Sure, the Tucson Roadrunners had the fortune of opening their 2019-20 season Friday night with an every-day NHL goaltender in net.
But as good as goaltender Antti Raanta was during Tucson’s 2-0 road victory over the Texas Stars, a 19-save shutout can, to some extent, mean other things, too. In this case, perhaps that the Roadrunners’ defensive unit did its job keeping the puck on the favorable side of the ice for the eventual winners.
“He’s just a calming presence,” Tucson head coach Jay Varady said postgame of Raanta, on a short-term conditioning loan to the Roadrunners from the Arizona Coyotes. “We had a lot of guys paying the price with blocked shots … just keeping pucks out.”
The Roadrunners jumped on top barely three minutes into the opening period on a power play goal from Brayden Burke, with Nick Merkley and Aaron Ness carding the assists. Tucson then capped the scoring midway through period two, thanks to newcomer Jon Martin, off the assist from Jeremy Gregoire.
“I don’t know if anybody is going to know where our points are coming from,” Varady said. “That’s just how our lineup is. Tonight’s a really good example of that.”
Referencing season openers, in particular, newly-anointed Tucson captain Michael Chaput added: “It’s always kind of like a scramble out there … but I think we came out pretty strong.”
Tucson continues its mini-Lone Star swing with a matinee matchup Sunday at the San Antonio Rampage. The 1 p.m. faceoff coincides with the Roadrunners’ Fan Fest event, scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tucson Arena. The free event includes a public ice skating session, cornhole and other family-friendly activities, with the game action from San Antonio live on the arena’s video board.
