Hrabal Records First Career Shutout as Roadrunners Blank Gulls 3-0

Roadrunners Recap: 10/16/2026

Game #5: Tucson Roadrunners (3) vs San Diego Gulls (0)

SOG: TUC (28) – SD (31)
PP: TUC (0/2) – SD (0/4)

SAN DIEGO SCORING: N/A
TUCSON SCORING: Ben McCartney (2), Cameron Hebig (2), Brandon Tanev (1)

TUCSON, AZ – For the second consecutive game, the Tucson Roadrunners (3-2-0-0) never trailed in 3-0 victory over the San Diego Gulls (2-3-1-0) on Friday at Tucson Arena to extend their winning streak to three games.

Roadrunners rookie goaltender Michael Hrabal stopped all 31 shots he faced to record his first career AHL shutout in just his eighth career start.

The Roadrunners found the back of the net. Assistant captain Ben McCartney opened the scoring midway through the first period before Cameron Hebig doubled Tucson’s lead late in the second. Brandon Tanev scored his first goal of the season with a late empty-net goal to put the game on ice. McCartney had the lone assist on the play to complete his two-point night, which led all skaters.

Captain Austin Poganski, rookie Gabe Smith and defensemen Artem Duda and Robbie Russo also found the scoresheet, with each recording an assist.

HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM NOTES

• – Friday’s victory marked the second consecutive game that the Roadrunners never trailed. Tucson has not trailed in a game since 4:57 of the first period at San Jose on Oct. 9.
• – Friday’s victory marked the Roadrunners’ first home win of the season and snapped a four-game home losing streak to San Diego dating back to Dec. 18, 2024.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• – Michael Hrabal’s shutout marked his first since Feb. 20, 2026 in a 4-0 win over New Hampshire while playing for UMass. He had seven career shutouts over his college career with the Minutemen.
• –  Ben McCartney extended his point streak to four games (2-6–8) dating back to Oct. 4 against Colorado, with Friday’s first-period goal. He has found the back of the net in two of his last three games.
• – McCartney pushed his multi-point streak to three games (2-5-7) dating back to Oct. at San Jose, with a goal and an assist on Friday.
• – McCartney’s goal marked the 71st of his AHL career, moving him to within three goals of tying Michael Bunting for second all-time in franchise history (74).
• – Artem Duda has three points in his last three games (1-2-3) dating back to Oct. 9 at San Jose, with Friday’s primary assist on McCartney’s first-period goal, Duda’s second of the season.
• – Gabe Smith has four points in his last three games (0-4-4) dating back to Oct. 9 at San Jose, with Friday’s secondary assist on McCartney’s first-period goal, Smith’s fourth of the season.
• – Cameron Hebig has two goals in his last three games (2-0-2) dating back to Oct. 9 at San Jose, with Friday’s second-period goal, Hebig’s second of the season.
• – Joshua Roy skated in his 150th career AHL game on Friday.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD
The Roadrunners controlled much of the opening period, outshooting the Gulls 13-9 and holding a 4-1 advantage in shots through the first five minutes.

However, San Diego’s Herman Träff had the first scoring chance of the night just 21 seconds into the game, but Tucson goaltender Michael Hrabal turned aside his shot from the slot. The Roadrunners responded with eight consecutive shots, including a prime scoring opportunity for Gregor Biber, whose attempt from the back of the left circle rang off the post.

San Diego countered on the ensuing shift when Jett Woo broke free for a breakaway, but Hrabal came up with the stop to keep the game scoreless.

With 12 minutes remaining in the period, Ben McCartney broke the deadlock with a quick wrister from the bottom of the right circle, giving Tucson a 1-0 lead. The goal marked McCartney’s second of the season, following his tally against San Jose.

Hrabal continued to deliver between the pipes down the stretch and denied a pair of scoring chances from Woo and Träff to help the Roadrunners carry their 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

SECOND PERIOD
The second period opened at a slower pace than the first, as both teams settled in defensively.

The play opened up two minutes into the frame when Stian Solberg was assessed a slashing penalty, giving Tucson the first power-play opportunity of the night. The Roadrunners generated several quality chances on the man advantage, including a shot from Joshua Roy just outside the crease that goaltender Laurent Brossoit turned aside.

At the midway point of the period, San Diego earned its first power play after Austin Poganski was called for holding. Tucson’s penalty kill unit passed its first test of the night, limiting the Gulls to just one shot on goal to preserve the Roadrunners’ one-goal advantage.

With six minutes remaining in the period, Cameron Hebig doubled Tucson’s lead with his goal, assisted by Robbie Russo and Poganski. Russo fired a shot through heavy traffic, and Hebig redirected the puck past Brossoit to give the Roadrunners a 2-0 advantage.

Shortly after Hebig’s goal, Gregor Biber was sent to the penalty box, giving San Diego a brief power-play opportunity. However, Solberg was assessed a penalty just 30 seconds later, resulting in 90 seconds of four-on-four action.

Neither team capitalized with the extra ice, and the Roadrunners carried their 2-0 lead into the second intermission.

THIRD PERIOD
San Diego pushed back in the third period, outshooting Tucson 13-5 as the Gulls searched for a way to get on the scoreboard. Just two minutes into the frame, Woo nearly cut into the Roadrunners’ lead, but Hrabal came up with another key save to keep the Gulls scoreless.

During a San Diego power play, Solberg rang a shot off the post, preserving Tucson’s two-goal advantage midway through the period. With five minutes remaining, Hrabal turned aside back-to-back attempts from Anton Wahlberg to maintain his shutout bid.

The Gulls continued to apply pressure late, with five shots in the final 90 seconds, but Hrabal stood tall and the Tucson defense held firm.

In the closing minutes, Brandon Tanev sealed the victory with an empty-net goal assisted by Ben McCartney.

UP NEXT

The Roadrunners will look to complete the sweep against the Gulls on Saturday at Tucson Arena. Puck drop set for 7 p.m. MST. Fans can watch the game live on AHLtv on FloHockey and secure their seats on Ticketmaster.com.