Roadrunners Come Up Short 4-3 in OT After Wild Third Period

December 5, 2025

Roadrunners Recap: 12/5/2025

Game #21: Tucson Roadrunners (3) at San Jose Barracuda (4) OT

SOG: TUC (33) – SJ (34)

PP: TUC (1/3) – SJ (1/3)

SAN JOSE SCORING: Kasper Halttunen (5), Luca Cagnoni (5), Igor Chernyshov (11), Lucas Carlsson (7) GWG
TUCSON SCORING: Ben McCartney (7), Kevin Rooney (6), Sammy Walker (4)

San Jose, CA – The Tucson Roadrunners (8-10-3-0) surrendered a pair of third-period leads and fell 4-3 in overtime to the San Jose Barracuda (13-6-1-1) on Friday at Tech CU Arena.

Tucson trailed 1-0 after San Jose’s Kasper Halttunen opened the scoring early in the second, but Ben McCartney tied the game with his seventh goal of the season late in the middle frame.

The Roadrunners twice pulled ahead in the third, but the Barracuda answered each time in less than a minute. Kevin Rooney put Tucson in front 2-1 on the power play at 5:21 before Luca Cagnoni tied it 18 seconds later. After Sammy Walker restored the lead at 8:17 with a highlight-reel finish on a breakaway, Igor Chernyshov evened the score again just 40 seconds later.

In overtime, Tucson narrowly missed the winner twice before a late penalty proved costly. Lucas Carlsson netted the game-winner on a 4-on-3 power play with 58 seconds remaining.

Despite the loss, Jaxson Stauber made several key stops and finished with 30 saves. Two Roadrunners posted multi-point nights, as Robbie Russo recorded his first two assists of the season and Walker added a goal and an assist.

NOTABLES

Robbie Russo recorded his first point and multi-point performance of the season. His pair of helpers tied and passed Michael Carcone for 3rd all-time in assists in franchise history with 82.
With Friday’s goal, Ben McCartney needs just three more goals to tie Lane Pederson for 4th all-time in franchise history (58).
Cameron Hebig recorded his 100^th career assist and Kevin Rooney tallied his 100th career point.
Noel Nordh extended his point streak to a career and season-high three games, and has 3 points (1g, 2a) in that span.
Max Szuber recorded an assist for the second straight game to tie Scott Perunovich for the points lead among Roadrunners defensemen (11).
Sammy Walker’s multi-point performance was his second of the season and first since 10/10 vs. Ontario.
Friday marked Tucson’s sixth overtime game of the season. The Roadrunners are now 3-0-3 in games decided in the extra frame.

Defenseman Lleyton Moore stickhandles the puck in Tucson’s 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Barracuda on Friday at Tech CU Arena. (Photo: Andreea Cardani / San Jose Barracuda)

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD
San Jose generated the first dangerous look of the night when a shot rang off the post in the opening minutes, and Tucson quickly answered at the other end. At 5:50, Austin Poganski was denied by the right pad of Jakub Skarek off a clean centering feed from Max Szuber.

The Roadrunners controlled the pace through the first half of the period and continued to push the attack. At 14:07, Scott Perunovich created another quality chance with a no-look pass from behind the Barracuda net to Szuber in the slot, but Skarek turned it aside.

Tucson nearly broke through again in the final two minutes on its first power play of the night. Perunovich sent a cross-ice feed to Andrew Agozzino, who quickly slipped the puck to Walker on the backdoor, but Skarek shut the door to keep the game scoreless.

Off the next faceoff, Noel Nordh ripped a shot from the left circle that sailed just wide. Moments later, Szuber hit the post from the right circle and the opening frame ended in a 0-0 tie. The Roadrunners outshot the Barracuda 13-9.

SECOND PERIOD
Just 50 seconds into the period, Noel Nordh nearly opened the scoring for Tucson off a neutral-zone turnover, but Jakub Skarek denied him with a right-pad kick save. Four minutes later, Ryan McGregor created another dangerous look with a spin-around forehand in tight, only for Skarek to turn it aside with a highlight-reel pad save.

The pace opened up offensively for both sides after Tucson’s early pair of scoring chances. San Jose ended the stalemate after capitalizing off the rush when Kasper Halttunen snapped a shot past Stauber’s glove to give the Barracuda a 1-0 lead just before the eight-minute mark.

At the 10-minute mark, the Roadrunners went to the power play, but the man-advantage opportunity was cut short by a Cameron Hebig holding penalty. Moments later, Michael Misa nearly doubled San Jose’s lead off a blue-line feed from Mattias Hävelid, but Stauber stood tall to keep it a one-goal game.

Tucson broke through with 2:12 left when McCartney finished a nifty feed from Szuber, slipping a shot under Skarek’s left arm to tie the game 1-1.

THIRD PERIOD
Just 28 seconds into the third, Quentin Musty broke free on a breakaway, but Stauber stood tall with a stick save to keep the game tied.

Tucson responded by taking its first lead of the night at 5:21 on the power play when Rooney buried a rebound from Cameron Hebig’s shot in the slot.

However, Tucson’s lead was short-lived. Just 18 seconds later, Cagnoni tossed a backhand toward the crease from the goal line that deflected in off a stick to make it 2-2.

At 8:17, a turnover in the San Jose zone sprung Walker free with no defenders infront of him. On the breakaway, he scored a highlight-reel goal, deeking to his backhand and roofing it over a sprawling Skarek to restore Tucson’s lead at 3-2.

But the Barracuda answered again 40 seconds later when Chernyshov capitalized on a turnover in the Roadrunners zone and snapped a shot past Stauber to even the score at 3-3.

Stauber delivered a key stop with just under three minutes left in regulation, flashing the glove to rob Halttunen of his second goal of the night and send the game to overtime.

OVERTIME
Tucson nearly found the winner twice early in the extra frame. Walker nearly ended the game in the opening minute on a wraparound attempt, but Skarek denied him with his left skate.

Moments later, McCartney drove to the net, deked across the creased slid the puck past Skarek’s pad, but it settled on the goal line before being cleared away.

The Roadrunners were whistled for hooking with 2:15 remaining, giving the Barracuda a 4-on-3 man advantage. San Jose capitalized on the power play and ended it with 58 seconds remaining when Carlsson fired a shot from the point that snuck by Stauber for the game-winner.

UP NEXT
Tucson will look to split the series in the finale of its three-game road trip on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. AZT at Tech CU Arena. Fans can listen live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app and watch on AHLtv on FloHockey.

HIGHLIGHTS