Roadrunners Ready for First I-8 Border Battle Against Gulls

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. MST, Tucson Arena
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. MST, Tucson Arena

Officials
Friday – Referees: #5 Jacob Hicks, #41 Graedy Hamilton | Linespeople: #33 Andrew Gaggin, #54 Anthony Caruso
Saturday – Referees: #5 Jacob Hicks, #73 Stan Szczurek | Linespeople: #33 Andrew Gaggin, #35 Andrew Leonardo

Broadcast Info
Friday: WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 
Saturday: WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (2-2-0-0) return home this weekend after earning back-to-back victories over the San Jose Barracuda last Friday and Saturday. Tucson outscored San Jose 11-5 across the two games, earning a 7-4 win on Friday before closing out the series with a 4-1 victory on Saturday.

The Roadrunners will host their I-8 Border Rivals, the San Diego Gulls (2-2-1-0), at Tucson Arena for a two-game series with puck drop set for 7 p.m. AZT on Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17.

Tucson earned its first two wins of the season on the road last weekend and will look to carry that momentum into its home opener series against San Diego. The Gulls enter the weekend following a 3-2 home loss to the Ontario Reign and have dropped three of their last four games.

Despite their recent struggles, San Diego has found success at Tucson Arena in recent seasons. The Gulls won all four meetings in Tucson last season, including two in overtime, as the Roadrunners finished with a 3-3-2-0 overall record against their Pacific rivals in 2025-26. Tucson will look to snap its home losing streak against San Diego and secure its first home win over the Gulls since Dec. 18, 2024, when then-Roadrunners assistant captain Andrew Agozzino led the way with one goal and two assists.

The Roadrunners Weekend Tune-Up, presented by Semper Fi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, has you covered with some of the key storylines to watch heading into the weekend.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

I-8 RIVALRY RENEWED
One point. That’s all that separated Tucson from a fourth consecutive trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, as San Diego claimed the Pacific Division’s final postseason spot over the Roadrunners via a regulation-wins tiebreaker. Tucson’s three-year playoff streak came to an end, setting the stage for a renewed divisional rivalry against its I-8 nieghbors. The Roadrunners and Gulls will meet eight times during the 2026-27 regular season, beginning this weekend, as Tucson looks to snap its four-game home losing streak against San Diego.

GULLS ROSTER CHANGES
The San Diego Gulls will be without one of their top scorers this weekend after rookie Roger McQueen, 20, was recalled by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The 10th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft made his NHL debut that night against the Calgary Flames after leading San Diego with three goals.

In a corresponding move, defenseman Travis Mitchell joins the Gulls after being reassigned by Anaheim the same day. Mitchell made his San Diego debut Wednesday against Ontario. The defenseman has appeared in five NHL games with Anaheim this season, his first with the organization after spending his first four professional seasons in the New York Islanders organization, prmarily with the Bridgeport Islanders.

YOUNG GUNS
Rookie Vadim Moroz leads the Roadrunners in goals with three and carries a three-game scoring streak, dating back to Oct. 4 against Colorado. He is coming off his first multi-point game in the AHL with a goal and an assist on Saturday. Rookie Caleb Desnoyers is also coming off his first multi-point game with a goal and an assist and has scored in back-to-back games. Rookie Yegor Borikov has also recorded a point in three straight, including his first career AHL goal and first multi-point performance Saturday against San Jose. The three rookies have combined for nine points over Tucson’s last two games.

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

42.9% – Tucson’s power play has converted in back-to-back games, going 3-for-7 (42.9%) in its two-game series in San Jose. The Roadrunners’ power play ranks third in the Pacific Division with a 21.4% power-play conversion rate overall on the season. 

87.5% – Tucson’s penalty kill has successfully killed 12 of 15 penalties (80.0%) over its last two games, including 9 of San Jose’s 10 power plays on Saturday alone. The Roadrunners rank T-4^th in the Pacific with an 87.5% penalty-kill percentage.

WE’RE DOING IT LIVE
Both games this weekend will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockey. Coverage for both matchup begins at 6:45 p.m. with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by James Mackey.

Fans can secure their seats online at Ticketmaster.com.