Tucson christened a new arena on Sunday night.
Tucson fell to the Coachella Firebirds 4-3 in the first hockey game ever played at Acrisure Arena. The 10,000-seat venue sits in unincorporated Thousand Palms outside Palm Desert, California, and is home to the Firebirds, the top minor-league affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
“It’s always interesting to see it for the first time,” Tucson coach Steve Potvin said last week. “Obviously, it breaks up the monotony of the season playing in different buildings and different teams.”
Comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock opened the arena on Wednesday. One night later, the Doobie Brothers played the new venue. Maroon 5 will play on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s cool, always cool to play in new places,” said Tucson forward Ryan McGregor.
The arena opener, played midway through a season that began in October, was special. A mariachi band played the national anthem and fans received rally towels and glowsticks. One fan had a sign that said “Hey Firebirds! It’s my 1st game can I please have a puck?”
Incredibly, the Roadrunners have played in three new arenas this season. The San Jose Barracuda are playing for the first time in Tech CU Arena, and the relocated Calgary Wranglers are playing in the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, opened in March; it’s home to the Silver Knights.
Potvin said the growth of the AHL in the West — the Firebirds are the Pacific Division’s 10th team — helps Tucson, making their travel a lot easier. The Roadrunners (12-9-4-0) wrap up the two-game series against Coachella Valley (15-5-3-0) on Tuesday night, then return home Thursday to take on the San Diego Gulls.
“It’s encouraging to see that the West is continuing to grow,” Potvin said.
Roadrunners records
After setting one record on Tuesday, the Roadrunners were back at it on Saturday.
The Roadrunners scored a team record six goals in the first period on the way to a 9-4 win over the Gulls in San Diego. Forwards Laurent Dauphin and Mike Carcone scored 10 seconds apart to notch the Roadrunners’ fastest consecutive goals.
Defenseman Ronald Knot’s plus-five rating was the highest single game mark for a Roadrunner skater. On Tuesday, Tucson scored a record five power play goals in a 7-2 win over Coachella Valley at Tucson Arena.
More Mayo
Defenseman Dysin Mayo returned to the Roadrunners’ lineup on Saturday in San Diego, picking up an assist.
Mayo has played for the Roadrunners in all seven seasons of their existence. He appeared in 13 games for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes this season before being sent back down.
Mayo is closing in the record for most games as a Roadrunner, held by forward Michael Bunting (260). Mayo has played in 255 games for the Roadrunners.
There and back again
Forward Jan Jenik played for the Roadrunners at home on Wednesday, then played in Tempe for the Coyotes on Saturday. He returned to the Roadrunners on Sunday, and scored two goals.
Road warriors
Coachella Valley opened its season with two road games. The Firebirds then played four “home” games: three in Seattle (home of their parent club) and one in Everett, Washington. Before Sunday, they had played 16 consecutive true road games.
The Firebirds 14-5-3-0 over those 22 games, good enough for third place in the AHL Pacific Division.
