Tucson Falls 3-1 to Bakersfield in Series Finale
AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Tucson Falls 3-1 to Bakersfield in Series Finale

Published on October 26, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Tucson, AZ - The Tucson Roadrunners dropped their first home regulation game of the season Saturday night, falling 3-1 to the Bakersfield Condors at Tucson Arena.

Bakersfield struck first when Rhett Pitlick opened the scoring at 12:40 of the first period to give the Condors a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The visitors doubled their advantage just over two minutes into the second frame, as Daniel D'Amato netted his first goal of the season. Later in the period, Atro Leppanen added a power-play goal at 14:18 to make it 3-0 Bakersfield heading into the third.

Tucson broke through early in the final frame when Noel Nordh buried a rebound from Scott Perunovich's shot to make it 3-1 at 3:52. The goal marked Nordh's second of the season, as the rookie forward now has four points (2g, 2a) over his last four games and points in back-to-back outings for the first time this year.

The Roadrunners generated several strong scoring chances to pull closer but were unable to capitalize on three power-play opportunities in the final 15 minutes.

Despite the loss, Jaxson Stauber delivered another strong performance in net for Tucson, turning aside 24 shots and making multiple highlight-reel saves to keep the Roadrunners within striking distance.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD

Tucson carried its energy from Friday night's win into the opening frame and controlled play early.

The Roadrunners generated a pair of dangerous scoring chances on their first power play of the night following a Riley Stillman interference penalty at 5:24. On the man advantage, forward Cameron Hebig walked the puck in from the boards for a clean look from the slot, while rookie Daniil But fired a hard shot from the right circle that was turned aside by Bakersfield goaltender Matt Tomkins to keep Tucson off the board.

Looking to even the series, the Condors weathered the Roadrunners' early push and opened the scoring at 12:40 when Pitlick fired a shot from the left circle past Stauber to make it 1-0.

Bakersfield seized the momentum after the goal, holding Tucson without a shot over the final seven minutes of the period. The Condors continued to press and nearly doubled its lead, but Stauber stood tall and made seven consecutive saves down the stretch, including a pair of key stops on a late Condors power play, to keep it a one-goal game heading into the first intermission. Stauber finished with 12 saves in the frame, one shy of his season high.

SECOND PERIOD

Bakersfield wasted little time doubling its lead. Just over two minutes into the middle frame, D'Amato capitalized on a Roadrunners turnover in their own zone and fired a quick shot from point-blank range past Stauber to make it 2-0 Condors.

The adversity continued for Tucson after a pair of minor penalties gave Bakersfield two power-play opportunities and a chance to further extend its lead. The Roadrunners' penalty kill unit stood tall, however, successfully killing off both chances just before the midway mark. Stauber was Tucson's best penalty killer, denying the Condors on multiple Grade-A opportunities.

Back at even strength, Julian Lutz appeared to put the Roadrunners on the board, but his goal was disallowed. Owen Allard carried the puck in and fired a hard shot from the right circle that Tomkins turned aside. Lutz crashed the net, and the puck deflected off his skate and in, but officials determined there was a distinct kicking motion. After review, the no-goal call on the ice was upheld.

A few shifts later, Bakersfield returned to the man advantage - and the third time was the charm. On the power play, Leppanen ripped a shot from the high slot past Stauber to make it 3-0 Condors with 5:42 remaining in the period.

THIRD PERIOD

Needing three goals, the Roadrunners came out flying in the final frame and cut into the deficit when Nordh batted home a rebound to make it 3-1 at 3:52. Perunovich created the play by carrying the puck in and firing a shot from the low right circle. Tomkins made the initial stop but couldn't corral the rebound, and Nordh was there to snap it home from the slot.

The momentum continued to shift in Tucson's favor after Bakersfield was whistled for a pair of minor penalties in a three-minute span. The Roadrunners generated several quality chances to make it a one-goal game on both power plays, but the Condors' penalty kill held strong to keep Tucson off the board with 10 minutes remaining.

Tucson had a third power-play opportunity with just under five minutes to play, but once again Bakersfield's penalty kill stood tall to preserve its two-goal lead and close out the game.

UP NEXT

The Roadrunners close out its six-game homestand with a two-game set against the Central Division's Manitoba Moose on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. MST. Tickets can be purchased using the link here. Fans can listen to the games live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app and watch on AHLtv on FloHockey.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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



American Hockey League Stories from October 26, 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.

OurSports Central