Tucson Roadrunners radio voice Adrian Denny made a proclamation during his pregame coverage Wednesday night, ahead of the Roadrunners’ mid-week home matchup against San Diego.
If Denny were a betting man, he said, he be inclined to put money down on the Roadrunners not spending a single minute in the penalty box against the surging San Diego Gulls after what transpired this past weekend on that front.
Denny would have lost that bet — but not by much.
In a 4-1 win over the Gulls (26-18-5-2) at Tucson Arena Wednesday, the Roadrunners (32-17-1-2) set a season low in penalty minutes — 2 minutes and 5 seconds — and exerted exert control over one of the American Hockey League’s hottest teams.
“That was a big thing for us, especially coming off last game — just kind of staying out of the box, not putting ourselves in trouble and have to go out there and kill penalties,” said Tucson captain Michael Chaput, who capped the scoring with his 16th goal of the season late in the third period. “(Too many penalties) just take energy out of our game and put us in trouble.”
Wednesday’s discipline was in sharp contrast to how the Roadrunners lost their last game Saturday, a 4-1 defeat at home to the Stockton Heat with the AHL Pacific Division lead on the line. Tucson was whistled for 10 two-minute minor penalties, halting momentum and creating disjointed effort.
“We just played a lot of five-on-five. Two power plays, one (penalty) and a few seconds there at the end,” Tucson coach Jay Varady said of Wednesday’s cleaner, more fluid game. “(That) gets our whole team involved. It allows us to get four lines on the ice for 60 (minutes).”
Wednesday’s outing included the debut of newcomer Markus Hännikäinen, the Finnish who joined the Roadrunners after time in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ organization.
“I feel like we really were on top of them and we really controlled the game from the start,” Hännikäinen said after posting his first Tucson point — an assist — on Chaput’s goal.
Tucson also welcomed goaltender Adin Hill into the fold once again. Hill was also reassigned Monday from the Arizona Coyotes once it became clear NHL All-Star Darcy Kuemper would be ready to go for the Coyotes this week in net.
Wednesday marked Hill's third appearance with the Roadrunners since mid-December. Hill improved to 11-4-0-0 on the season by stopping 29 of 30 San Diego shots.
“Our forecheck, I thought, was relentless and I feel like we gave them a really hard time defending in their own end,” Hill said. “We played an all-around great game, I thought.”
Added Varady: “Hiller just gives us a sense of calm in the net. He’s played a lot of games this year in the NHL, and his ability to come down here and make a couple of big saves — especially that one early there to keep us in it in the first.”
Tucson defenseman Cam Dineen opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season — a virtual tap-in in front of San Diego netminder Anthony Stolarz a minute into the second period to break a scoreless tie. Sam Carrick tied the game for the Gulls eight minutes later, before Tucson’s Beau Bennett added his third goal in three games and 11th on the season a few minutes after that.
Hudson Fashing’s 19th goal of the year extended Tucson's lead. Chaput’s goalrounded out the scoring in the third period.
Tucson’s Brayden Burke posted a pair of assists, giving him a team-best 52 points this season. Andy Miele also recorded an assist for Tucson, giving him points in seven straight games and moving him into the league’s top 15 in that category, too.
Tucson kept pace in the ever-tight Pacific Division race, but, as Hill said postgame, Wednesday's win could be looked at as a “four-point” result. San Diego is one of the teams chasing the Roadrunners, Heat and the Colorado Eagles for Pacific Division supremacy.
The Roadrunners will now head back to Southern California for a Friday tilt against the Ontario Reign, beginning a four-game road trip that takes Tucson to Ontario, Bakersfield and Chicago before they return home March 10 to face the same San Diego squad.
