First Round, Game Two: Tucson Roadrunners (4) at Coachella Valley Firebirds (3)

SERIES TIED 1-1

SOG: TUC (26) – CV (38)

PP: TUC (1/2) – CV (2/7)

TUCSON SCORING: Colin Theisen (1), Mike Carcone (1 PP, 2), Milos Kelemen (1)

COACHELLA VALLEY SCORING: Jimmy Schuldt (1 PP), Tye Kartye (1 PP), Jeremy McKenna (1)

ROADRUNNERS FIGHT BACK, EVEN SERIES AT 1-1 WITH 4-3 WIN IN GAME TWO

Tucson, Arizona – The Tucson Roadrunners took down the Coachella Valley Firebirds Friday night by a final score of 4-3, evening the series at one win apiece to force a decisive Game Three on Sunday. Facing elimination, the Roadrunners jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the opening 15:07 of the contest and led for the rest of the way while not allowing a five-on-five goal by the Firebirds. Forwards Mike Carcone (2g 1a) and Jan Jenik (2a) each tallied multiple-point performances in the win, while goaltender Ivan Prosvetov stopped 35 of 38 shots faced for his first career Calder Cup Playoffs victory. The Roadrunners and Firebirds will face-off in a winner-take-all Game Three at the Acrisure Arena on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. MST, with the winner advancing to the Second Round.

YA GOTTA SEE IT

Roadrunners forward Colin Theisen opened the scoring in Friday’s Game Two, lighting the lamp with 6:54 gone by in the first period to give Tucson a 1-0 advantage. The 25-year-old closed out the regular season with 13 points (6g 7a) over his final 16 outings and finished his first professional postseason appearance with the opening goal and a plus-one. Theisen was one of nine Roadrunners to record a point on Friday and one of nine skaters with a plus-one or better.

DON’T OVERLOOK IT

IVAN SAYS NO – Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov built off of his strong finish to Wednesday’s Game One and guided Tucson to a one-goal victory in Game Two. The 24-year-old stopped 35 of 38 shots faced on Friday while not allowing a five-on-five goal. With the performance, Prosvetov has not conceded an even-strength tally in 108:25 since the opening 9:26 of Wednesday’s first period and has gone a combined 56-for-59 with a .949 save percentage during that span. His 35-save outing marked his most in a single game with Tucson since he stopped 36 shots in a 3-2 win over Henderson on February 19.

PHOTO OF THE GAME

Roadrunners forward and the AHL’s leading point-getter from the regular season Mike Carcone led Tucson in scoring on Friday with two goals and an assist. Carcone assisted on Colin Theisen’s opening tally with 6:54 gone by in the contest before lighting the lamp himself to make it 2-0 on the power-play with 9:39 still to play in the first period. The 26-year-old scored his second goal of the game 2:43 into the middle frame to regain Tucson’s three-goal lead after the Firebirds got on the board with a power-play score 1:01 before Carcone’s second-period tally. The third-year Roadrunner has posted 17 points (9g 8a) in 21 career AHL Playoff outings, and is the first Tucson skater to record a three-point performance in the postseason since Lawson Crouse had three assists on May 7, 2018 against the Texas Stars.

THEY SAID IT

“We did a good job playing our game [Friday]. We played desperate hockey, that’s the biggest thing. That’s what it comes down to in the playoffs. We’ll enjoy this one and be ready to get back at it on Sunday.”

Roadrunners Forward Mike Carcone on Tucson leading for the final 53:06 of regulation on Friday after taking a 1-0 advantage 6:54 into the first period.

THE RUNDOWN

The Roadrunners took their first lead of the series with 6:54 gone by in Friday’s first period when forward Colin Theisen lit the lamp in his first career postseason appearance to give Tucson a 1-0 advantage. Forward Mike Carcone extended the early lead to 2-0 on the Roadrunners first trip to the power-play with 9:39 still to play in the opening frame, giving the AHL’s leading scorer his fourth career multiple-point performance in the Playoffs after he assisted on Theisen’s tally to open the contest. The Roadrunners capped off a three-goal first period with a score by forward Milos Kelemen in the final 4:53 of the period, sending Tucson to the middle frame with a 3-0 lead. The high-scoring opening 20 minutes of play flipped the script from Wednesday’s Game One that saw Coachella Valley leading 3-0 after the first period, while the Roadrunners outshot the Firebirds for a fourth-straight period by a count of 17 to 10. The Firebirds got on the board with a power-play goal 1:42 into the second period, their third goal while on the man-advantage since the opening 1:00 of Game One. Tucson quickly answered back with the second goal scored by Mike Carcone 1:01 after Coachella Valley’s opening tally to retake a three-goal lead in the early goings of the middle frame. The remaining 17:17 of the second period was without a goal by either team, as Tucson entered the final 20 minutes of a must-win Game Two leading 4-1. The Roadrunners were sent to the penalty box a total of four times in the third period, allowing the Firebirds to get within two goals of Tucson just past the midway point of the frame with their second power-play goal of the contest. Still trailing by a pair, Coachella Valley pulled netminder Joey Daccord with 2:52 left in regulation and made it a one-goal game at 4-3 15 seconds later with a six-on-five score. The Firebirds reestablished themselves in the Roadrunners zone and pulled Daccord a second time with 2:10 still to play in search of the game-tying goal. Tucson held firm, limiting the Firebirds to just one shot on Ivan Prosvetov to secure a 4-3 win to even the First Round Series at one game apiece.

(Photo Credits: Coachella Valley Firebirds)