The newest Tucson Roadrunner, forward Michael Lombardi, is making a habit out of these memorable Saturday nights.
Exactly a week after winning the NCAA Division I championship with Quinnipiac, Lombardi scored his first professional goal in his first game as a pro Saturday, just two days after he signed an amateur tryout contract.
After a whirlwind week, he said the national championship hasn’t sunk in yet.
“It’s been crazy, honestly; it feels like I’m in a dream, right?” Lombardi said. “The dream of winning a national championship for your school and then obviously getting on a plane a couple days later and coming out here and trying to start something new.
"It’s definitely been a whirlwind but it’s exciting at the same time.”
After the Hamden, Connecticut, school honored the Bobcats on Monday, Lombardi got to Tucson late Wednesday night and then practiced on Thursday, putting on skates for the first time since the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay. He warmed up before Friday’s game and was ready to go Saturday. His mom was also in Southern Arizona for the Roadrunners’ last home series before Tucson starts its Calder Cup playoff run Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Brand-new Roadrunners Michael Lombardi (goal) and Micah Miller (assist) connect for the third-period goal to tie Tucson's April 15, 2023 regular-season finale matchup with the San Jose Barracuda at two apiece at Tucson Arena. Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners
Lombardi’s goal came at 4:28 in the third, tying up the regular-season finale with the San Jose Barracuda 2-2. Right wing Micah Miller got the assist, his first point as a pro.
“Millsie made a great play to get it over to me I basically just had to tap it in,” Lombardi said. “So it’s nice to get one like that and yeah it’s pretty special.”
It’s Miller’s second game for Tucson, signing with the Roadrunners after playing for St. Cloud State University. The Bobcats bested St. Cloud State 5-4 in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2022.
“I didn’t know him personally but I played against him. I always respected him,” Lombardi said. “We played them in the NCAA Tournament last year and he was a big part of their team, now we’re pretty good buddies.”
Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin said he loved seeing Lombardi and Miller begin their AHL careers this way.
“The last two games they’ve been playing really well, they created some opportunities, I liked what I saw (Saturday) night,” Potvin said. “Obviously scored a pretty goal there but every shift they seemed to know what they were doing and every shift they seemed to generate some energy for us.”
Tucson Roadrunners rookie Michael Lombardi celebrates after scoring his first AHL goal one week to the day after he helped Quinnipiac win the NCAA Division I championship at the Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida.
Lombardi played junior hockey in 2017-18 for the Chilliwack Chiefs and West Kelowna Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League. Then it was off to college.
The Barrington, Rhode Island, native had 22 points, including 10 goals for Quinnipiac this year, and he said that his five years in college were so valuable as he got into the weight room and developed.
“It’s different for everybody,” Lombardi, 24, said about the major junior vs. college route to the AHL. “There’s some late bloomers and then there’s some guys that can play at 18 and I wasn’t one of those guys so I knew that college was gonna be my route."
Even if he doesn’t get a chance to apply some of that NCAA tournament experience in the first round of the playoffs — the Roadrunners' roster is now arguably deeper than it's been all year — Lombardi plans to still be a presence.
“I just want to help out in anyway I can, whether that’s just being positive in the locker room,” Lombardi said. “I don’t know how much I’m going to play going forward but just bring a positive attitude too. I think that helps a lot.”
In addition to the 2023 college players Tucson added this week, the Arizona Coyotes sent five players back to Tucson after their NHL season ended Thursday. Also, injured Roadrunners like forwards Jan Jenik and Ben McCartney returned, making the coaches’ job of choosing who to play more difficult.
“I’m not gonna lie to ya, that’s really tough because I know there’s a lot of guys that really made a significant impact on the reason why we’re here and how we were able to get to the playoffs,” Potvin said. “So yeah, it’s a difficult decision, but I know that they’re committed to each other. We’ve got our playoffs saying right now and it’s ‘for the boys.’”
