Game #46: Tucson Roadrunners (4) @ Henderson Silver Knights (5) SO
Game #46: Tucson Roadrunners (4) at Henderson Silver Knights (5) SO
SOG: TUC (29) – HSK (34)
PP: TUC (0/0) – HSK (1/4)
HENDERSON SCORING: Tanner Laczynski (9), Raphael Lavoie (10), Cal Burke (9), Gage Quinney (6)
TUCSON SCORING: Ryan McGregor (2), Travis Barron (5), Aku Räty (4), Josh Doan (9)
Roadrunners Surrender Late Lead, Fall to Silver Knights in Shootout 5-4
Henderson, NV – The Tucson Roadrunners (21-21-2-2) dropped their second straight game, falling 5-4 in a shootout to the Henderson Silver Knights (19-27-2-0) on Saturday night at Lee’s Family Forum. Despite holding leads of 2-0 in the second period and 4-2 in the third, Tucson couldn’t close out the win, as Henderson’s Gage Quinney netted the game-tying goal with 54 seconds left in regulation. The Silver Knights then outscored the Roadrunners 3-1 in the shootout to secure their fifth consecutive victory and ninth win in their last 11 games.
Though Tucson fell short, they earned a point in the standings and saw strong performances throughout the lineup. Forward Ryan McGregor was one of three Roadrunners to record a two-point night. He opened the scoring less than two minutes in with a pinpoint wrist shot from the high slot. Kailer Yamamoto and Josh Doan assisted on the goal.
Assistant captain Travis Barron extended the lead early in the second after beating Silver Knights netminder Carl Lindbom with a wrist shot from the right circle to make it 2-0. However, Henderson responded late in the period, as Tanner Laczynski and Raphael Lavoie scored less than five minutes apart to erase Tucson’s two-goal cushion.
The Roadrunners reclaimed the lead early in the third when Aku Räty capitalized on a rebound in the slot at 4:33, with McGregor picking up an assist to complete his two-point effort. Just 1:38 later, Doan tapped in a one-timer off a perfect feed from Yamamoto to give Tucson a 4-2 advantage, capping two-point nights for both players.
Henderson, however, refused to go away. Cal Burke cut the deficit to 4-3 on a breakaway with 10:33 left in regulation, setting the stage for Quinney’s last-minute equalizer and the eventual shootout loss for Tucson.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Josh Doan was a constant offensive threat, generating multiple grade-A chances, including a penalty shot that narrowly missed extending Tucson’s lead to three in the second period. While he didn’t convert on that opportunity, he played a key role in half of the Roadrunners’ goals, tallying both an assist and a highlight-reel goal that gave Tucson their second two-goal cushion of the night.
Doan’s goal was one of the prettiest of the night, as he and Kailer Yamamoto played a game of hot potato with the puck before Doan buried the third pass of the sequence. It was his first goal in just his second game back with Tucson after joining the team from the Utah Hockey Club during the Four Nations break. The performance also marked his seventh multi-point game of the season, tying Egor Sokolov for the second-most on the team.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Yamamoto recorded his second assist of the night on Doan’s goal, marking his second consecutive multi-point game and bringing his total to five points in his last five outings (1G, 4A). It was also his team-leading 11th multi-point performance of the season.
Yamamoto wasn’t the only Roadrunner to extend a point streak. Defenseman Robbie Russo assisted on Barron’s goal, pushing his streak to three games—just one shy of his personal-best four-game streak set in November. Russo has been a key contributor throughout the road trip, tallying five points (3G, 2A) in five games, tying Sammy Walker for the team lead.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s one of those things where sometimes you don’t get the bounces and that just kind of seems to be the way it’s going right now, but, they did a good job. I’ve got to credit them, but hopefully get the win tomorrow.”
Roadrunners forward Josh Doan on bouncing back from Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
The Roadrunners struck early, taking a 1-0 lead just 1:48 into the game. Josh Doan chased down a loose puck in the corner and fired a leading pass to McGregor as he entered the Henderson zone. McGregor took two strides before firing a shot through the legs of Silver Knights goaltender Carl Lindbom.
Henderson pushed back over eight minutes in and generated its first dangerous scoring chance off the rush. Jonas Røndbjerg sped into the Tucson zone on the right wing with support, but with passing lanes clogged, he opted to snap a hard shot that Jaxson Stauber snagged with his glove.
The Roadrunners responded minutes later when Kailer Yamamoto nearly doubled the lead. Captain Austin Poganski fed a pass from behind the net to Yamamoto in the slot, but his one-timer sailed just high.
With under five minutes left, Stauber came up big again, flashing the glove to deny Jakub Brabenec from close range and preserve the one-goal lead.
Tucson was tested late after Cameron Hebig was called for tripping at 15:50, sending Henderson to its first power play. The Roadrunners’ penalty kill held firm, allowing just two shots, both turned aside by Stauber. The Tucson netminder finished the period with 14 saves, keeping his team ahead 1-0 at the break.
SECOND PERIOD
The Roadrunners doubled their lead four minutes into the period when Barron took a breakout pass from Curtis Douglas off the rush and ripped a wrist shot past Lindbom’s glove.
Just a minute later, Stauber made another highlight-reel stop, stretching out for a split-save to rob Burke on a one-on-one opportunity and keep Tucson ahead.
Midway through the period, Doan blocked a shot from the high slot, and Sammy Walker quickly corralled the loose puck, threading a lead pass to Doan near center ice for a breakaway. As he closed in, Doan was hauled down by defenseman Lucas Johansen, earning a penalty shot. On the attempt, Doan deked from forehand to backhand and had Lindbom beat, but his shot rang off the inside of the left post—just inches from making it 3-0.
Henderson gained momentum in the second half of the frame, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 7:30 remaining. Laczynski buried a one-timer from the left circle off a crisp feed from Johansen. Stauber responded immediately and turned aside a point-blank chance from Gage Quinney near the hash marks to keep Tucson in front.
In the final five minutes, Stauber continued to stand tall, and denied Burke on another breakaway and stopping the ensuing rebound. However, Henderson finally broke through on the power play with 2:54 left, as Lavoie blasted a one-timer from the left circle to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the third.
THIRD PERIOD
Tucson came out strong to start the final frame, generating a flurry of early chances. Doan fired a one-timer from the slot, followed by a point-blank opportunity from Walker above the crease and a quick wrist shot from Hebig off the rush.
The Roadrunners’ pressure paid off as they reclaimed the lead 3-2 at 4:33. McGregor initiated the play with a backhand pass from the high slot to Julian Lutz near the right circle. Lindbom made the initial save, but Räty crashed the net and buried the rebound through Lindbom’s five-hole.
Just 1:38 later, Doan extended the lead to 4-2 with a give-and-go finish. On a two-on-one, he dished the puck left to Yamamoto, who quickly snapped it back across the crease. Lindbom was forced out of position, and Doan capitalized by hammering the puck into the open right side of the net.
Henderson, as they had all night, battled back. Burke cut the deficit to 4-3 at 9:23, scoring on a breakaway. The Silver Knights continued to press, and with just 54 seconds remaining, Quinney cleaned up a rebound in the high slot, netting the equalizer to force overtime at 4-4.
OVERTIME
Tucson’s resilience was on full display in the extra frame, as the Roadrunners shook off the late equalizer and controlled the minutes of three-on-three action. They outshot Henderson 3-1 in overtime and nearly secured the win in the final seconds. Poganski redirected a point shot from defenseman Artem Duda past Lindbom, but the puck clanged off the right post and stayed out, sending the game to a shootout.
SHOOTOUT
Henderson shot first, with Matyas Sapovaliv scoring to put the pressure on Tucson. Räty responded for the Roadrunners, deking from backhand to forehand and slipping the puck past Lindbom’s outstretched pad to even the shootout at 1-1. However, Brabenec and Quinney both converted for the Silver Knights, sealing the win in game one of the series.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will face the Silver Knights in the series finale at Lee’s Family Forum on Sunday at 6 p.m. MST. Fans can catch all the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
