Different location, same results.
After a near two-week road trip to Iowa and Texas that consisted of a flawless four-game run, the Roadrunners returned home to Tucson Arena this weekend and earned the same result twice over the Ontario Reign.
Friday vs. Ontario (6-3 Win)
Having scored multiple times on the power play during their most recent victory on December 14 in Texas, the special teams units wound up being the deciding factor once again to start the weekend.
Despite giving up the first goal of the night, Kevin Hancock’s second of the season (on a wonderful feed from Jeremy Gregoire) knotted the contest up before the end of the opening 20 minutes and Tucson never looked back.
Lane Pederson gave Tucson the lead to start the second and then Hudson Fasching and Robbie Russo struck back-to-back on the power play to give Tucson full command.
To wrap up the night Fasching would add another pair of goals, giving him the team’s second hat trick of the season and eighth in team history for the win.
With Adin Hill being recalled to Glendale earlier in the week, Ivan Prosvetov guided the team to his eighth successful start with a heavy 37 stops.
In the winning effort, Tucson’s newest #10, Blake Speers, made his debut with the team after being acquired earlier in the week from New Jersey.
Saturday vs. Ontario (8-0 Win)
Perhaps the best night in the organization’s four-year history, Saturday was chalk-full of records as the team earned their largest margin of victory ever.
It only took 9:06 for Michael Bunting to record the team’s fourth annual Teddy Bear Toss goal, bringing a record 5,800 bears to the ice.  As the stuffed items poured their way from a buzzing Tucson Arena crowd, the energy provoked a scoring onslaught that included both three goals in the first and second periods for the home side.
Both Andy Miele and Jon Martin had multiple goals before all was said and done and the aforementioned power play made it a third straight game with numerous successful attempts.
As phenomenal as the offense was, goaltender Ivan Prosvetov, playing in his first professional stint of two games in two nights, was stellar as well and earned his first American Hockey League shutout, stopping all 27 of Ontario’s attempts.
Not to be lost in the mix either, defenseman Vili Saarijarvi had a three assist night and continues to be a wonderful addition to the Tucson lineup.  The Fin had just one point in 13 games before coming over from Grand Rapids to start the month and now already has four points in eight games with his new club; with all four assists coming in the last three games.
En route to the team’s eighth straight win on home ice, the team dually moved their all-time longest winning streak to eight.