Series Preview- Tucson Roadrunners vs Coachella Valley Firebirds
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Series Preview- Tucson Roadrunners vs Coachella Valley Firebirds

Published on November 6, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game 1: Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. AZT, Tucson Arena

Game 2: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. AZT, Tucson Arena

Broadcast Info

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

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

Officials

Friday - Referees: #36 Mike Campbell, #92 John Lindner | Linespeople: #76 Gabe Lomen, #54 Anthony Caruso

Saturday - Referees: #36 Mike Campbell, #92 John Lindner | Linespeople: #14 Jett Larson, #33 Andrew Gaggin

Tucson, AZ - After a four-game stretch against Central Division opponents, including last weekend's two-game trip to Des Moines, the Tucson Roadrunners (4-4-2-0) return to Southern Arizona to open a weekend series against the Pacific Division rival Coachella Valley Firebirds (4-4-1-0). Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. AZT both Friday and Saturday at Tucson Arena.

This weekend marks the first two of four matchups between the clubs this season, with the Roadrunners scheduled to visit Acrisure Arena on February 13 and 15. Tucson and Coachella Valley split their four-game season series last year, each winning once at home and once on the road, while the Roadrunners own an 8-10-2-1 all-time record against the Firebirds since they joined the AHL in 2022.

Tucson enters the series 3-2-1 against Pacific Division opponents and has earned points in three of four divisional games at home. The Roadrunners carry a two-game point streak into the weekend, highlighted by Saturday's 3-0 shutout in Iowa and a 5-4 overtime loss on Sunday. Despite the setback, Tucson erased two separate two-goal deficits in the third period and scored twice in the final five and a half minutes, including Ben McCartney's equalizer in the final minute to force overtime.

Coachella Valley, meanwhile, is coming off a home series split with the Colorado Eagles, capped by a 6-5 shootout victory on Wednesday. The Firebirds have won two of their last three games, and four of their last five contests have been decided by a single goal - including three that went to overtime.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

Freshman Phenom

Rookie forward Daniil But enters the weekend fresh off his first career three-point game (1g, 2a) and a four-point weekend in Iowa (1g, 3a). His +3 rating on Sunday marked the highest single-game plus/minus by a Roadrunner this season.

The 20-year-old now shares the team lead in points (9), sits second in goals (4), and third in assists (5). He leads all Tucson rookies in those categories and ranks tied for fourth among AHL rookies in points and assists, and tied for fifth in goals.

But also became the third Roadrunner this season to record a three-point outing, joining Cameron Hebig (10/29 vs. MB) and Sammy Walker (10/10 at ONT).

Sophomore Surge

Tucson's second-year skaters made a big impact in Iowa last weekend, with three sophomores recording their first points of the season and two posting multi-point performances.

Julian Lutz opened his season scoring with a first-period goal on Sunday, while Sam Lipkin earned his first point of the year with the secondary assist.

Lleyton Moore delivered a breakout effort, tallying his first point of the season before adding his first goal of the year for a two-point night - his first multi-point game of 2025-26 and the third of his career.

On the blue line, Maveric Lamoureux recorded two assists for his first multi-point outing of the season and second of his career.

Big-game Benny

Ben McCartney delivered once again in the clutch, tying Sunday's game with his fourth goal of the season and Tucson's second-latest equalizer of the year (36 seconds remaining). The tally came just 14 seconds shy of matching Kevin Rooney's game-tying goal with 22 seconds left on Opening Night in Ontario (10/10).

McCartney enters Friday tied for the team lead in points (9) and tied for second in goals (4). The Manitoba native also dropped the gloves with Iowa's Mark Liwiski on Sunday, finishing one assist short of recording Tucson's first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the season.

Numbers to Know:

1 - Several Roadrunners enter the weekend on the cusp of major franchise milestones:

Robbie Russo needs one assist to tie Michael Carcone for 3rd all-time in franchise history (81).

Ben McCartney needs one point to tie Jan Jenik for 5th all-time in franchise history (120).

Matthew Villalta needs one win to tie Ivan Prosvetov for 2nd all-time in franchise history (54).

Cameron Hebig needs one assist to pass Jan Jenik for 5th all-time all-time in assists (75) and two goals to tie Michael Carcone for 2nd all-time in goals (70).

WE'RE DOING IT LIVE

Both games this weekend will be streamed on AHLtv on FloHockey and can be heard live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app. Coverage for both matchups begins at 6:45 p.m. AZT with Roadrunners Warm-Up hosted by David Mooradian.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from November 6, 2025


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.

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