Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Roadrunners closed out their midweek series with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Manitoba Moose on Wednesday night at Tucson Arena.
Three Roadrunners recorded multi-point performances. Forward Cameron Hebig led all skaters with three points from a pair of power-play goals and an assist. Tucson captain Austin Poganski had a goal and an assist and defenseman Max Szuber had two assists.
Coming off Tuesday’s frustrating defeat, Tucson controlled play early and set the pace throughout the opening period. The effort paid off midway through the frame when captain Poganski deflected home his third goal of the season off a Szuber point shot to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead. Goaltender Jaxson Stauber turned aside all six Manitoba shots in the period to keep Tucson ahead after 20 minutes.
Manitoba evened the score early in the second when Phillip Di Giuseppe rang a shot off the post before Jaret Anderson-Dolan buried the rebound on the backhand for his second goal of the series. Tucson responded quickly as Hebig restored the lead on the power play, sneaking a shot through the five-hole of goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis. The Moose answered three minutes later when Di Giuseppe found the net on a snapshot from the left circle to tie the game 2-2 heading into the final period.
The third period opened with back-to-back Moose tallies that turned the tide for good. Defenseman Kale Clague blasted a power-play one-timer from Mason Shaw just 53 seconds in to give Manitoba its first lead, and Shaw followed with a backhand finish from Walker Duehr at 5:02 to make it 4-2.
Tucson pulled back within one late in regulation, as Hebig struck again on the power play for his second of the night, assisted by Andrew Agozzino and Ben McCartney, but the comeback effort came up just short.
NOTABLES
- Three Roadrunners made their 2025-26 season debuts: Lleyton Moore (D), Ryan McGregor (F) and Ty Tullio (F), with Tullio also making his Roadrunners debut.
- Max Szuber recorded his 50th career AHL assist on Poganski’s opening goal.
- Szuber’s second helper of the night marked his second multi-point game of the season, making him the only Roadrunner defenseman to record multiple multi-point outings this year.
- With his goal and assist, Poganski moved within one point of 200 for his AHL career.
- Poganski recorded his second multi-point game of the season and first since Oct. 18 vs. Calgary.
- Hebig’s assist on Poganski’s goal tied Jan Jenik for fifth all-time in franchise history with 74 assists, leaving him four shy of 100 career assists.
- Hebig’s pair of power-play goals marked his second and third of the season on the man advantage, leading all Roadrunners skaters.
- Hebig’s became the second Roadrunner to record a three-point game this season and first since Sammy Walker against Ontario on Oct. 10.
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
The Roadrunners opened the game with strong energy, putting early pressure on the Manitoba defense and generating the first few shots of the night.
Tucson forward Michal Kunc nearly opened the scoring when his wrister rang off the right post, just missing Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis. At the other end, Jaxson Stauber made a stellar left-pad save on Danny Zhilkin to keep the game scoreless.
The tone quickly turned physical, with both teams trading heavy hits in the opening minutes. Around the nine-minute mark, Tucson’s pressure forced a Manitoba penalty. On the ensuing power play, Hebig was denied his third goal of the season when DiVincentiis made a sharp stop on a one-timer from the left side.
The Roadrunners broke through at 11:35, as Poganski redirected Szuber‘s point shot to give Tucson a 1-0 lead. The assist marked Szuber’s 50th career AHL helper, while Hebig’s secondary assist tied Jan Jeník for fifth all-time in franchise history (74).
Manitoba’s Jaret Anderson-Dolan nearly tied it moments later, but Stauber turned aside the attempt with his glove. Tucson rookie Owen Allard came close to doubling the lead off a turnover in the Moose zone, but DiVincentiis stood tall to keep it a one-goal game.
Poganski then made a key defensive play late in the frame, blocking a Manitoba shot from the point to preserve the lead. The Roadrunners headed into the first intermission up 1-0, but would begin the second period shorthanded after a late penalty.
SECOND PERIOD
Stauber opened the frame with a pair of key saves, turning aside Zhilkin twice with his blocker and right pad to preserve the 1-0 lead. The Roadrunners’ penalty kill followed suit, limiting Manitoba to just one chance on its first power play of the night while controlling possession in the Moose zone.
The Roadrunners nearly doubled their advantage when Sammy Walker was left alone in front for an uncontested look, but his shot was stopped by DiVincentiis. Moments later, a collision between Poganski and the Moose netminder stirred up tempers and added to the game’s growing physicality.
Manitoba finally broke through when Phillip Di Giuseppe’s shot rang off the post and Anderson-Dolan buried the rebound on the backhand for his second goal of the series, tying the game 1-1.
Tucson quickly regained the lead on the power play, as Hebig blasted a one-timer through DiVincentiis’ five-hole off a setup from Artem Duda, putting the Roadrunners ahead 2-1. The goal was Hebig’s third of the season and Duda’s third assist.
The Moose answered back less than two minutes later when Di Giuseppe struck again, sniping a shorthanded wrister bar-down to even the score at 2-2.
Tucson continued to generate chances late in the frame, including a shot from Duda that clanged off the crossbar and a grade-A opportunity from Hebig on a late three-on-two rush. The teams entered the final period locked in a 2-2 tie.
THIRD PERIOD
Manitoba opened the third period with its first lead of the night, as Clague blasted a one-timer from the point off a feed from Mason Shaw just 53 seconds in to make it 3-2 Moose.
The visitors extended their lead at 5:02 when Shaw converted on a backhand finish off a setup from Walker Duehr, putting Manitoba ahead 4-2.
Tucson nearly cut the deficit midway through the frame when Andrew Agozzino broke free on a breakaway, but his shot was denied by Dominic DiVincentiis.
The Roadrunners capitalized on a late power play to pull within one, as Hebig buried his second goal of the night from Agozzino and Ben McCartney. Despite a strong push in the final minutes, Tucson came up just short, falling 4-3 in the series finale.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners hit the road for a two-game series against the Iowa Wild at Casey’s Center in Des Moines this weekend. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. AZT, followed by Game 2 on Sunday at 2 p.m. AZT. 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.
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