Series Preview – Tucson Roadrunners vs Iowa Wild

Game 1: Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. AZT, Tucson Arena
Game 2: Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. AZT, Tucson Arena

Officials
Friday – Referees: #47 Mike Sullivan, #15 Mike Dietrich | Linespeople: #33 Andrew Gaggin, #35 Andrew Leonardo
Sunday – Referees: #47 Mike Sullivan, #15 Mike Dietrich | Linespeople: #54 Anthony Caruso, #76 Gabe Lomen

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 

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners (14-12-5-0) open a six-game homestand at Tucson Arena with a two-game set against the Central Division’s Iowa Wild (10-22-1-1) on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m. AZT.

Tucson returns home riding a wave of momentum after a road sweep of the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Roadrunners earned a 5-2 victory on Friday before closing the weekend with a 4-0 shutout on Sunday, marking the team’s third shutout of the season. The sweep extended Tucson’s winning streak to two games and its point streak to five, with four wins in its last five outings.

The Wild enter the weekend looking to halt a three-game losing streak after opening a four-game road trip with back-to-back losses to the Ontario Reign. Iowa fell 3-0 on Sunday before dropping Wednesday’s contest 4-3, making the Tucson series an opportunity to regroup before returning home. Road play has been a challenge for the Wild this season, as Iowa owns a 4-12-0-0 record through its first 16 road games.

The weekend series marks Iowa’s first visit to Tucson Arena since February 2024 and the third and fourth — and final — meetings between the two Western Conference clubs this season.

Tucson earned three of four points during a November road series at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Goaltender Matthew Villalta recorded a 3-0 shutout in the opener, while the Roadrunners rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the series finale. Ben McCartney’s game-tying goal with 36 seconds remaining forced overtime before Tucson fell in the extra frame.

Now back on home ice, the Roadrunners will look to avenge that overtime loss and continue climbing the Pacific Division standings. Tucson sits ninth with 33 points but remains just three points back of sixth-place Henderson in a tightly packed division race.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SIMASHEV SURGING
Rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev enters the series red-hot, riding a three-game point streak dating back to Dec. 31 vs. San Diego, recording three points (1g, 2a) in that span. He has totaled 11 points (4g, 7a) over his last 10 games since Dec. 6 at San Jose, tied for second among AHL defensemen during that stretch.

Last month, Simashev also posted the Roadrunners’ longest point streak of the season, collecting eight points (3g, 5a) in six straight games from Dec. 6–27. His 0.92 points-per-game pace leads all AHL rookie defensemen and ranks third on the team.

GOALTENDING GROOVE
Villalta has won four of his last five starts, including back-to-back victories. With 59 career wins as a Roadrunner, he sits seven wins shy of tying Adin Hill for first all-time in franchise history (66).

His partner in net, Jaxson Stauber, turned aside all 21 shots faced in his most recent start to earn his fourth win and second shutout of the season. Stauber now owns four career AHL shutouts—two with Tucson this season and two with Rockford in 2023–24—with three coming on the road. Sunday’s performance marked Tucson’s third shutout of the season, all of which have occurred away from home.

WALKER WALKS IT OFF
Roadrunners forward Sammy Walker faces his former team at Tucson Arena for the first time and for the second time overall since being traded from Iowa to Tucson ahead of last season’s trade deadline. Since arriving in the Old Pueblo, Walker has emerged as one of Tucson’s most consistent contributors.

Walker leads the Roadrunners with two overtime goals and shares the team lead in game-winning goals (2) with Owen Allard. He scored in Tucson’s most recent game at Calgary and enters the weekend with eight points (3g, 5a) in his last 11 games dating back to Dec. 5 at San Jose. Walker also ranks fifth on the team in both goals (7), assists (11) and points (18).

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

4 – Tucson is averaging 4.00 goals per game over its last five contests, well above its season average of 3.26. The Roadrunners have scored three or more goals in each of those five games, a season high, and are 10-0-2-0 this season when scoring four or more goals.

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. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by James Mackey.