Series Preview – Tucson Roadrunners at Coachella Valley

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. AZT, Acrisure Arena
Game 2: Sunday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. AZT, Acrisure Arena

Officials
Friday – Referees: #44 Alex Lepkowski, #16 Adam Tobias | Linespeople: #37 Brett Martin, #18 Brandon Barnette
Sunday – Referees: #44 Alex Lepkowski, #27 Jackson Kozari | Linespeople: #37 Brett Martin, #14 Jett Larson

Broadcast Info
Friday: LISTEN LIVE HERE or on Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 
Saturday: LISTEN LIVE HERE or Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey 

Palm Desert, CA – With the All-Star break in the books, the Tucson Roadrunners (21-16-8-0) wrap up their five-game road trip with a two-game set against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (25-15-5-0) on Friday and Sunday.

Friday marks Tucson’s first visit to Acrisure Arena this season and the third overall meeting between the clubs.

The Roadrunners are 1-1-0-0 against the Firebirds this season following a 4-2 loss on Nov. 7 and a 4-3 overtime win on Nov. 8, when Tucson erased a two-goal deficit behind rookie Daniil But’s hat trick and game-winning goal in extra time.

Both teams enter the series riding two-game winning streaks. Tucson is coming off back-to-back road victories over the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome, including a 6-5 come-from-behind overtime win in the series finale, capped by Dmitri Simashev’s game-tying goal with 18 seconds left in regulation and Scott Perunovich’s overtime winner.

Coachella Valley also won its last game in overtime and swept the Henderson Silver Knights with a pair of 4-3 victories. The Firebirds have struggled at home of late, dropping three straight games at Acrisure Arena, all by one goal. Close games have been the norm for Coachella Valley, as seven of its last eight contests have been decided by one goal. The Firebirds are 4-3-1-0 over that span.

Coachella Valley sits in fifth place in the Pacific Division with 55 points, tied with the fourth-place San Jose Barracuda. The Roadrunners hold the final playoff spot in the Pacific in seventh with 50 points, one point behind the sixth-place San Diego Gulls.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
Two Roadrunners enter the series riding two-game scoring streaks. Ben McCartney and Dmitri Simashev each found the back of the net in both games at Calgary. McCartney has three goals and four points over his last two games and has scored in four of his last five, totaling five goals and seven points in that span. Simashev has two goals and three points in his last two games and eight points (2g, 6a) over his last six. Kevin Rooney has also chipped in offensively, scoring in two of his last three games and three of his last five, recording four points (2g, 2a) in his last three and five points (3g, 2a) over his last five.

DEPTH DELIVERING ON THE ROAD
Tucson’s depth has stepped up in a big way during the road trip. Rookie forward Jack Ricketts broke through with his first career AHL goal, game-winning goal, multi-point game and multi-goal game on Feb. 6 at Calgary, then added his first career AHL assist the following night. He has three points (1g, 2a) in his last two games.

Miko Matikka recorded his first career multi-point outing with two assists in the series opener at Calgary and followed it up by scoring his first career power-play goal and his team-leading third game-opening goal of the season. Matikka has three points in his last two games.

While far from a depth player, Scott Perunovich continues to drive Tucson’s offense from the blue line. The Roadrunners’ points leader on defense and a top-five AHL defenseman in both points and assists, Perunovich scored his third goal of the season — and his first game-winning goal — in Tucson’s most recent contest.

POWER PLAY PLUGGED IN
Tucson’s red-hot power play enters the weekend ranked third in the Pacific Division at 21.9%. The Roadrunners scored a season-high three power-play goals in their last game and have recorded multiple power-play tallies in each of their last two contests. Tucson has also scored at least one power-play goal in four straight games dating back to Jan. 31 vs. Colorado, going 7-for-14 over that stretch, and in six of its last seven games dating back to Jan. 25 at Henderson, going 9-for-24 (37.5%) in that span.

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

54 – The Roadrunners have scored 54 second-period goals this season, the most in the Pacific Division and third-most in the AHL behind the Syracuse Crunch and Charlotte Checkers (55). Tucson has scored in the second period in seven straight games, totaling 15 goals in that span, and has outscored opponents 17–6 in the middle frame over its last nine contests dating back to Jan. 21 vs. San Diego. The Roadrunners’ +13 goal differential in the second period ranks second in the Pacific Division, trailing only Ontario (+15).

WE’RE DOING IT LIVE
Both games this weekend will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockey and broadcast on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app. Friday’s coverage begins at 7:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by David Mooradian. Sunday’s broadcast starts at 3:45 p.m. AZT ahead of puck drop.