Game Preview – Tucson Roadrunners at San Diego Gulls

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. AZT, Pechanga Arena
Broadcast Info
LISTEN LIVE HERE or on Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 

Officials
Referees: #83Jordan Watt, #15 Mike Dietrich | Linespeople: #32 Patrick Stuber, #85 Steven Walsh II

San Diego, CA – The Tucson Roadrunners (18-14-7-0) close out their three-game road trip on Wednesday as they visit Pechanga Arena for the first time this season to face their I-8 rivals, the San Diego Gulls (18-14-6-2).

Tucson can leapfrog San Diego in the Pacific Division standings with a regulation victory. The Roadrunners currently hold the Pacific Division’s final playoff spot in seventh place with 43 points, just one point behind the sixth-place Gulls.

However, Tucson has yet to find success against San Diego this season and enter Wednesday’s matchup with a winless 0-2-2-0 record in the season series. The first four of eight meetings were played at Tucson Arena, and the Roadrunners will look to turn the tide as the final four matchups shift to Pechanga Arena.

San Diego took the most recent meetings, defeating Tucson 5-3 on Jan. 21 and 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 20. Wednesday marks the third meeting between the two clubs in an eight-day span.

Despite the slow start in the season series, the Roadrunners enter with momentum after a dramatic 3-2 overtime comeback victory over the Henderson Silver Knights on Sunday. Tucson erased a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals, highlighted by Sammy Walker’s game-tying goal with 45 seconds remaining in regulation and Ben McCartney’s game-winner with 33 seconds left in overtime. The win evened Tucson’s road trip record after falling 4-3 to Henderson in Saturday’s series opener.

San Diego, meanwhile, enters Wednesday having dropped its last two games following last week’s series in Tucson after being swept in Abbotsford by the Canucks. The Gulls managed just one goal in the two-game set, falling 3-1 on Saturday and 4-0 on Sunday.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

PECKING AWAY
The Roadrunners have erased multi-goal deficits in each of their last three games. Prior to Sunday’s comeback victory in the series finale at Henderson, Tucson also fell behind 2-0 early in the first period of Game 1 against the Silver Knights. Andrew Agozzino sparked the rally with a goal later in the opening frame, and Ty Tullio tied the game in the third period before Henderson pulled away with two goals in the final seven minutes.

Agozzino again put Tucson on the board in Game 2, and in the Roadrunners’ most recent matchup against San Diego on Wednesday, Tucson erased a 3-0 deficit before the end of the second period. The Roadrunners ran out of gas climbing out of the three-goal hole as the Gulls scored twice in the middle of the third period.

Despite losing two of their last three games, Tucson has shown grit and character, tying each of its last three contests late while navigating a demanding January schedule and several injuries to key contributors.

CALL-UPS & ADDITIONS
The injury bug has hit the Roadrunners hard as Tucson heads into its 40th game of the season. In response, the team has added three forwards in the past week: recalling rookie Jack Ricketts and Maxim Barbashev from the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) and signing Jalen Luypen to a professional tryout (PTO) on Monday.

Ricketts has appeared in each of Tucson’s last three games, while Barbashev made his Roadrunners debut on Sunday. Luypen has split time this season between the AHL and ECHL, recording one goal in two AHL games with the Hershey Bears and 32 points (13g, 19a) in 33 ECHL games with the South Carolina Stingrays. He also played two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs from 2023–25.

Prior to his call-up, Ricketts ranked third on Utah in goals with eight during his rookie professional campaign after a standout college career at Quinnipiac and Holy Cross. Barbashev is no stranger to the AHL, totaling two points in six games with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season.

A-GOAL-ZZINO
Despite changes in the lineup, Andrew Agozzino’s ability to find the back of the net remains a constant. The Roadrunners assistant captain and 15-year veteran has scored in each of his last four games, tied for the AHL’s longest active goal streak. His four-game run is also Tucson’s longest goal streak of the season, with five points (4g, 1a) during that span. Agozzino enters Wednesday’s game riding a three-game road points streak, totaling four points (2g, 2a) in those contests.

Numbers to Know:

5 — Rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev has the second-longest active road-assist streak in the AHL, recording six assists in five consecutive road games. Only Laval’s Laurent Dauphin (a former Roadrunner) has a longer streak at 10 games. Simashev is also riding a three-game point streak with five assists over that span. Since making his AHL debut on Dec. 3 vs. Bakersfield, Simashev has totaled 20 points (5g, 15a), the second-most among AHL defensemen in that span.

WE’RE DOING IT LIVE
Wednesday’s game will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockey. Fans can also listen live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage begins at 7:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by David Mooradian.