The Tucson Roadrunners are no doubt reeling of late, to have lost seven straight games.
But thanks to some old-school lineup shuffling by head coach Jay Varady, one thing is for certain: the Roadrunners don’t plan to go down quietly.
A prime example came in Tucson’s 4-0 home loss Wednesday to the San Jose Barracuda.
The defeat dropped the Roadrunners to last place in the American Hockey League’s nine-team Pacific Division with 18 games left, and also gives Tucson the worst record in the league.
But the Roadrunners controlled the physicality of the outing, with forwards Tyson Empey, Cedric Lacroix, Travis Barron, Jan Jenik and Stephen Bayless all dropping the gloves against their Barracuda counterparts, giving the mid-week Tucson Arena crowd of 3,297 something to root for, even in defeat.
The rematch comes Friday at 7 p.m., before the same two teams close a three-game series Saturday night.
Empey and Lacroix have been especially busy of late when it comes to on-ice fisticuffs. So has Boko Imama, who despite not being on Wednesday’s fight card, leads all Roadrunners with eight such showdowns this season. Empey also has eight, and Lacroix has five on the year (four of those with the Roadrunners since being acquired in early January).
The trio, at least in recent weeks, have been playing alongside each other. It’s a “good old-fashioned grind line,” according to Varady, who at this point will presumably take a spark wherever he can find it.
“They’re big, physical, they compete,” Varady said.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Imama is the clear leader of the group and one of the most feared players in the AHL.
“We all just play a similar style. To be able to all be on the same line and to give that edge to our team is definitely something that we like to do and that comes natural,” the 25-year-old Imama said.
Empey, at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, agrees that the success of this line, in whatever manner it’s being assessed, is all about finding the right fit within Varady’s system.
“Everyone has their role on the team,” said Empey, 26. “Ours is to play gritty and create energy … and doing it together is a lot of fun.”
Lacroix sees the purpose of the line to go beyond merely fighting – although that in and of itself can create energy whether the Roadrunners are holding on to a lead or fighting to get back into a game.
“A big thing that goes hand-in-hand with our identity is creating space for our teammates,” said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lacroix. “(Opponents) know that if they’re going to want to do something that’s borderline, they might have to pay the price.
“And that being said, it’s not only us three,” he added. “I think the good thing about this team is that we have a lot more guys that are willing to grind down.”
Jenik, Mike Carcone and Ben McCartney have also dropped their gloves more than once this year.
While recognizing that hockey has changed over the years, and the presence of fighting within the pace of the 21st-century game might seem out of place to some, Lacroix, Empey and Imama defend the practice’s place in their sport.
“It’s a necessity for the game. You’ve got to let the game police itself a little bit,” said Lacroix, 27. “A lot of guys have played college hockey. In college hockey you’re not allowed to answer the bell, and some (opponents) take liberties. Whereas in professional hockey, knowing that if you want to do something that’s questionable, then you might have to pay the price.”
Imama said that while he doesn’t go through any formal boxing or fighting training; he considers it a skill. He appreciates having teammates like Empey, Lacroix and others he can watch and learn from.
“We have each other,” Imama said. “If there’s something I want to see, Emps has a different fighting style from Lax, and I have a different style too.”
Imama also contends that while his presence in such circumstances might be a big piece of the career he’s made, he’s more than a one-dimensional player.
“I believe that’s the reason why I’m here. But to be able to have many years in the second-best league in hockey, you have to bring other things to the table. You need to be a responsible player,” said Imama, who has also added four goals and nine points to offset his league-high 141 penalty minutes this season. “Bringing pucks to the net. Forechecking. Putting pressure. Whatever it is we have to do.”
Added Empey, who also has nine points this year: “When we all grew up, we weren’t fighting from the start. We were playing games in (youth AAA) and whatever else growing up and putting in the work. And obviously when you get to the higher levels, your roles change a little bit. And we’ve kind of adapted to this role and tried to make the most of it.”
In terms of the rest of this season, and ending another long losing skid, all three reiterate a belief that their style of play is something that actually will help the Roadrunners flip the script on their struggles of late.
Even in a result like Wednesday’s 4-0 defeat, Varady’s “grind line” can set a tone going into the next one.
“It’s always going to be on our terms. Nobody is going to come into this building and dictate what we’re going to do. It’s going to be on our terms,” Imama said.
Lacroix takes it further, adding his belief that controlling the physical game – be it through finishing checks or, yes, the occasional center-ice showdown – will directly lead to more scoring, too.
“The name of the game is the win the game, and to win the game you need to score goals,” Lacroix said. “So there’s different ways to create offense. Some lines create more offensive rushes, some lines like to grind more down low.
“I think for us, our way to create offense is in that physicality and creating turnovers and keeping it very simple,” he added. “Sometimes less is more.”
