Series Preview – Tucson Roadrunners at San Jose Barracuda

Game 1: Friday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. AZT, Tech CU Arena
Game 2: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. AZT, Tech CU Arena

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 

Officials
Friday – Referees: #48 Beau Halkidis, #9 Sydney Harris | Linespeople: #18 Brandon Barnette, #37 Brett Martin

Saturday – Referees: #15 Mike Dietrich, #51 Bobby Jo Love | Linespeople: #63 Scott Allan, #57 Matthieu Audet

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (8-10-2-0) wrap up their three-game road trip this weekend with a two-game series against the San Jose Barracuda (12-6-1-1) at Tech CU Arena. The series opens Friday at 8 p.m. AZT followed by Saturday’s finale at 7 p.m. AZT.

The matchup marks the first two of eight meetings this season between the Pacific Division rivals. Tucson will see San Jose again next month when the Barracuda visit Tucson Arena for a two-game set on Jan. 16–17.

Last season, Tucson took three of four games from San Jose and split its lone road series at Tech CU Arena. Forward Sammy Walker led the Roadrunners in scoring in the 2024-25 season series with six points (3g, 3a), followed by forward Andrew Agozzino (3g, 2a) and defenseman Max Szuber (5a).

The Roadrunners will look to snap a two-game skid in Friday’s opener after a 5-1 loss in Bakersfield on Wednesday. Despite the defeat, Tucson enters the weekend just one point out of a playoff spot behind the seventh-place Henderson Silver Knights (19 points). The Roadrunners sit in ninth in the Pacific with 18 points.

On the other side, San Jose has climbed to second place in the Pacific with 26 points after a strong November run. The Barracuda have won nine of their last 11 games (9-1-0-1) following a 3-5-1-0 start through their opening nine contests.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

FIRST FLIGHT TO THE SHOW
Two Roadrunners earned their first NHL call-ups of the season this week as rookie Daniil But (Dec. 2) and second-year pro Maveric Lamoureux (Dec. 3) were recalled to the Utah Mammoth. Both made their NHL season debuts in Utah’s 7-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

Lamoureux recorded a primary assist and a plus-four rating, marking his second career NHL call-up. But skated in his first-ever NHL game and finished with a plus-one rating.

Before the recall, But led Tucson with 17 points (8g, 9a) in 19 games, ranking tied for the team lead in goals and tied for second in assists. Among AHL rookies, he ranked tied for 5th in goals, 7th in points, and tied for 8th in assists. Lamoureux was second on Tucson in assists (9) and second in scoring among Roadrunners defensemen.

NORDHERN LIGHTS
Forward Noel Nordh carries a team-high two-game point streak (1g, 1a) into Friday after picking up the secondary assist on Austin Poganski’s goal Wednesday. The helper marked his fourth assist of the season and his first road point of 2025-26. It’s the second time he’s registered points in back-to-back games this season, and his first since recording a goal and an assist in the Oct. 24–25 series against Bakersfield.

POGANSKI POWERS ON
Captain Austin Poganski scored Tucson’s lone goal Wednesday – his sixth of the season – in the second period. The goal marked his second time opening the scoring this year (previous: Oct. 27 vs. Manitoba), tied for the third-most on the team. Poganski has carried a hot hand since Thanksgiving with three points (1g, 2a) in his last four outings. Through 20 games, he ranks tied for third on the team in goals (6), fourth in points (14), and tied for fifth in assists (8).

Numbers to Know:

6 – Defenseman Max Szuber picked up his sixth assist of the season Wednesday and has two points (1g, 1a) in his last three games dating back to Nov. 28 vs. Abbotsford. Through 17 games, Szuber has 10 points (4g, 6a), ranking second among Tucson defensemen in scoring and sixth among all skaters on the team.

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. Saturday’s broadcast starts at 6:45 p.m. ahead of puck drop.