Game #56: Tucson Roadrunners (2) vs Ontario Reign (4)
Game #56: Tucson Roadrunners (2) vs Ontario Reign (4)
SOG: TUC (25) – ONT (33)
PP: TUC (0/4) – ONT (1/5)
ONTARIO SCORING: Glenn Gawdin (16), Jeff Malott (19, 20), Luke Rowe (3)
TUCSON SCORING: Curtis Douglas (4), Sam Lipkin (10)
Roadrunners’ Early Lead Slips Away in 4-2 Loss to Reign
Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (27-24-3-2) held first-period leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Ontario Reign (32-19-3-1) responded with three unanswered goals to hand Tucson a 4-2 loss Tuesday night at Tucson Arena. The defeat marks the first time the Roadrunners have dropped back-to-back games in regulation since Jan. 31—ironically, also against Ontario.
Forward Curtis Douglas opened the scoring early in the first period with his fourth goal of the season, but Ontario’s Glenn Gawdin netted the equalizer with 6:30 remaining. Rookie Sam Lipkin responded for Tucson, burying his 10th goal of the season on a breakaway with 1:44 left in the period to reclaim the lead.
The Reign seized control in the second period, as Jeff Malott and Luke Rowe struck just 1:11 apart to give Ontario its first lead of the night. Malott later added his second goal of the game on a power play late in the third to clinch the game for the Reign.
Despite the setback, Tucson remains in the Pacific Division’s final playoff spot, sitting in seventh place with 59 points—two ahead of eighth-place Bakersfield and four behind sixth-place Abbotsford.
YA GOTTA SEE IT
Lipkin found the back of the net late in the first period, giving Tucson a 2-1 lead heading into intermission. The 22-year-old has been red-hot since returning from injury on March 5, racking up three points (1G, 2A) in four games—all against Ontario. Lipkin leads all Roadrunners rookies in goals (10) and sits second in points (15), trailing only defenseman Artem Duda (22). Tuesday’s goal marked his first since Jan. 14 against Calgary.
DON’T OVERLOOK IT
Roadrunners forward Ryan McGregor has been in and out of the lineup this season but continues to make the most of his opportunities. Since Feb. 15, he has played in five of Tucson’s last 10 games, tallying four points in that span—his best five-game stretch of the season offensively. On Tuesday, he notched an assist on Douglas’ first-period goal, which tied the game at 1-1. McGregor now has two goals and six assists for eight points in 25 games this season. In addition to his playmaking, McGregor’s leadership, two-way game, and ability to consistently win faceoffs make him a valuable asset to Tucson’s forward group.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s a good feeling. I put a lot of work in during the offseason coming into this year and I’ve just stuck with the process and I’m fortunate enough to get to that mark. It was a goal go mine, so pretty happy.”
Roadrunners rookie Sam Lipkin on hitting the double-digit goal mark
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
The Reign stormed out of the gates and peppered Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta with an early barrage of shots. Villalta stood tall, turning aside every chance, including a point-blank rebound attempt from Gawdin.
After weathering the storm, Tucson capitalized on its first quality scoring opportunity. Douglas snapped a wrist shot past Copley to put the Roadrunners on the board at 6:25. The play started with Ryan McGregor driving hard to the net off the forecheck. Copley made the initial stop, but Douglas pounced on the rebound in the lower left circle and lifted it top shelf to give Tucson a 1-0 lead.
Ontario responded at 13:28 when Gawdin buried a one-timer from the slot to tie the game at 1-1. Malott won a puck battle in the corner and fed Gawdin, who rifled a shot past Villalta for the equalizer.
Gawdin continued to make his presence felt and dropped the gloves with Roadrunners alternate captain Ben McCartney in a spirited bout in the Tucson zone with 2:38 remaining. The fight gave the Roadrunners a jolt of momentum, and just 54 seconds later, Lipkin restored Tucson’s lead. Lipkin deked around defenseman Joseph Cecconi just inside the Ontario blue line, creating a breakaway before ripping a quick wrister past Copley to make it 2-1 with 1:44 left in the period.
Villalta came up big once more in the closing moments, kicking out a blast from Caleb Jones in the right circle with 30 seconds remaining to preserve Tucson’s 2-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.
SECOND PERIOD
Tucson opened the middle frame on the penalty kill, but Villalta picked up right where he left off and denied Samuel Fagemo’s one-timer from the left circle just 33 seconds into the period to help the Roadrunners shut down Ontario’s power play.
The Roadrunners found themselves shorthanded again five minutes in after Max Szuber was called for cross-checking. Villalta remained locked in, and turned away a pair of one-timers from Fagemo near the left faceoff dot. Just as the penalty expired, Villalta came up with another clutch save, robbing Andre Lee on a point-blank chance from just outside the crease.
Despite failing to convert on their early power-play chances, the Reign kept up the pressure and broke through with two goals in a span of 1:11 to take the lead. Ontario capitalized on a Roadrunners defensive miscue at 9:07 when Malott netted the equalizer on a breakaway. Fagemo intercepted a pass along the wall and fed Malott in the slot, where he snapped a wrister past Villalta to tie the game at 2-2. Just over a minute later, Rowe blasted a slap shot from the point through traffic to give Ontario a 3-2 lead at 10:18.
After spending much of the period on their heels, the Roadrunners pushed back in the latter stages of the frame. Tucson generated quality scoring chances, including a pair of one-timers from Egor Sokolov in the left circle and McCartney in the slot, but Copley stood tall to keep Ontario’s one-goal advantage intact heading into the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
The Roadrunners earned two early power plays in the third period. Ontario limited Tucson’s shots to the perimeter and killed the Roadrunners’ first chance on the man advantage. However, a pair of slashing penalties against Ontario’s Joe Hicketts and Quinn Olson in short succession gave Tucson two more chances with an extra attacker. The Reign’s penalty kill stymied all three Tucson power plays to preserve their one-goal lead.
The Reign had their own chance on the power play with 4:46 to go. Despite being shorthanded, the Roadrunners needed a goal and Cameron Hebig created a breakaway opportunity midway through the penalty kill. Hebig entered the Ontario zone with speed and deked Copley, but the Reign netminder made a pad save to preserve the lead.
Moments later, Ontario capitalized on the power play and Malott buried a rebound into the empty right side of the net just above the crease to notch his second goal of the game and extend the Reign’s lead to 4-2 with 2:54 remaining.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners wrap up their two-game series against the Ontario Reign on Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. MST. Fans can catch the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey and purchase tickets using the link here.
