Series Preview - Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Series Preview - Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights

Published on April 2, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game 1: Friday, Apr. 3 at 7 p.m. AZT, Lee's Family Forum

Game 2: Saturday, Apr. 4 at 6 p.m. AZT, Lee's Family Forum

Officials

Friday - Referees: #48 Beau Halkidis, #9 Sydney Harris | Linespeople: #70 Craig Ford, #67 Adam Hendren

Saturday - Referees: #48 Beau Halkidis, #9 Sydney Harris | Linespeople: #70 Craig Ford, #91 Logan Wescott

Broadcast Info

Friday: LISTEN LIVE or on Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey

Saturday: LISTEN LIVE or Fox Sports 1450AM | WATCH on AHLtv on Flo Hockey

Henderson, NV - The Tucson Roadrunners (30-25-9-0) continue their seven-game road trip with a two-game series against the Henderson Silver Knights (33-20-7-4) on Friday and Saturday at Lee's Family Forum.

Tucson will look to bounce back after dropping the opening game of the trip Wednesday, a 3-0 loss to San Diego. The defeat left the Roadrunners three points behind the Gulls for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. Henderson currently sits in sixth place, five points ahead of San Diego and one point behind Bakersfield.

Friday's matchup marks the fifth of eight meetings between the clubs this season and the third at Lee's Family Forum. Tucson is 1-2-1-0 against Henderson this year, including a 1-1-0-0 mark on the road and 0-1-1-0 at home. The Silver Knights have won three of the first four meetings, with Tucson's lone victory coming Jan. 25 in Henderson, a 3-2 overtime win. Two of the four matchups have gone beyond regulation, including Henderson's 7-6 overtime victory at Tucson Arena on March 11 in the most recent meeting.

Since then, the Roadrunners have won five of their last seven games dating back to March 14 vs. San Jose. Henderson, meanwhile, is one of the hottest teams in the AHL, posting a 7-1-1-0 record over its last nine games since March 14 at Abbotsford, good for a league-best .833 points percentage during that span.

Offense has fueled Henderson's surge, as the Silver Knights lead the AHL in scoring at 3.59 goals per game. Tucson ranks 14th in the league, averaging 3.16 goals per contest.

The two clubs will meet for one more series when the Roadrunners host the Silver Knights in the final two games of the regular season on April 17-18 at Tucson Arena, a matchup that could have significant playoff implications for both teams.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

RECORD WATCH

Following Wednesday's shutout, Cameron Hebig, Scott Perunovich and Matthew Villalta remain on the verge of franchise history.

Hebig is tied with Michael Bunting for the franchise's all-time points record (180) and needs one more point to become the Roadrunners' all-time leader. He already holds franchise records in goals (83) and games played (349).

Perunovich enters the weekend tied with Jamie McBain for the most assists by a Roadrunners defenseman in a single season (35, 2016-17). His 43 points are also tied for the franchise single-season record for a defenseman with McBain and Kyle Wood (2016-17). Among AHL defensemen, Perunovich ranks fourth in assists and fifth in points.

Hebig, who has 47 points (20g, 27a), is also one point shy of setting a new career high for a single season.

Goaltender Matthew Villalta is one win away from tying former Roadrunner and current Vegas Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill's franchise record of 66 victories. He is also eight games shy of Hill's franchise record for games played by a Tucson goaltender (134) and recently passed Ivan Prosvetov for second all-time after appearing in his 126th career game with the Roadrunners on Wednesday.

Hello Hrabal, Bonjour Brandon

The Roadrunners and Utah Mammoth organizations added two rookies over the past week, signing both to professional tryout agreements (PTOs) for the remainder of the season along with contracts that begin next year.

Goaltender Michael Hrabal made an immediate impact, stopping 22 shots to earn his first career AHL victory in his debut in Tucson's 4-2 win over Ontario on Saturday. The 21-year-old from Prague, Czechia signed a three-year entry-level contract with Utah beginning in the 2026-27 season following three standout years at UMass. He was named the 2026 Hockey East Player of the Year and is one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the top goaltender in NCAA men's hockey.

Earlier this week, Tucson signed Maine defenseman Brandon Holt to a one-year AHL contract for the 2026-27 season along with a PTO for the remainder of this year. Holt, 24, recently completed his senior season at Maine, where he served as team captain and earned Hockey East First Team All-Star honors. The Grand Forks, North Dakota native was also named the conference's Best Defensive Defenseman and is the only Hockey East blueliner in the last 20 seasons to record at least 75 career points while registering 40 or fewer penalty minutes.

Holt could make his professional debut this weekend, while Hrabal is a candidate to make his first AHL road start as he looks to remain unbeaten and improve to 2-0-0.

LEADING THE CHARGE

Despite being held off the scoresheet Wednesday, two of Tucson's leaders continue to drive the offense.

Assistant captain Andrew Agozzino has been one of the AHL's hottest scorers in recent weeks, recording five multi-point performances over his last eight games dating back to March 11 against Henderson. Over that span, he has totaled 13 points (7g, 6a), tied for fourth in the league in goals and tied for sixth in points.

Captain Austin Poganski has also found his stride, posting 10 points (6g, 4a) in his last eight games - the second-most on the team in that stretch. He has recorded a goal and a multi-point performance in four of those contests.

The duo has also led Tucson in the season series against Henderson. Poganski paces the Roadrunners in goals (3-1-4), while Agozzino leads in points (2-4-6).

NUMBERS TO KNOW:

23.2 - Special teams - particularly on the road - have been a strength for the Roadrunners all season, especially over the last month. Tucson's road power play ranks third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the AHL (23.2%). The Roadrunners have converted in two of their last three road games, going 3-for-8 (37.5%) since March 21 at Manitoba.

Tucson's penalty kill has also been sharp, going a perfect 7-for-7 over its last two games overall since March 28 vs. Ontario. The Roadrunners have not allowed a power-play goal in their last four road contests, going 14-for-14 in that span dating back to March 7 at Bakersfield.

WE'RE DOING IT LIVE

Both games this weekend will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockeyand broadcast on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app. Friday's coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by James Mackey, and 5:45 p.m. AZT on Saturday.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2026


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