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AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Game 13 Preview: Stockton at Tucson

November 9, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game #13 - Stockton (7-1-1-1) at Tucson (8-3-0-0)

November 9 2019

7 PM MST, Tucson, Arena - Tucson, AZ

LISTEN LIVE Fox Sports 1450, iHeart Radio app

WATCH LIVE AHL TV

Roadrunners Current Roster: Click here

Referees: Mitch Dunning (#43), Sean MacFarlane (#61)

Linesmen: Rob Fay (#32), Mike Sarter (#90)

Last night the Roadrunners made it four straight weekends with a win coming past the end of regulation with their nine-round shootout win over the Stockton Heat.

Now tied for the league-high with nine victories, the team will now look to etch its way into double digits this evening as they host the same AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames at Tucson Arena for Military Appreciation Night.

Three Things

1) Following Brayden Burke's game-tying third period goal last night, Tucson has now registered 14 goals on the power play through 12 games this season. Good for third in all of the American Hockey League, the Roadrunners also rank sixth in total percentage at 21.2%. A huge element to their offensive output, the Roadrunners have 19 goals at even strength this year, for comparison.

2) Albeit for the second straight game the team used a third period "battle from behind" effort to win, the team isn't desiring to play that type of game. Head Coach Jay Varady preached post-game that he wants his team to be more ready from the time to puck drops to avoid having to play from behind as opposed to waiting for the final 20+ minutes to go earn a victory. Perhaps that's what makes this team so dangerous though. This season we've seen the Roadrunners get off to hot starts with goals in the first five minutes and bury teams early, however, now we've also seen them show a killer instinct late to get what they need.

3) Yet another outstanding performance last night from Adin Hill in net for Tucson, making several big-time saves to keep his team in it over the course of 60 minutes. Donning his new white pads, as opposed to the black setup we've become accustomed to at Tucson Arena over the past two seasons, Hill could make franchise history tonight should he play and win his sixth straight contest. Albeit it would be neat to see, with now a rested Merrick Madsen and newly assigned Eric Comrie waiting and available, it could be a night of rest for big #33.

What's The Word?

Roadrunners captain Michael Chaput on if he felt the team played to their "identity" that Head Coach Jay Varady so often eludes to...

"I think the third period was probably the closest we showed to what we want our true identity to be. We played hard, stuck to our details and stayed with our systems."

Roadrunners captain Michael Chaput on the team's recent stretch of successful third periods and what leads to it...

"We wake up for it and there's that sense of urgency but it's not something we want to get used to. It's not something we want to get accustomed to because we don't only want to be playing one period out of three."

Roadrunners forward Michael Chaput on what he's anticipating on seeing Stockton again tonight...

"We think it'll be the same type of game. We see them a lot and know that these games get pretty physical and pretty emotional. They're a good team so we certainly have to take care of our own things here tonight."

Number to Know

5. Although there's lots of talk about "starting on time" and "being ready to go from the drop of the puck", Tucson's only allowed five first period goals through 12 games this season. While they'd like to contribute more offensively during the opening 20, it's important to note that the teams isn't lax and letting themselves get behind the eight ball early either.

We're Doing It Live

Catch tonight's active LIVE on AHLTV or join Roadrunners play-by-play voice Adrian Denny on Fox Sports 1450 AM and iHeart Radio as he calls the game from the Roadrunners' flagship radio station, where coverage begins at 6:45 PM.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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