Roadrunners Can't Afford To Stumble On Possible 'makeorbreak' Road Trip

James Kelly exclusively at the Arizona Daily Star

The Tucson Roadrunners' final road trip of the regular season is another disaster.

With a slight lead in the playoff race, the Roadrunners will face the Colorado Eagles in a two-game series starting Saturday.

The series against the AHL affiliate Colorado Avalanche begins in six games and 12 days. The TobyMac/Monster Jam Tour from Tucson goes from Colorado to San Diego via Bakersfield and finally Henderson, Nevada.

"There are a lot of games against a lot of good hockey teams and we have to be ready for that," Tucson forward Adam Cracknell said. “Especially a team like Colorado that gets up and plays, we obviously know what they're capable of.

"This is a big road for us. The seeding in the playoffs could be a turning point for us, so we have to go there and work hard. We must become road warriors.

This year the Roadrunners annual trip to the Gem Show was 7 games. It started in Bakersfield, then moved to Ontario, was interrupted by the All-Star Game and ended in Abbotsford, San Diego and the Coachella Valley. Tucson went 1-6 on the 16-day road trip.

The Roadrunners enter Saturday in the final playoff spot three points ahead of the San Jose Barracuda, who the Eagles just beat.

"It's a lot of games in a short amount of time and we have to come out strong," Tucson coach Steve Potvin said. "We must be aware of the circumstances and scenarios in which we find ourselves. We have to do everything to get points".

Rocky Mountain Bass

Tucson's first trip to Colorado this season also includes a regular-season series against a once-frequent rival, the Eagles.

Since Colorado joined the AHL in 2018-19, the Roadrunners are 12-21-2-3 against the Eagles.

With the addition of the Coachella Valley and San Antonio moving to Henderson, the AHL's Pacific Division moved west.

Tucson and Colorado played 12 times in 2018-19; they played eight times in 2021-22, and even in the 2019-20 and COVID-shortened 2020-21 seasons, they played more than four games against each other, 10 and six respectively.

The Eagles defeated the Roadrunners in their previous meetings this season, 2-1 on Jan. 6 and 6-1 the following night.

goal scorer race

Aside from the playoff implications, the Roadrunners' midweek week in Ontario saw the league's top two scorers trade shots on the stat sheet.

After Tucson forward Michael Carcone led the league in scoring for several months, Reign center TJ Tynan moved on to the Roadrunners. After two turns in the series, Tynan is playing with the score 72-70.

Carcone had a goal and an assist on Tuesday to keep pace.

"They're both topping the charts and they're pretty electric and they're fun to watch from a fan's perspective," Potvin said. "It's fantastic to see them compete and we appreciate the level that Carconne has brought us."

Carcone ranks first among players with 21+ games in points per game at 1.27, fifth with Tucson's 27 and fifth in assists (43).

March-April Madness

Despite forward Josh Doan's first goal at Mullett Arena and ASU's final goal of the season, the 2022-23 Sun Devils had a disappointing season.

After going 18-21-0, ASU missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. But one of the benefits of joining the Roadrunners for Doan is being in the playoff chase.

"It's a lot of fun," Doan said. “My year at ASU didn't end the way I wanted it to, so the next few years without playing playoff hockey is awkward. Being at the center of things is great.

"Obviously we're a great team and we've got some great players, so it's exciting to join them."