Rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev scored with 18 seconds left to force overtime, and Scott Perunovich scored the 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 responded late in the frame, Kevin Rooney restored Tucson’s lead before the break, 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 less than six minutes to take their first lead of the evening. Owen Allard tied the match at 4-4 less than two minutes later, with just over five minutes left in the middle frame.
Rory Kerins gave Calgary a 5-4 lead seven minutes into the third period, but Simashev’s late 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 scored a goal and an assist. Defender 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 and earned his seventh win of the season.
HIGHLIGHTS
POWERPLAY NOTES
- Tucson’s three power-play goals were a season-high.
- The Roadrunners scored two or more power-play goals for the second consecutive game and have scored a power-play goal in four straight games dating back to 1/31 vs. COL, going 7-for-14 in that period.
- Tucson has scored a power-play goal in six of the last seven games dating back to Jan. 25 in Henderson, going 9-for-24 (37.5%) in that span.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- The Roadrunners finished 7-0-1-0 against the Wranglers this season, including a perfect 4-0 in the Saddledome.
- Ben McCartney led the Roadrunners in points in the season series with 12 points (4g, 8a).
SCORING FOR THE SECOND PERIOD
- The Roadrunners have outscored opponents 17-6 in the second period over their last nine games dating back to Jan. 21 versus San Diego.
- Tucson scored in seven consecutive games in the second period, with a total of fifteen goals.
- The Roadrunners have scored 54 second-period goals this season, the most in the Pacific Division.
INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS
- Scott Perunovich scored his first game-winning goal of the season and extended his points streak to three games, earning 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 69e 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, second most on the team.
- McCartney has three goals in his last two games and five goals and seven points in his last five games dating back to 1/30 vs. COL.
- One night after scoring his first career AHL goal, game-winning goal, multi-point play and multi-goal play, rookie Jack Ricketts recorded his first career AHL assist.
- Max Suber scored 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.
- After Friday’s three-point evening (1g, 2a), Austin Pagansky 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).
- Greedy has recorded an assist in four straight games and in five of his last six games dating back to Jan. 28 in San Diego.
- Hebig’s the four-game assist streak dating back to Jan. 31 vs. Colorado is a season high, with a total of six assists in that span.
- Saturday’s count is highlighted Miko Matikkas first power play goal of his career and his team-leading third game-opening goal of the season. The goal also marked his third point of the series (1g, 2a) after providing two assists on Friday.
THE REPORT
FIRST PERIOD
A Calgary tripping penalty just 45 seconds later gave Tucson an early power play. On the ensuing man advantage, Robbie Russo sent a cross-ice pass to Noel Nordh, whose one-timer sounded off the right post.
Moments later, Miko Matikka opened the scoring in the waning seconds of the power play to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead at the 2:40 mark. Kevin Rooney delivered a pass from below the goal line, and Matikka buried a one-timer from the slot that beat Ivan Prosvetov’s blocker side.
The Wranglers went on the power play less than two minutes later after Tucson was whistled for hooking. Calgary surrounded the Roadrunners in their own zone for most of the lead and nearly tied the game, but goalkeeper Jaxson Stauber denied Justin Kirkland’s deflection of the net forward with a difficult stick save.
With 7:30 to go, Tucson was called for too many men, giving Calgary its second power play of the night. This time the Wranglers used a capital letter. William Strömgren broke through the Roadrunners’ defense and fired 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 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 when Austin Poganski slid a pass to Rooney, whose one-timer beat Prosvetov to put Tucson back up 2-1 with 3:34 to go.
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 a 1:19 man advantage to open the second period.
SECOND PERIOD
Calgary killed Tucson’s power play on the opening of the period and nearly tied the game at 5:15 when Parker Bell broke free on a breakaway. Bell tried to slip a five-hole shot, but Stauber closed the door to preserve the Roadrunners’ lead.
On the next shift, Ben McCartney spun around Calgary defenseman Nick Cicek at the Wranglers’ blue line, created a breakaway and beat Prosvetov’s 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 a trip, giving Calgary its third power play of the evening. 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 penalty gave Tucson its fourth power play of the night. With 29 seconds left on the man advantage, Matvei Gridin was whistled for tripping Perunovich, giving Tucson a shortened 5-on-3 and longer power play time.
Instead, Calgary struck with shorthand. Dryden Hunt broke the puck out of the Wranglers zone and fired 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 in an odd rush, spun back and found Owen Allard trailing. Allard stepped up and shot past Prosvetov to tie the game 4-4 with 5:13 to go.
THIRD PERIOD
Stauber saved the game just past the 3:30 mark, sliding across his crease to rob King’s scoreless one-timer in a two-on-one rush to keep the game tied.
Calgary finally 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 piled up 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, culminating in Jack Ricketts sacrificing his body to block a key shot and keep Tucson within one shot.
Ricketts nearly tied the game on his next shift, ripping a wrister from the right circle with seven minutes to go, but Prosvetov turned the ball aside. Moments later, McCartney fired a slap shot from the point that Cam Hebig redirected, setting up a dangerous rebound with five minutes to go.
Tucson pulled Stauber for the extra attacker with just over two minutes left. As time expired, Dmitri Simashev carried the puck across the ice, dumped it behind the Calgary net, won the race for the loose puck and circled the net before slamming it home to tie the game 5–5 with 17 seconds left in regulation time and force overtime.
OVERTIME
Hebig and Scott Perunovich broke free on a 2-on-1 and were awarded a hooking penalty after just 30 seconds, giving Tucson a 4-on-3 power play. On the ensuing man advantage, Perunovich made a quick wrister from the left circle past Prosvetov at 2:09 to complete the comeback and lift the Roadrunners to a 6-5 victory in overtime.
NEXT
After the AHL All-Star break, the Roadrunners will conclude their road trip next weekend with a two-game set against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM AZT on Friday and 4:00 PM AZT on Sunday. Fans can listen live FOX Sports 1450 hours and the iHeartRadio app, see below AHLtv on FloHockey.
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