Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners vs Chicago Wolves

Game #7: Tucson Roadrunners (3-3-0-0) vs. Chicago Wolves (1-3-1-1)

Time: Friday, November 3 ,7:00 p.m. MST, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona

WATCH LIVE HERE

Tucson Roadrunners Current Roster: CLICK HERE

Tickets and Promotional Information: CLICK HERE

Referees: #83 Jordan Watt, # 93 Phil Kasko

Linespersons: #74 Eric Anderson, #54 Anthony Caruso

The Tucson Roadrunners host the Central Division’s Chicago Wolves for their first College Night of the season. Students who attend the University of Arizona or Pima Community College can purchase a ticket of just $10 available only HERE. Both teams are looking to get back on the winning column, Tucson dropped both of their two games against Bakersfield at home last weekend and the Chicago Wolves look to gain some ground after just having one win in six games in the month of October.

Three things:

  1. Vasily Ponomarev was loaned to the Roadrunners from the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of tonight’s game against his former team, the Chicago Wolves. The 2020 second round pick (53rd overall) for Carolina compiled 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in 75 career regular-season games with the Wolves. Last season he led the Wolves in goals (24) and was second on the team in points (46) in 64 games played. He was part of Chicago’s 2021 Calder Cup Championship run where he had 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 18 playoff games.
  2. Forward Rocco Grimaldi has 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in six games played so far this season for Chicago. The 10-year-veteran earned his 300th career AHL point on Saturday, Oct. 28 against the Rockford IceHogs with a three-point game, scoring a goal and two assists. Grimaldi has two separate three-point games this season already, with one coming on Chicago’s last game against the Cleveland Monsters on Sat, Oct. 28. Grimaldi also has 67 points (30 goals and 37 assists) in 203 NHL games played.
  3. The Roadrunners power-play came to life last weekend going 2-for-9 (22%) against Bakersfield after just having one goal on 13 tries. Josh Doan and Jan Jenik were the goal scorers on the two power-play goals while Dylan Guenther and Nathan Smith had an assist on both goals.

What did they say?

“I think you have to stick to your game plan, doesn’t matter who you’re playing; we believe in our structure and our plan and the guys in our room to compete with anybody.”

Forward Josh Doan on the Roadrunners playing Central Division opponent Chicago tonight.

Today’s Transaction:

-The Tucson Roadrunners have loaned Colin Theisen to the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) on Tuesday.

-The Carolina Hurricanes loaned Vasily Ponomarev to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) on Thursday.

Number to Know:

7- The franchise record for consecutive starts in net for a goaltender to start a season. Matthew Villalta will break Ivan Prosvetov’s record of six if he starts his seventh-straight game for tonight’s matchup against the Wolves. Prosvetov’s six-straight starts to begin a season was in 2021, when the season started in February due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The now Colorado Avalanche netminder went 5-1 with 2.80 goals-against-average and .918 save percentage in that stretch. Villalta currently has a 2.36 goals-against-average and .920 save percentage in his six starts.

We’re Doing It Live
Tonight’s game will be broadcasted live on the radio on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by Jonathon Schaffer, before “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny has all the action from the TCC. The Game can also be viewed on AHLTV.com.