Series Preview – Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights

Game 1: Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. AZT, Lee’s Family Forum
Game 2: Sunday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. AZT, Lee’s Family Forum

Officials
Saturday – Referees: #7 Alex Gagne, #81 Nicholas Isaacson | Linespeople: #63 Scott Allan, #92 Chris Martenet

Sunday – Referees: #7 Alex Gagne, #81 Nicholas Isaacson | Linespeople: #63 Scott Allan, #92 Chris Martenet

Broadcast Info
Saturday: LISTEN LIVE HERE or on Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 
Sunday: LISTEN LIVE HERE or Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 

Tucson, AZ – With the first half of the season and a six-game homestand in the books, the Tucson Roadrunners (17-13-7-0) open a three-game road trip with a two-game series against the Henderson Silver Knights (16-14-3-2) on Saturday and Sunday at Lee’s Family Forum. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. AZT on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Tucson closed its recent homestand with a 3-1-2-0 record and will face Henderson for the first time this season. The series marks the first two of eight meetings between the clubs in 2025–26. The Roadrunners went 4-2-1-1 against the Silver Knights last season, including a 2-1-0-1 mark at Lee’s Family Forum. After the weekend set, the teams will meet again when Henderson visits Tucson Arena on March 10–11.

Both teams enter the series looking to snap winless streaks. Tucson has dropped three straight games (0-1-2-0), while Henderson is winless in its last four (0-3-0-1). Despite the recent slide, the Roadrunners have earned points in 10 of their last 11 games and currently hold the Pacific Division’s final playoff spot in seventh place with 41 points. The Silver Knights sit ninth, four points back of Tucson.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

BLUE LINE DRIVING THE BUS
Tucson’s defense continues to fuel the offense, led by rookie Dmitri Simashev, Scott Perunovich and Max Szuber. Simashev leads all AHL rookie defensemen in points per game (0.94) and enters the weekend with a hot hand, recording a team-high six points (1g, 5a) over his last five games and 17 points (5g, 11a) in his last 16 contests dating back to Dec. 6 at San Jose, tied for first among AHL blueliners in that span.

Perunovich remains one of the league’s most productive defensemen, pacing the Roadrunners in assists (24) while ranking tied for third among all AHL defensemen in assists and fourth in points. Szuber has been equally impactful, setting a career high with nine goals — tied for second among AHL defensemen — and Tucson is 6-0-1-0 in games when he scores.

CAPTAINS SETTING THE TONE
Tucson’s leadership group continues to lead by example. Captain Austin Poganski and assistant captains Ben McCartney and Andrew Agozzino each found the back of the net Wednesday against San Diego, and all three have two goals and three or more points over the last four games.

Poganski leads the trio with four points (2g, 2a) in that span and is tied for second on the team with six multi-point performances this season. Agozzino has scored in back-to-back games and remains a steady presence on special teams, ranking second on the team in power-play goals (three).

McCartney tallied his 15th goal of the season in the series finale against San Diego — a shorthanded marker that tied the franchise record for short-handed goals (five). He leads Tucson in points (35), points per game (0.95) and short-handed goals (two), while also pacing Roadrunners forwards in 2026 with seven points (3g, 4a) over his last eight games dating back to Jan. 2 at Calgary.

STRONG TANDEM BETWEEN THE PIPES
Tucson continues to benefit from strong play in goal from Matthew Villalta and Jaxson Stauber. Villalta has won six of his last eight starts and is tied for seventh in the AHL with 12 victories, moving within five wins of becoming the franchise’s all-time leader. Stauber has been equally sharp, stopping 70 shots over his last two starts and accounting for two of Tucson’s three shutouts this season — all of which have come on the road. Together, the duo provides the Roadrunners with one of the league’s steadiest tandems.

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

6 – The Roadrunners have scored in the second period in six consecutive games dating back to Jan. 9 against Iowa, outscoring opponents 8–5 during that stretch and tying the team’s longest middle-frame scoring streak of the season (six games from Dec. 3–19, 10 goals).

WE’RE DOING IT LIVE
Both games this weekend will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockey and broadcast on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app. Saturday’s coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by David Mooradian, and 5:45 p.m. AZT on Sunday.