Roadrunners' Comeback Bid Falls Short in 4-3 Loss at Henderson
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Roadrunners' Comeback Bid Falls Short in 4-3 Loss at Henderson

Published on January 24, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


HENDERSON, NV - The Tucson Roadrunners (17-14-7-0) fought back from a pair of multi-goal deficits, but their comeback bid fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Henderson Silver Knights (17-14-3-2) on Saturday at Lee's Family Forum.

After allowing two goals in the opening 4:08, the Roadrunners responded and erased Henderson's early 2-0 lead. Andrew Agozzino scored for the third straight game, putting Tucson on the board with 6:30 remaining in the first period.

Following a scoreless second period, Ty Tullio tied the game at 2:56 of the third period. Henderson answered with two consecutive power-play goals from Tuomas Uronen at 12:33 and 16:47 to regain a two-goal cushion.

Special teams proved to be the difference, as three of Henderson's four goals came on the power play.

Tucson made one final push late when Austin Poganski scored for the second straight game with 2:27 remaining to cut the deficit to one. Poganski finished with a two-point night (1g, 1a), while Ben McCartney also recorded two points with a pair of primary assists.

Defensemen Montana Onyebuchi and Dmitri Simashev, along with forward Sammy Walker, each recorded an assist.

Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta finished with 27 saves.

NOTES

Andrew Agozzino's three-game scoring streak tied Cameron Hebig's three-game run from Dec. 6-13 for the team's longest streak of the season.

Ben McCartney's first assist of the night set a new career high for points (36) in a season.

Saturday's pair of helpers extended Ben McCartney's point streak to three games dating back to Jan. 20 vs. San Diego, totaling four points (1g, 3a) in that span.

Ty Tullio scored his seventh goal of the season and recorded his third point (1g, 2a) over his last four games dating back to Jan. 17 vs. San Jose.

Austin Poganski recorded his seventh multi-point game of the season (tied for second on the team).

Austin Poganski has three points (2g, 1a) over his last two games and a team-high six points (3g, 3a) in his last five games dating back to Jan. 16 vs. San Jose.

Rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev notched his 13th assist of the season, marking his third helper in the last two games.

Since making his AHL debut on Dec. 3 vs. Bakersfield, Dmitri Simashev has recorded 18 points (5g, 13a), tied for the second-most among AHL defensemen in that span.

All 18 points have come in his last 17 games dating back to Dec. 6 at San Jose, tied for first among AHL blueliners in that stretch.

Dmitri Simashev notched his team-high seventh point (1g, 6a) in his last six games dating back to Jan. 10 vs. Iowa. (Photo / Henderson Silver Knights)

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD

It was all Henderson early as the Silver Knights generated a pair of scoring chances in the opening two minutes. The sustained pressure forced the Roadrunners into a hooking penalty at 1:45, and Henderson capitalized on the ensuing power play. Off the faceoff, defenseman Lukas Cormier fired a low shot from the point, and Kai Uchacz buried the rebound to give the Silver Knights a 1-0 lead at 1:56.

Just over a minute later, Onyebuchi dropped the gloves with Silver Knights forward Mitch McClain to provide a spark for the visitors.

However, Henderson responded a minute later. Sloan Stanick intercepted a failed clearing attempt and snapped a wrist shot from the slot past Villalta's glove at 4:08 to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Silver Knights continued to press as a holding penalty gave them their second power-play opportunity just past the eight-minute mark. On the penalty kill, Villalta stood tall with four saves, including a dangerous wraparound attempt by Uchacz, to keep it a two-goal game. Henderson's man advantage capped a dominant opening 10 minutes in which it outshot Tucson 10-0.

The Roadrunners eventually shook off the slow start and converted on their first scoring chance of the game. Agozzino buried his own rebound in the low slot, snapping the puck past Jesper Vikman at 13:30 to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Despite being outshot 13-2 in the period, Tucson went into the intermission within striking distance, trailing 2-1.

SECOND PERIOD

Tucson carried its improved play from the latter stages of the first period into the second and controlled possession early, while setting the tone physically. Defenseman Robbie Russo delivered a heavy hit on Silver Knights forward Jordan Gustafson in the neutral zone, and Gustafson's linemate Joe Fleming responded after the whistle, earning a roughing minor to give Tucson its first power-play opportunity of the night.

The Roadrunners were unable to convert on the man advantage but generated a pair of dangerous looks from the point.

At the midway point of the period, Tucson was whistled for holding, giving Henderson its third power play of the game. Despite being shorthanded, the Roadrunners created the best scoring chance of the sequence when McCartney broke in alone on a breakaway. McCartney deked to his backhand and lifted a shot toward the top shelf, but Vikman denied him with the pad to preserve the Silver Knights' lead.

Just over a minute after play returned to five-on-five, Henderson earned its fourth power play just before the 13-minute mark when Onyebuchi was called for interference while clearing a Silver Knights forward from the crease. Tucson killed its third consecutive penalty, highlighted by a sliding pad save from Villalta on Uronen as the penalty expired.

Despite being outshot 25-7 through two periods, the Roadrunners headed into the final intermission trailing by just one goal.

THIRD PERIOD

The Roadrunners wasted no time pulling even as Tullio tied the game with a snipe from the top of the slot that slipped through Vikman's five-hole at 2:56, making it 2-2.

Both teams traded power-play opportunities over the next seven minutes, and Henderson capitalized after Tucson was whistled for back-to-back minors a minute apart. The Roadrunners killed off a five-on-three, but Uronen followed with a quick wrist shot from the low slot to beat Villalta and put the Silver Knights back in front, 3-2, at 12:33.

Tucson pushed back immediately, and Tullio nearly tied the game again when his one-timer from the low left circle with 5:30 remaining was turned aside by Vikman.

The Roadrunners' momentum was halted by another costly penalty, and Uronen struck again on the power play at 16:47 to extend Henderson's lead to 4-2.

On the ensuing shift, McCartney dropped the gloves to provide a spark, and Tucson responded. Poganski tipped Simashev's point shot to cut the deficit to 4-3 with 2:27 remaining.

Down one, the Roadrunners pressed for the equalizer and drew a high-sticking penalty to set up a final power-play opportunity with 30 seconds left. Tucson skated with a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling Villalta, but the comeback bid came up just short.

UP NEXT

The Roadrunners will conclude the series against the Silver Knights on Sunday at Lee's Family Forum. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. AZT on Sunday. Fans can listen live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app, watch on AHLtv on FloHockey.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central