place in the American Hockey League’s Pacific Division, will have their first real chance make up ground on Stockton. The Heat sits 13 points ahead of Tucson one quarter of the way through the season.
Tucson will play seven times over the next 14 days. They’ll take a week off around Christmas, then — starting New Years Eve at home against San Diego — will go seven more times over 13 days.
The five-week span is a chance to make up ground in the standings. This weekend is an prime opportunity to cut down another top team.
Tucson handed the Heat a 1-0 overtime loss back on opening night, the first in 12 games to open the season Stockton failed to lose in regulation. Then the Roadrunners handed the Ontario Reign their first regulation of the season in their 11th game. Tucson also handed the Iowa Wild their first two home losses of the season after a 5-0 start.
“Part of growth and development is being ready to play the best teams and the best players and prove yourself against them,” Roadrunners coach Jay Varady said. “You’re making a case of why individually you want to play in the NHL, you want to play the best.”
Rookie Maccelli maturing
It’s been roughly a month since Tucson’s much-ballyhooed rookie duo of forward Matias Maccelli and defenseman JJ Moser started to really rip the back of the net.
Dating back exactly one month from Friday’s 7 p.m. series opener against Stockton, Maccelli rankks second in the AHL in points with 14 in eight games. That’s a 1.75 points-per-outing clip, tops in the league.
Moser leads all AHL defensemen in both categories with 10 points in eight games.
Tucson associate head coach Steve Potvin said he’s confident the duo has what it takes to keep it up. Speaking specifically about Maccelli, who was named the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for November, Potvin marveled at how grounded the 21-year-old has been.
“I think the biggest thing with him, I hate to say it, is when he has a big night, we’re really fast to congratulate him on how hard he was in the forecheck and how good he was at the breakout,” Potvin said, noting the things that don’t show up in the scoresheet.
Potvin said early on, Maccelli was “waiting for the puck” more than he probably should.
“He’s used to guys going to get him the puck. When he has the puck, they get open,” Potvin said. “But I felt like his focus through the games just keep building and building and growing.
“And then it just kept snowballing.”
Potvin said Maccelli “didn’t love his game Saturday” in a 4-0 loss at Colorado.
“The first thing (Maccelli) said was he’s got to get back to the nitty-gritty,” Potvin added. “These are his words. ‘I’ve got to really try to move the puck a little bit quicker. I’ve got to jump the holes faster.”
All Potvin could do was nod and say OK. His pupil is learning quickly.
Expect a stuffed animal stoppage on Saturday
Saturday night’s Teddy Bear Toss in Tucson Arena is one of the few fan-oriented events that actually might have a direct impact on the Roadrunners’ play on the ice.
How so?
The Roadrunners’ first goal will lead to a stoppage in play as officials gather what team officials hope will be of 5,000 stuffed animals hurled onto the ice by fans.
Varady said his players probably won’t be affected much by the stoppage, even if it goes on 10 minutes or so.
“I think 15, 20 years ago, maybe that would have been an issue. But these guys have played in other places — junior hockey, college hockey,” he said. “So it’s not the first time they’re going to see it.”
Tucson goaltender Ivan Prosvetov says he’ll stay active as play stops, but he added that it’s worth it knowing the cause at hand.
“It’s a good reason for a break (in action), Prosvetov said of the event, which serves Aviva Family Services this year. “We’re hoping to get lots of fans and lots of bears on the ice that day.”
While Prosvetov said he wouldn’t mind a repeat of the first time he faced Stockton this season — he stopped 29 shots in that 1-0 opening night shutout with Tucson scoring the game-winner two minutes into overtime — he knows Roadrunners’ off-ice staff and fans might get antsy if that were the case.
“We’re looking for a way easier ending than that,” he added.
So what does happen if Tucson doesn’t score? Or what if it happens late?
Roadrunners president Bob Hoffman playfully (but adamantly) refused to entertain the question. Instead, he found a piece of fabricated wood to knock against.
Presumably, the celebration would occur immediately after the final buzzer. Hoffman, of course, is predicting that won’t be the case Saturday.
The Roadrunners are requesting only new stuffed animals be used on Saturday night.
