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AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Roadrunners Go to Overtime for Third-Straight Game in Series Opener Against Bakersfield

April 1, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Tucson Roadrunners' Michael Kesselring battles Bakersfield Condors' Dylan Holloway
Tucson Roadrunners' Michael Kesselring battles Bakersfield Condors' Dylan Holloway
(Tucson Roadrunners, Credit: Bakersfield Condors)

Bakersfield, California - The Tucson Roadrunners (30-29-7-0) earned a standings point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Bakersfield Condors on Friday night at the Mechanics Bank Arena. The Roadrunners erased back-to-back deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 in the final 21:43 of regulation, as forward Ryan McGregor evened the contest at 2-2 with his tenth goal of the season to send the series opener to overtime. Mike Carcone (1g 1a) and Jan Jenik (2a) each recorded multiple-point performances to extend their active scoring streaks to four games and six games, respectively. The Roadrunners and Condors will meet Saturday night in Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m. MST for the eighth and final meeting of the season separated by just one point in the AHL Pacific Division Standings.

YA GOTTA SEE IT

Roadrunners forward Ryan McGregor tied Friday's matchup between Tucson and the Bakersfield Condors at 2-2 with 14:42 remaining in the third period. McGregor's goal was his tenth of the season and sent the Roadrunners to overtime where they earned a standings point. The 24-year-old became the eighth Tucson skater to reach ten goals on the season with 16 total points (10g 6a) in his third campaign with the Roadrunners.

DON'T OVERLOOK IT

CARCONE KEEPS CLIMBING - Tucson forward Mike Carcone factored into both of the Roadrunners scores against the Bakersfield Condors Friday night with a goal and an assist, marking his fourth-straight multi-point performance to open Tucson's current road trip. The streak of four consecutive outings with multiple points is a new season high for the AHL's leading scorer, after Carcone previously notched eight points in the span of three games from January 25 to January 29 earlier this season. The 26-year-old also finished the month of March with six goals and eight assists for 14 total points in 12 games played to lead the Roadrunners.

PHOTO OF THE GAME

Friday's series opener between the Roadrunners and Condors represented Tucson defenseman Michael Kesselring's first outing against his former team. The 23-year-old was acquired by the Arizona Coyotes on March 2 from the Edmonton Oilers organization, where he led all Bakersfield defensemen with 22 points (13g 9a) through their first 52 games. Kesselring has totaled four points (1g 3a) in five appearances with the Roadrunners, including an assist on Mike Carcone's second-period goal on Friday. He also leads all American Hockey League defensemen with 178 shots on goal and is tied for third among AHL blue-liners with 14 goals.

THEY SAID IT

"It's a big point in the standings at this point in the season. We'll regroup here and go into [Saturday] and get two points."

Roadrunners Forward Ryan McGregor on Tucson earning a standings point in Friday's overtime loss to the Bakersfield Condors. The Roadrunners have gone 3-0-1-0 to start their current road trip with standings points in six of their last seven total efforts.

THE RUNDOWN

Friday's matchup marked the first scoreless opening frame between the Roadrunners and Condors through seven meetings on the season, as goaltenders Tyler Parks and Calvin Pickard stopped a combined 21 shots on goal in the period. 12 of the 21 shots were stopped by Parks in net for Tucson for the second-straight outing, while the Roadrunners penalty-kill denied the Condors on the only special-teams situation of the first period late in the frame. The score remained knotted at 0-0 until the 18th minute of the second period when the Condors and Roadrunners traded goals to make it a 1-1 game in the span of 24 seconds. Former Tucson defenseman Cam Dineen opened the scoring for Bakersfield with a four-on-four goal in his first career game against the Roadrunners, giving the Condors a brief 1-0 lead. Forward Mike Carcone erased the advantage just 24 seconds later with his 31st goal of the season, scored on a second chance after forward Jan Jenik and defenseman Michael Kesselring moved the puck into the Bakersfield zone and registered assists on the tally. Carcone's goal evened the score at 1-1 with 1:19 left to play in the middle frame, as the Roadrunners and Condors remained tied entering the third period. The Condors retook the lead at 2-1 in the first minute of the period, scored by defenseman Xavier Bernard for Bakersfield's second goal from a blue-liner. Tucson answered again with their second goal by a forward, as Ryan McGregor lit the lamp for the tenth time this year to tie the game at 2-2 with 5:18 gone by in the final frame. McGregor's linemates Mike Carcone and Jan Jenik each recorded multiple-point performances with assists on the goal, as Carcone further extended his AHL scoring lead to six points with 79 total points (31g 48a). The remainder of regulation was without a goal through three combined trips to the power-play, sending the Roadrunners to overtime for the third-straight game. Tucson recorded two of the first three shots in the three-on-three period before being called for too many men on the ice, which gave the Condors a four-on-three advantage with 2:54 still to play in overtime. Bakersfield forward Raphael Lavoie scored the game-winning goal 31 seconds to give the Condors a 3-2 victory in the series opener, while the Roadrunners earned a standings point for the fourth-straight contest on their final road trip of the season.

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Images from this story

Tucson Roadrunners' Michael Kesselring battles Bakersfield Condors' Dylan Holloway
Tucson Roadrunners' Michael Kesselring battles Bakersfield Condors' Dylan Holloway
(Bakersfield Condors)		   

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