CALGARY, AB – The Tucson Roadrunners (21-16-8-0) completed a dramatic weekend sweep of the Calgary Wranglers (16-19-10-2) with a 6-5 overtime comeback victory Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev scored with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, and Scott Perunovich netted the game-winning goal on the power play 2:09 into extra time to secure Tucson’s second win in as many nights in Calgary.
Miko Matikka opened the scoring early in the first period with his first career power-play goal. After Calgary answered later in the frame, Kevin Rooney restored Tucson’s lead before intermission, and Ben McCartney extended it to 3-1 with his third goal of the series just under six minutes into the second period.
The Wranglers responded with three goals in a span of under six minutes to take their first lead of the night. Owen Allard tied the game at 4-4 less than two minutes later with just over five minutes remaining in the middle frame.
Rory Kerins gave Calgary a 5-4 advantage seven minutes into the third period, but Simashev’s late wraparound goal sent the game to overtime.
Four Roadrunners recorded multi-point outings. Rooney led all skaters with three points from a goal and two assists, while McCartney and Simashev each posted a goal and an assist. Defenseman Max Szuber added two assists.
Jack Ricketts, captain Austin Poganski, Cameron Hebig and Kevin Connauton each recorded one assist.
Goaltender Jaxson Stauber made 19 saves to earn his seventh win of the season.
HIGHLIGHTS
POWER PLAY NOTES
- Tucson’s three power-play goals were a season high.
- The Roadrunners scored two or more power-play goals for the second straight game and have scored a power-play goal in four consecutive games dating back to 1/31 vs. COL, going 7-for-14 in that span.
- Tucson has scored a power-play goal in six of its last seven games dating back to Jan. 25 at Henderson, going 9-for-24 (37.5%) in that span.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- The Roadrunners finished with 7-0-1-0 against the Wranglers this season, including a perfect 4-0 mark at the Saddledome.
- Ben McCartney led the Roadrunners in points in the season series with 12 points (4g, 8a).
SECOND-PERIOD SCORING
- The Roadrunners have outscored opponents 17-6 in the second period over their last nine games dating back to Jan. 21 vs. San Diego.
- Tucson has scored in the second period in seven consecutive games, with a total of 15 goals.
- The Roadrunners have tallied 54 second-period goals this season, the most in the Pacific Division.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Scott Perunovich scored his first game-winning goal of the season and extended his point streak to three games, tallying three points (1g, 2a) in that stretch.
- Dmitri Simashev recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season and third point of the weekend series (2g, 1a).
- Saturday’s goal marked the first time Simashev has scored in back-to-back games this season.
- A night after setting a new career high for goals in a season Ben McCartney scored his 21st goal of the season and 69th of his career, just one shy of Michael Carcone for third all-time in franchise history.
- Saturday marked McCartney’s ninth multi-point game of the season, the second-most on the team.
- McCartney has three goals in his last two games and five goals and seven points over his last five games dating back to 1/30 vs. COL.
- A night after scoring his first career AHL goal, game-winning goal, multi-point game and multi-goal game, rookie Jack Ricketts recorded his first career AHL assist.
- Max Szuber tallied his fifth multi-point and second multi-assist game of the season with a pair of assists. He has three assists in his last two games.
- Following Friday’s three-point night (1g, 2a), Austin Poganski recorded the primary assist on Kevin Rooney’s power-play goal for his fourth point of the series.
- A night after setting a new career high for assists in a season and passing Kyle Capobianco for second all-time in franchise assists, Cam Hebig recorded his 25th assist of the season and 95th of his Roadrunners career, just 11 shy of Michael Bunting’s franchise record (106).
- Hebig has recorded an assist in four straight games and in five of his last six contests dating back to Jan. 28 at San Diego.
- Hebig’s four-game assist streak dating back to Jan. 31 vs. Colorado is a season high, totaling six assists in that span.
- Saturday’s tally marked Miko Matikka’s first career power-play goal and his team-leading third game-opening goal of the season. The goal also marked his third point of the series (1g, 2a) after recording two assists Friday.
THE RUNDOWN
FIRST PERIOD
A Calgary tripping penalty just 45 seconds in gave Tucson an early power play. On the ensuing man advantage, Robbie Russo threaded a cross-ice pass to Noel Nordh, whose one-timer rang off the right post.
Moments later, Miko Matikka opened the scoring in the waning seconds of the power play to put the Roadrunners ahead 1-0 at 2:40. Kevin Rooney dished a pass from below the goal line, and Matikka buried a one-timer from the slot that beat Ivan Prosvetov blocker side.
The Wranglers went on the power play less than two minutes later after Tucson was whistled for hooking. Calgary hemmed the Roadrunners in their own zone for most of the advantage and nearly tied the game, but goaltender Jaxson Stauber denied Justin Kirkland’s net-front deflection with a difficult stick save.
With 7:30 remaining, Tucson was called for too many men, giving Calgary its second power play of the night. This time, the Wranglers capitalized. William Strömgren cut through the Roadrunners defense off the rush and snapped a shot through Stauber’s five-hole to tie the game 1-1 at 13:36.
After the teams traded power-play goals, the game turned physical and a near line brawl broke out with 4:58 to play. Matikka, Ben McCartney, Montana Onyebuchi and Scott Perunovich all found dance partners, sending the quartet to the box along with five Calgary skaters and giving Tucson its second power play.
The Roadrunners converted again as Austin Poganski slipped a pass to Rooney, whose one-timer beat Prosvetov to put Tucson back out front 2-1 with 3:34 remaining.
Tucson went back to the power play with 41 seconds left after Calgary’s Martin Frk was called for closing his hand on the puck, giving the Roadrunners 1:19 of man-advantage time to open the second period.
SECOND PERIOD
Calgary killed Tucson’s period-opening power play and nearly tied the game 5:15 in when Parker Bell broke free on a breakaway. Bell tried to slip a shot five-hole, but Stauber shut the door to preserve the Roadrunners’ lead.
On the next shift, Ben McCartney deked around Calgary defenseman Nick Cicek at the Wranglers’ blue line, created a breakaway and beat Prosvetov glove side with a high backhand to extend Tucson’s lead to 3-1 at 5:34.
Moments after the ensuing faceoff, Tucson was called for tripping to give Calgary its third power play of the night. The Wranglers cut the deficit to one when Daniil Miromanov fired a shot through traffic from the point that beat Stauber just after the penalty expired at 7:46.
Just 48 seconds later, Carter King tied the game 3-3 at 8:34 with a wrister that snuck through heavy traffic.
Calgary’s momentum stalled when a high-sticking penalty gave Tucson its fourth power play of the night. With 29 seconds remaining on the man advantage, Matvei Gridin was whistled for tripping Perunovich, giving Tucson an abbreviated 5-on-3 and extended power-play time.
Instead, Calgary struck shorthanded. Dryden Hunt broke the puck out of the Wranglers’ zone and snapped a blocker-side wrister past Stauber to give Calgary its first lead of the night, 4-3, with 6:55 to play.
Tucson responded less than two minutes later. Jack Ricketts carried the puck into the zone on an odd-man rush, spun back and found Owen Allard trailing. Allard took a stride and snapped a shot past Prosvetov to tie the game 4-4 with 5:13 remaining.
THIRD PERIOD
Stauber made the save of the game just past the 3:30 mark, sliding across his crease to rob King’s point-blank one-timer on a two-on-one rush to keep the game tied.
Calgary eventually broke through seven minutes in when Rory Kerins buried a one-timer from the edge of the crease to give the Wranglers a 5-4 lead.
The adversity mounted moments later after a delay-of-game penalty sent Tucson to the penalty kill for Calgary’s fourth power play of the night. The Roadrunners answered, highlighted by Jack Ricketts sacrificing his body to block a key shot and keep Tucson within one.
Ricketts nearly tied the game on his next shift, ripping a wrister from the right circle with seven minutes remaining, but Prosvetov turned it aside. Moments later, McCartney fired a slap shot from the point that Cam Hebig redirected, creating a dangerous rebound with five minutes left.
Tucson pulled Stauber for the extra attacker with over two minutes remaining. With time winding down, Dmitri Simashev carried the puck across the ice, dumped it behind the Calgary net, won the race to the loose puck and circled around the net before snapping it home to tie the game 5-5 with 17 seconds left in regulation and force overtime.
OVERTIME
Hebig and Scott Perunovich broke free on a 2-on-1 and drew a hooking penalty just 30 seconds in to give Tucson a 4-on-3 power play. On the ensuing man advantage, Perunovich snapped a quick wrister from inside the left circle past Prosvetov at 2:09 to complete the comeback and lift the Roadrunners to a 6-5 overtime victory.
UP NEXT
After the AHL All-Star break, the Roadrunners will conclude their road trip with a two-game set next weekend against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. AZT on Friday and 4 p.m. AZT on Sunday. Fans can listen live on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app, watch on AHLtv on FloHockey.
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