The Tucson Roadrunners finished their home season with two losses to the San Diego Gulls. The Roadrunners have five games left in the season and must win all five to have a shot at making the playoffs.
The Roadrunners allowed 12 goals over the weekend while only scoring three. The Gulls were a very tight checking team that kept the puck away from their goaltender and generated most of their chances with turnovers at center ice.
The Roadrunners fell 8-2 on Friday, but forward Chris Mueller picked up his 58 point of the season, setting a new career high. Christian Fischer, who was called up last week by the Arizona Coyotes, rejoined the team where he played on a line with Mueller and Laurent Dauphin.
The Roadrunners played a very undisciplined game on Friday not going on the penalty kill at all during the game. Jarred Tinordi received a five-minute major for fighting, and some 4-on-4 hockey was played during the night.
Craig Cunningham returned to the ice on Friday morning for the first time since November. With his new prosthetic, he skated with the help of teammates and trainers.
“It was amazing, it’s something that is going to stick with us for the rest of our lives. He will be one of our close best friends forever,” Mueller said.
The Roadrunners had a much better start to Saturday’s game allowing just one goal in the first period. Nic Kerdiles scored for the Gulls when the puck trickled through Roadrunner goaltender Adin Hills’ leg pads.
The Roadrunners came out with more energy in the second period with the fans at the Tucson Convention Center getting loud for the final home game.
After two periods, the score was 3-1 Gulls. Connor Garland scored the lone goal for the Roadrunners on a near impossible shot from the goal line.
The Roadrunners fought in the third period putting up plenty of shots looking for a way to get one passed Jhonas Enroth, the Gulls goaltender. Gulls right winger Spencer Abbott put the nail in the coffin with a third period goal to give the Gulls a commanding 4-1 lead. The Roadrunners came close to getting a puck in the net, but the game ended with the Roadrunners in a 5-on-3 situation still unable to breakthrough.
The final score for the last game in Tucson was 4-1 in favor of the Gulls.
“I thought we were a lot better than we were last night, we came out prepared and more ready to play,” Hill said. ”That’s how it goes some nights, I’m looking forward to next week in Winnipeg.”
The Roadrunners were all very happy to bring a season full of exciting hockey to the city of Tucson. There is plenty of new fans in the desert and hockey will just continue to grow as well as the franchise.
“The fans were behind us all year, the positivity that they bring and the excitement they bring,” Tinordi said. ”If they didn’t know hockey, they are defiantly learning; they have defiantly picked up a lot of things this year. The support was awesome.”
The last five games of the season will be the biggest of the season for the Roadrunners and their playoff fate will be decided. The Roadrunners are need of some help from other teams around the league in order to catch the Bakersfield Condors and Stockton Heat for a playoff spot.
The Roadrunners head across the border this week to take on the Manitoba Moose in a two-game set beginning on Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m.
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