Roadrunners Come Up Short in 5-2 Loss to Condors

April 8, 2026

Roadrunners Recap: 4/8/2026

Game #67: Tucson Roadrunners (2) at Bakersfield Condors (5)

SOG: TUC (27) – BAK (28)
PP: TUC (0/3) – BAK (0/3)

BAKERSFIELD SCORING: Ethan Keppen (4), Isaac Howard (22), Daniel D’Amato (7), Roby Järventie (19), Quinn Hutson (30)
TUCSON SCORING: Andrew Agozzino (19), Robbie Russo (4)

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Robbie Russo and Andrew Agozzino each scored to extend their hot streaks, but the Tucson Roadrunners (30-28-9-0) fell 5-2 to the Bakersfield Condors (35-22-9-1) on Wednesday at Dignity Health Arena.

Bakersfield never trailed and after a scoreless first period, the Condors opened the scoring early in the second, but Agozzino answered just 26 seconds later with a breakaway goal to even the game at 1-1.

Bakersfield regained the lead midway through the period when Isaac Howard made it 2-1, then added insurance early in the third as Daniel D’Amato pushed the advantage to 3-1.

The Roadrunners responded quickly once again, with Russo firing a point shot through traffic just 1:11 later to cut the deficit to one.

Tucson pressed for the equalizer, outshooting Bakersfield 14-10 in the third period, but goaltender Matt Tomkins stood tall down the stretch to preserve the Condors’ 3-2 lead.

The Roadrunners pulled goaltender Matthew Villalta with under two minutes remaining but were unable to find the tying goal, while Bakersfield scored two empty-net tallies from Roby Järventie and Quinn Hutson to put the game away. Villalta finished with 23 saves on 26 shots.

With the loss, combined with San Diego’s win over San Jose on Tuesday, Tucson now sits seven points behind seventh-place San Diego for the final Pacific Division playoff spot with five games remaining.

HIGHLIGHTS

GAME NOTES

Julian Lutz appeared in his 100th career AHL game.
Austin Poganski extended his single-season career high with his 30^th assist of the year, which is tied with Ben McCartney for the most among Roadrunners forwards.
Wednesday’s assist extended Poganski’s point streak to three games, dating back to Apr. 3 at Henderson, tallying four points (2g, 2a) in that span.
In Poganski’s last 11 games since March 11 vs. Henderson, he has recorded 14 points (8g, 6a).
Andrew Agozzino scored his 19^th goal of the season and now has 16 points (8g, 8a) in his last 11 games since March vs Henderson, ranking tied for fourth in the AHL in goals and tied for fifth in points in that span.
Agozzino also leads the team with 28 points (16g, 12a) in his last 30 games since January 20 at San Diego, and is tied for the second-most goals in the AHL in that span.
Maverick Lamoureux extended his single-season career high with his 13th assist of the season, and now has two assists in his last three games dating back to Apr. 3 at Henderson.
Robbie Russo scored his fourth goal of the season to extend his point streak to three games since Apr. 3 at Henderson, tallying three points (1g, 2a) in that span. He has eight points (2g, 6a) over his last 10 games since March 11 vs. Henderson.
Rookie Jack Ricketts tallied his fifth assist and ninth point of the season, with eight of his nine points coming on the road.
Scott Perunovich has recorded an assist in back-to-back games after collecting his team-leading 37th assist of the season. He has nine (1g, 8a) points in his last eight game since March 15 vs San Jose.
Among all AHL defensemen, Perunovich ranks fourth in assists and fifth in points (45).

*Andrew Agozzino tallied his 19th goal of the season on Wednesday and now has eight goals in his last 10 games. (Photo: Bakersfield Condors)*

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD
Both teams felt each other out through the opening five minutes, with Tucson holding a slight 3-2 edge in shots.

Offense remained limited, as neither team recorded a shot for over six minutes until the 12:48 mark. The Roadrunners maintained a 6-4 advantage in shots as the period moved into its later stages.

Tucson nearly broke through when Lleyton Moore fired a shot from the point that rang off the crossbar at 17:26, allowing Bakersfield to catch a break.

After one, the game remained scoreless, with the Roadrunners leading in shots 8-6.

SECOND PERIOD
Bakersfield opened the scoring at 3:52 when Riley Stillman fired a shot from the left point that Ethan Keppen redirected past Matthew Villalta to make it 1-0.

Tucson answered just 26 seconds later, as Andrew Agozzino snapped a shot over Matt Tomkins’ right shoulder to tie the game 1-1 at 4:18.

The Roadrunners earned a power play shortly after but were unable to convert, generating just one shot on goal.

The Condors regained the lead at 10:01, when Isaac Howard beat Villalta on the blocker side with a snap shot to make it 2-1.

Villalta responded later in the period, denying Howard with a left-pad save at 15:16 to keep Tucson within one.

Tucson went to the penalty kill for the first time, but Bakersfield’s man advantage was quickly negated by a high-sticking penalty moments later.

The Roadrunners were whistled for a pair of penalties in the final two minutes that gave the Condors a brief 5-on-3 advantage that carried over into the second intermission.

After two periods, Bakersfield led 2-1 and held an 18-13 edge in shots after outshooting 12-5 in the middle frame.

THIRD PERIOD
The Roadrunners successfully killed off a 5-on-3 early in the period.

However, Tucson fell behind by two at 4:21 after a miscommunication in its own zone led to Daniel D’Amato depositing a loose puck past Villalta to make it 3-1.

Tucson responded quickly, as Robbie Russo pulled the Roadrunners within one with a point shot through heavy traffic at 5:32.

The Roadrunners had a good opportunity to find the equalizer late after earning their third power play of the night at 14:23, but were unable to convert.

Tucson pushed late for the equalizer and pulled Villalta for the extra attacker, but Bakersfield sealed the game with a pair of empty-net goals from Roby Järventie and Quinn Hutson to secure the 5-2 victory.

UP NEXT
The Roadrunners continue their seven-game road trip with a two-game set against the Colorado Eagles on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. AZT for both games. Fans can listen live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app and watch on AHLtv on FloHockey.