Roadrunners Wrap up Preseason with 2-0 Loss to Henderson
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Roadrunners Wrap up Preseason with 2-0 Loss to Henderson

Published on October 5, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Henderson, NV - The Tucson Roadrunners wrapped up their preseason series against the Henderson Silver Knights with a 2-0 loss on Sunday afternoon at Lee's Family Forum.

After a scoreless first 40 minutes, Henderson broke through with a pair of breakaway goals just 27 seconds apart in the third period. Rookie forward Jackson Hallum opened the scoring at 7:49 and Braeden Bowman added the insurance goal on the next shift to make it 2-0.

Despite being held off the board, the Roadrunners showed several bright spots in their preseason finale. Tucson's penalty kill was perfect at 5-for-5 one night after surrendering two power-play goals in Saturday's opener, while goaltender Matthew Villalta impressed in his Roadrunners preseason debut, stopping 23 of 25 shots faced.

The physical tone carried over from Saturday's matchup, as the teams combined for a pair of fights in the second period - three total across the two-game set - capping off a spirited preseason tune-up before the start of the regular season next weekend.

DON'T OVERLOOK IT

With a quick turnaround from Saturday night's series opener - and the usual roster rotation that comes with preseason - Tucson iced a refreshed lineup on Sunday. Tucson head coach Steve Potvin made a trio of changes both up front and on the backend. In total, seven Roadrunners made their preseason debut, including forwards Ryan McGregor, Cameron Hebig, and Tyler Gratton; defensemen Max Szuber, Lleyton Moore, and Aiden Hansen-Bukata; and Villalta between the pipes.

McGregor led all skaters with five shots on goal.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD

The Roadrunners stormed out of the gates and controlled play through much of the opening frame, outshooting Henderson 9-2 over the first 10 minutes. Tucson generated the first five shots of the game while keeping the Silver Knights pinned in their own zone in the early going.

McGregor made an immediate impact in his first preseason outing in a Roadrunners sweater, centering a line with wingers Hebig and Noel Nordh. McGregor led all skaters with three shots on goal in the opening period.

The pace evened out midway through the period as both teams traded chances, each recording a pair of shots on goal over the next few minutes. Then, with 5:19 remaining, Tucson defenseman Artem Duda was called for tripping, giving Henderson the first power play of the night. The Roadrunners penalty kill stood tall and held the Silver Knights without a dangerous look to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD

Henderson controlled the early pace in the middle frame, generating the first quality chance of the period just over three minutes in. Hallum broke free on a breakaway, but Villalta turned him away with a sharp left-pad save to keep the game scoreless.

The energy and physicality picked up soon after. Tucson defenseman Montana Onyebuchi was called for interference after delivering a heavy hit on Henderson blueliner Viliam Kmec just past the five-minute mark. The Roadrunners penalty kill held strong once again, snuffing out the Silver Knights' second power play of the night. Henderson's best look came when Tuomas Uronen found space near the crease, but forward Julian Lutz hustled back to break up the chance.

Moments after the kill, Onyebuchi and Henderson's Mitch McLain dropped the gloves, though officials quickly intervened with 12 minutes remaining. Moore was sent off for slashing a few minutes later, giving Henderson another man advantage, but the Roadrunners' shorthanded unit stayed perfect.

Tucson finally earned its first power play of the game when Hallum was whistled for high-sticking with just under seven minutes to play. On the ensuing advantage, forward Miko Matikka cycled the puck behind the net and found Szuber in the high slot, but Henderson goaltender Carl Lindbom snagged the wrister with his glove to preserve the scoreless tie.

Just over a minute later, a cross-checking call against Henderson's Christoffer Sedoff gave Tucson its second power play of the period with under four minutes remaining. On the man advantage, Nordh had a quality look from the low slot, but his shot was blocked.

The Roadrunners finished the period strong. With one minute remaining, Tucson's Michal Kunc squared off with Henderson's Joe Fleming in a spirited tilt behind the Silver Knights' goal line. The scrap sparked Tucson's offense, and Duda followed up with a quality chance from the left circle, but Lindbom turned it aside with 20 seconds left to keep it scoreless heading into the third.

THIRD PERIOD

Henderson swapped goaltenders to start the third, with Lindbom giving way to Cameron Whitehead. The rookie netminder had extra time to settle in, as Tucson went shorthanded just over a minute into the frame when McGregor was called for delay of game - the Silver Knights' fourth power play of the night. Once again, the Roadrunners' penalty kill held firm to stay perfect on the evening.

Villalta continued to impress early in the period, turning aside multiple high-danger chances, including a pair of key saves to preserve the scoreless tie. His shutout bid, however, was broken up 7:49 into the frame when Hallum raced in alone on a breakaway and found the back of the net to give Henderson a 1-0 lead. The Silver Knights struck again just 27 seconds later, as Bowman converted on another breakaway to make it 2-0 at 8:16.

UP NEXT

The Roadrunners hit the road to open the regular season against the Ontario Reign on Friday at 7 p.m. MST at Toyota Arena. 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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