Roadrunners Come up Short in 2-1 Preseason Opener at Henderson
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Roadrunners Come up Short in 2-1 Preseason Opener at Henderson

Published on October 4, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Henderson, NV - The Tucson Roadrunners nearly erased a two-goal deficit, but their comeback bid came up just short in a 2-1 loss to the Henderson Silver Knights in Saturday's preseason opener at Lee's Family Forum.

The Silver Knights built a 2-0 lead behind a pair of power-play goals - one from Jakub Brabenec midway through the first period and another from Kai Uchacz halfway through the second.

Tucson cut the deficit late in the middle frame when rookie forward Noel Nordh buried a rebound with 2:26 remaining to make it a one-goal game. Second-year defenseman Artem Duda recorded the primary assist and his first point of the preseason on the play, firing a shot from the point that Nordh tracked down and lifted past Henderson goaltender Jesper Vikman.

The Roadrunners nearly found the equalizer on a late power play and outshot Henderson 11-6 in a scoreless third period, but couldn't complete the comeback. Goaltender Jaxson Stauber looked sharp in his AHL preseason debut, turning aside 23 of the 25 shots he faced.

DON'T OVERLOOK IT

Nordh picked up right where he left off last preseason, scoring Tucson's lone goal late in the second period on Saturday. The 20-year-old led the Roadrunners in preseason scoring last season, posting two goals and two assists for four points in 2024. He now has five points (3g, 2a) through his first three career AHL preseason games.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD

The Roadrunners carried the pace early and controlled possession through much of the opening five minutes. Despite Tucson's early pressure, it was Henderson that generated the first high-danger chance when defenseman Lukas Cormier found rookie Jackson Hallum alone in front, but Stauber slid across to make the save.

Moments later, the Roadrunners went shorthanded after forward Sammy Walker was called for holding at 6:34. The Silver Knights made the most of the opportunity and converted on the power play when Cormier fed Brabenec above the right circle for a one-timer that beat Stauber at 8:21 to make it 1-0 Henderson.

Tucson pushed back in the closing minutes of the frame and generated a flurry of chances from the line of Sam Lipkin, Jack Ricketts and Maxim Barbashev. Vikman turned aside both attempts to keep his team in front after 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD

The Roadrunners opened the middle frame shorthanded after Ty Tullio was called for tripping in the first minute, but Tucson's penalty killers went to work, holding Henderson to just one shot to keep the deficit at one.

The game's physical play picked up shortly after, as Uchacz dropped the gloves with Tucson's Michal Kunc at 4:45. Kunc was called for boarding before the the exchange, putting Henderson back on the power play. Moments later, defenseman Maveric Lamoureux sent the puck over the glass from his own zone, giving the Silver Knights a lengthy five-on-three advantage. Once again, Tucson's penalty kill stood tall, limiting Henderson to a single shot and keeping the score 1-0.

At the midway mark, another Tucson penalty finally proved costly. With the Silver Knights on their fourth power play of the period, Uchacz found the back of the net at 10:56 to double Henderson's lead to 2-0.

The Roadrunners responded with another late push. Tullio carried the puck wide into the offensive zone and fed Julian Lutz backdoor, but Vikman made a highlight-reel save with his left pad to keep the puck out. Tucson kept the pressure on, and with 2:26 remaining, Nordh buried a loose rebound off of Duda's point shot to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the final intermission.

THIRD PERIOD

Midway through the final frame, Stauber came up big once again, sliding across his crease to turn aside a one-timer from Tuomas Uronen and keep the Roadrunners within one.

Tucson earned just its second power play of the night when a Henderson defenseman Brandon Hickey was called for cross-checking Ricketts with five minutes remaining. The Roadrunners generated a couple of quality looks on the man advantage, including a heavy point shot from Lamoureux that was nearly redirected in front.

Though Tucson couldn't convert, the Roadrunners continued to put on the pressure in the closing minutes. With Stauber pulled for an extra attacker in the final 90 seconds, Lamoureux fired a low wrister from the blue line that forward Ben McCartney managed to deflect toward the net, but the puck sailed inches wide with 47 seconds left as Henderson held on for the win.

UP NEXT

The Roadrunners are back in action to wrap up their two-game preseason series against the Henderson Silver Knights on Sunday at 2 p.m. AZT at Lee's Family Forum. Fans can listen to the game live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app, and watch on AHLTV on FloHockey.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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