Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: Going To Work Against The Reign

Upcoming Games (All times MST)

Tuesday, March 21: Ontario at Tucson, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 22: Ontario at Tucson, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 25: Tucson at Colorado, 6:05 p.m.

Sunday, March 26: Tucson at Colorado, 2:05 p.m.

Who’s On The Schedule

The Tucson Roadrunners remain at home after a two-game weekend series against Calgary to host the Ontario Reign Tuesday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 22. The pair of games with the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings represent the final two matchups of the eight-game season series between Tucson and Ontario. The Roadrunners enter the week having earned standings points in four of their previous six meetings with the Reign, and in seven of their last ten contests overall. Ontario arrives in the desert winless over their last nine outings and seven points ahead of Tucson in the AHL Pacific Division standings. Following the midweek set, the Roadrunners will embark on their final road trip of the regular season beginning on Saturday, March 25 against the Colorado Eagles.

Last Call For March Action

The two-game series against the Ontario Reign represents Tucson’s final home games in the month of March, as well as the last $2 Twos-Day and Kids Free Wednesday of the season. The series opener with the Reign on Tuesday, March 21 features half priced tickets for select sections available at the Tucson Arena Box Office, as well as online at TucsonRoadrunners.com/TwosDay. In addition, $2 Draft Beers and $2 Popcorn will be available for all fans to purchase at the Arena, along with Pregame Happy Hour Specials at Barrio Brewing Co. that include prizes, giveaways, and $1 off pints. The series finale against Ontario will be the last chance of the season for all kids 12 and under to receive a free game ticket at the Tucson Arena Box Office with a paying adult on game day. For information on each of the Roadrunners six remaining home contests and to purchase tickets, visit TucsonRoadrunners.com/Fun.

A Weekend With Everything

The Roadrunners celebrated a pair of fun promotional nights over the weekend for their two-game series with the Calgary Wranglers. Friday’s series opener on St. Patrick’s Day saw the Roadrunners host a free Pregame St. Patrick’s Day Party on the Plaza outside Tucson Arena with food, drinks, and live music. Tucson also put on the Luck of the Roadrunners event on Dash with St. Patrick’s Day/Roadrunners themed and player-signed Mystery Pucks, Ties, and Hats available, as all proceeds from the event benefitted Roadrunners Community Efforts across Southern Arizona. Saturday, March 18 was filled with even more festivities as part of the Roadrunners annual First Responders Day. The Tucson Police and Fire Departments kicked off the First Responders Day Doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. MST with the Tucson Fire Department earning their second-straight win in the First Responders Game. Tucson Police took an early 1-0 lead, but the Fire Department battled back for a 4-3 victory after winning by a score of 8-2 in last year’s game on March 18, 2022. The Roadrunners then wore their own Specialty First Responders Jerseys for a 3-2 shootout victory in front of a crowd of 5,593 fans. The Specialty Jerseys were auctioned off live after the game, with the nearly $35,000 raised from the event benefitting First Tee of Tucson and Roadrunners Community Efforts.

Doan Makes His Debut

One of the highlights of the Roadrunners weekend at the Tucson Arena was the professional debut of forward Josh Doan on Friday, March 17. Doan is the son of former Arizona Coyotes Captain and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer Shane Doan, and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Coyotes on Thursday after being selected in the second round (#37 overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and playing the last two seasons at Arizona State University. The 21-year-old wore number 91, the reverse of his father’s retired number 19, as he took the ice during several key moments for the Roadrunners. Doan was featured on several of Tucson’s power-play opportunities and was even called upon in the second round of the shootout against the visiting Calgary Wranglers on Saturday, March 18. With his appearances over the weekend, Doan became the second Arizona-born skater to play for the Roadrunners and the second Arizona State University Captain to join Tucson immediately following the college hockey season, after Doan’s 2021-2022 Sun Devils teammate Colin Theisen signed with the Roadrunners last March.

Under The Bright Lights

Along with the 5,593 fans on hand for Tucson’s 3-2 shootout win over Calgary on Saturday, the game was televised live in Southern Arizona on The CW Tucson with Tucson.com’s Brett Fera joining “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny on the call for the exciting matchup. With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 3-0-2-0 in televised home games this season with victories in each of the last three. Saturday’s First Responders Night contest also featured the second largest crowd for a Roadrunners home game this season, as Tucson has earned standings points in each of their top five highest attended games on their home ice and in seven of the top eight on the year.

Success In Shootouts

The Tucson Roadrunners improved to a perfect 3-0 in shootouts this season by defeating the Calgary Wranglers Saturday night by a final score of 3-2. Captain Adam Cracknell led off his third-straight shootout for the Roadrunners by scoring his third consecutive shootout goal, while Nathan Smith was successful in the first shootout attempt of his professional career. Tucson backstop Tyler Parks stopped two of Calgary’s three attempts for his first shootout win of the season, improving his record on home ice to 4-1 overall. Tucson handed the Wranglers their first shootout loss of the season, leaving the Roadrunners (3-0) and the San Diego Gulls (1-0) as the only two AHL teams that are undefeated when going to a shootout this season.

Did You Know?

The Roadrunners lineup on Saturday night featured a forward line of three American-born college hockey products. 2021-2022 Arizona State University teammates and back-to-back Captains for the Sun Devils Colin Theisen and Josh Doan were joined by Minnesota State University-Mankato product Nathan Smith for Tucson’s 3-2 win over the Calgary Wranglers. Theisen netted the Roadrunners their second shorthanded score of the season to give them the lead at 2-1 with 6:23 remaining in the second period, while Doan and Smith were each called upon in the shootout. Smith’s score in his first professional shootout attempt proved to be the decisive goal for the Roadrunners, as they took down the Wranglers in the shootout by a count of two goals to one.

Prosvetov Picks Up More Wins

Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov was in net for each of the final two matchups of the Arizona Coyotes four-game home stand at Mullett Arena, with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on March 16 and a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 18. Prosvetov has earned three wins during Arizona’s active eight-game point streak with all three victories coming at home in Tempe. The 24-year-old has a .952 save percentage with just five goals allowed through three NHL outings this season, while allowing two goals or less in regulation for eight consecutive starts between the Coyotes and Roadrunners. On the offensive side, rookie forward Matias Maccelli has recorded nine points (3g 6a) during the eight-game point streak with a pair of multiple-point performances. The 22-year-old and Tucson’s leading scorer from last season ranks first in assists by NHL rookies (32) and third for total points (39) as a plus-six.

Roadrunners Roster Moves

Sunday, March 19: Defenseman Michael Kesselring was assigned to Tucson from the Arizona Coyotes after tallying a hit and a blocked shot in their 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night.

Saturday, March 18: Defenseman Michael Kesselring was recalled by Arizona from the Tucson Roadrunners.

Friday, March 17: Forward Boko Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring were assigned to the Roadrunners by the Arizona Coyotes after taking part in the Coyotes 3-2 victory over Vancouver the night before.

Thursday, March 16: Forward Josh Doan was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Arizona Coyotes and reported to the Tucson Roadrunners.

Thursday, March 16: Forward Boko Imama was recalled from Tucson by the Coyotes prior to their matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.

Thursday, March 16: Defenseman Noah Laaouan was recalled by Tucson from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators.

Wednesday, March 15: Forward Boko Imama was assigned to Tucson by the Coyotes after recording four hits with Arizona on Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 14: Forward Boko Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring were recalled by the Arizona Coyotes and took the ice for their 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames.

On The Air

Tucson Roadrunners Happy Hour airs every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app, with a podcast version also available after each episode on the iHeartRadio app. This week, co-hosts Adrian Denny, Brett Fera and Kim Cota-Robles will be live from the Tucson Arena for a special extended Pregame Edition of Happy Hour before the Roadrunners take on the Ontario Reign at 6:30 p.m. MST. In addition, a new episode of the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast released on Sunday, as “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny and TucsonRoadrunners.com’s Jimmy Peebles looked back at Tucson’s 3-2 shootout win over Calgary and heard from current Roadrunners, plus some former Roadrunners that are currently starring with the Arizona Coyotes. The podcast can be found on the iHeartRadio App or at TucsonRoadrunners.com/Podcast.