The Tucson Roadrunners had to settle for a second straight weekend split after a rough second period on Sunday.
Tucson (17-24-2-1) lost 5-1 to the Ontario Reign at home after a 6-5 win over the Reign on Saturday night. The Roadrunners also split a weekend series with Henderson the week before as they try to chase down the last postseason spot in the Pacific Division.
“We’re in a hunt with San Diego, San Jose, it’s a battle there at the bottom of the standings,” Tucson coach Jay Varady said. “We gotta find a way to get points.”
Tucson forward Matias Maccelli opened up the scoring with a power play goal 11:28 into the first period, assisted by defenseman Cam Dineen.
“We had a good start a think,” Maccelli said. “Then a couple bounces for them and they got goals and we just couldn’t capitalize on the power plays we got.”
Maccelli led the league in scoring in February with 19 points.
Forward Martin Frk scored Ontario’s first goal. At the 2020 AHL All-Star Skills Competition Frk slapped a record 109.2 miles-per-hour shot to surpass Zdeno Chara’s NHL record of 108.8 from 2012.
“He’s dangerous,” Varady said. “He kinda opens up on that one timer all over the ice and he can score, we’ve seen him score from all over the ice and he did it again tonight.”
The Reign scored three more goals in the second and another in the third to get the win.
Ontario forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored a pair in the second.
The Roadrunners start a five-game road trip on Wednesday with a game in Ontario against the Reign. Ontario is second in the Pacific Division, with Tucson eighth.
Tucson outshot the Reign 28-24. Ontario was 0 for 4 on the power play, while the Roadrunners were 1 for 6.
It was Fight Cancer Weekend for the Roadrunners. Among other events, they wore special hot pink jerseys that they auctioned off after Sunday’s game to benefit Banner Health University of Arizona Cancer Center.
“Whenever we play for a cause it’s awesome, I love it, I think I can speak for the whole locker room that everybody loves it,” said Tucson center Jan Jenik. “Just trying to get as much as possible because I have a friend who that passed because of cancer as well, so it’s always nice to help out in this.”
