TUCSON, Ariz. – The Stockton Heat returned to Tucson for their final game of a three game road trip. In an exciting game, the Roadrunners would come from behind to claim their second home win in as many games, and remain undefeated at home.
Kyle Wood increased his points streak to five games for Tucson this season when his slapshot beat David Rittich, in the net for the Heat, from the left circle.
Kyle Wood remarked about his goal, “I just tried to focus on the power play to get the shots through. [Brandon Burlon] set me up pretty good and I just buried my head and tried to put the puck in the net.”
“We were lacking on the shots on net during our first game at home,” said Wood about the teams progress early in the season. “We’ve got to get pucks in deep and that’s what we were focusing on during the early part of the game, and that’s what generated our goals tonight.”
In contrast to their last meeting, Tucson led the period in shots on goal 14-10 by the end of one.
Things in the second period became chippy on both sides, with emotions boiling up by mid period. Brandon Bollig and Jarred Tinordi dropped the gloves in a pretty even fight.
“We definitely need to work on our starts. We’re not going to be able to come back from a loosing situation every time. Its just going to get harder and harder. It’s good that we got the two wins, but we need to really step up that part of the game.” Said Tinordi after the game.
Hunter Shinkaruk took a pass from the opposite side of the ice, from Garnet Hathaway, and wristed it past Adin Hill for the Heat equalizer, with 2:31 remaining in the period.
Stockton took the lead for the first time during the game, with another goal, with only 42 seconds remaining. Emile Poirier slapped the puck from the bottom of the right circle, beating Hill stick side. Stockton increased their lead, on a short-handed goal that came a second before the final buzzer that bounced off the opposite pole and into the net giving Stockton the 3-1 lead going into the intermission. After a replay, to ensure the goal counted, Linden Vey was credited with the unassisted goal.
Only two minutes into the third period, Rittich had blocked a series of shots on net, when one was left too long on the doorstep, giving Ryan MacInnis a chance to snap it home. The goal brought the Roadrunners within a goal of the Heat.
Michael Bunting scored the tying goal with 5:04 remaining in the third period, following a series of shots on goal by his teammates, his redirection from low in the slot made it past Rettich. Then it was Christian Fischer, who 40 seconds later beat Rittich’s outstretched pad to give the Roadrunners the go-ahead goal and ultimate game winner.
Despite the extra skater late in the period Stockton wasn’t able to regain the lead and ultimately fell to the Roadrunners 4-3.
Stocktons Coach Ryan Huska said of their efforts after the game. “We gave ourselves a chance to win. This is just a trend we don’t like to see. It’s still early in the year, but these are points we don’t like to give away and we had put ourselves in position to win the last three games, were fortunate enough to win the one in San Diego, but we didn’t do a good enough job here. We took too many penalties. I don’t think our penalty kill did a good enough job and I think we were a little bit late in our own zone. As the game pressure unfolds we have to make the hard plays.”
“I thought for Dave’s [Rittich] first game, I thought he was really good for us. He made some good saves, and he gave us a chance to win again. It’s disappointing that we weren’t able to pull this out for his first win. But he gave us a real good game tonight.”
“We have to continue to play in our own zone. I think there’s little details, little habits that we struggle with and we are allowing too many little chances from behind the goal line that are costing us. I think a part of it is as a group we have to buckle down. I mean enough is enough; we have a lead, you don’t want to give the lead up, ever. We have to learn how to play with a lead
The Roadrunners outshot the Heat 36-32 for the night.
Tucson’s will host Texas Wednesday and the Stockton hosts the San Diego Gulls next weekend.
Roadrunners goalie Adin Hill makes a stop on Stockton’s Emile Poirier. – Photo by Jack LIma
Heat goalie David Rittich stops a shot by Dakota Mermis as Kenny Morrison helps out. – Photo by Jack Lima
Jarred Tinordi fights fro the second time in the game against Stockton’s Brandon Bollig. – Photo by Jack Lima
Linden Vey takes a shot on Roadrunners Goalie Adin Hill as Mark Olver defends. – Photo by Jack Lima
Jarred Tinordi puts a big hit on Heat Defenseman Rasmus Andersson. – Photo by Jack Lima
Jarred Tinordi fights Stocktons Ryan Lomberg – Photo by Jack Lima
Rasmus Andersson checks Brandon Burlon into the boards. Photo by Jack Lima
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