Roadrunners Force Game 3 with Gritty 4-1 Game 2 Victory

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AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Roadrunners Force Game 3 with Gritty 4-1 Game 2 Victory

April 25, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Tucson Roadrunners assistant captain Ben McCartney
Tucson Roadrunners assistant captain Ben McCartney
(Tucson Roadrunners, Credit: Abbotsford Canucks)

Abbotsford, BC - Facing elimination on the road, the Tucson Roadrunners responded with a complete team effort to defeat the Abbotsford Canucks 4-1 in Game 2, evening the best-of-three series and forcing a decisive Game 3 on Saturday. Thursday's win at the Abbotsford Centre marked Tucson's first Calder Cup Playoff victory since the opening round of the 2023 postseason against Coachella Valley.

Alternate captain Ben McCartney paced the Roadrunners with a career night, recording three points (2g, 1a) including his first-ever playoff goal and both multi point and multi-goal postseason outing. He opened the scoring at 12:30 of the first period, tipping Kevin Connauton's point shot past Canucks netminder Artūrs Šilovs to give Tucson a 1-0 lead. The assist marked Connauton's first point of the series.

The Roadrunners extended their lead early in the second when Andrew Agozzino buried a one-timer at 3:58, giving the veteran forward his third career Calder Cup Playoff game-winning goal and team-high 10th overall playoff tally. Agozzino also assisted on McCartney's opening goal for his fifth career multi-point postseason performance. Artem Duda notched the secondary assist on the play, giving the rookie defenseman two points (1g, 1a) through his first two Calder Cup games.

The Roadrunners dominated the middle frame and capped it off with a highlight-reel breakaway goal from Kailer Yamamoto with just 18 seconds left. The tally was Yamamoto's first of the series and first career Calder Cup Playoff goal, adding to his resume of clutch postseason moments that includes nine goals and 12 points in 34 career NHL playoff games.

Linus Karlsson got the Canucks on the board 2:54 into the third, but Tucson controlled the last seven minutes of the game and sealed the win when McCartney scored an empty netter with 1:40 left to complete his standout night.

In net, Jaxson Stauber was sensational in his second career playoff start. The 25-year-old stopped 38 of 39 shots, including several highlight-reel saves, to earn his first postseason win and backstop a perfect 5-for-5 penalty kill effort from the Roadrunners.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST PERIOD

For the second straight night, both teams played a disciplined, structured game out of the gate and limited high-danger opportunities early on. The pace opened up when Yamamoto was called for holding just over six minutes in, putting Tucson down a man. On the penalty kill, goaltender Jaxson Stauber stood tall and robbed Max Sasson from the low slot and denied him again off the ensuing faceoff to keep the game scoreless.

Then Tucson nearly struck first midway through the period when alternate captain Travis Barron fired a wrister off the rush that narrowly missed wide. The Roadrunners wouldn't be denied much longer.

With 7:30 remaining, McCartney redirected Connauton's point shot past Šilovs to give Tucson a 1-0 lead-their first of the series.

Stauber continued to shine between the pipes down the stretch and made a sprawling stop with 6:11 left. He turned away a high-slot shot from Jett Woo and then battled to deny multiple rebound attempts from Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty before freezing the puck. Less than a minute later, Stauber made another highlight-reel save on Victor Mancini from in tight.

The Roadrunners countered with pressure of their own. Robbie Russo unloaded a one-timer from just inside the blue line that generated rebound chances for McCartney and Agozzino.

Moments later, McCartney was sent to the box for interference with four minutes to go, giving Abbotsford their second power play of the frame. But it was Sammy Walker who nearly cashed in shorthanded. He intercepted a pass near center ice and ripped a slapshot from the high slot that Šilovs turned aside with his blocker.

Stauber continued to stand tall in net as the period wound down. In the final seconds, he turned aside back-to-back chances from Mancini and Sasson to preserve Tucson's one-goal lead heading into the intermission. The 25-year-old netminder finished the frame with 17 saves.

SECOND PERIOD

Tucson began the second period short-handed after an altercation between Hunter Drew and Mancini at the end of the opening frame. The Canucks came out firing with the man advantage and outshot the Roadrunners 4-0 through the first three minutes. But it was Tucson who found the back of the net next.

McCartney set up the play by winning a puck battle below the goal line and feeding Agozzino above the right circle. Agozzino took the pass in stride and wired a wrister over Šilovs' glove at 3:58, to give Tucson a 2-0 lead.

Less than 90 seconds later, a hooking call against the Roadrunners handed Abbotsford their fourth power play of the night. But Stauber continued his standout performance, sprawling across the crease to deny Sammy Blais from point-blank range.

Stauber wasn't done. Back at even strength, he blocked Woo's shot from distance and then threw himself across the crease to rob Tristen Nielsen on the rebound.

With 9:11 left in the frame, Yamamoto drew a holding call on Blais to give the Roadrunners their first power play of the evening. Tucson generated a flurry of looks from the perimeter, including a Max Szuber blast from the high slot and an Agozzino wrister from the left circle. But Šilovs denied both with the leather to keep it 2-0.

Back in the Tucson zone, Stauber turned in another highlight-reel save with 6:21 remaining, kicking out his left pad to stone Christian Wolanin on a prime opportunity from the bottom of the circle.

The Roadrunners went back to the power play when Ty Mueller was sent off for interference. They nearly capitalized in the final seconds of the man advantage when Austin Poganski screened Šilovs and redirected Russo's point shot, but Šilovs managed to swallow up the puck.

Howver, Tucson broke through again just before the buzzer. Yamamoto jumped on a loose puck at center after an ill-timed Canucks line change and flew in alone. With 18 seconds left in the period, he froze Šilovs with a silky deke before lifting a backhander over his blocker to make it 3-0 Tucson heading into the third.

THIRD PERIOD

Facing a three-goal deficit, Abbotsford got on the board early in the third. Karlsson struck 2:54 into the period after a blocked shot by Blais fell into the slot. With Stauber down, Karlsson drove the net and chipped a backhander over the netminder's right pad to make it 3-1.

Tucson responded immediately with sustained pressure and outshot the Canucks 6-0 over the next six minutes. But a high-sticking penalty on Poganski gave Abbotsford their fifth power play of the night with 11:07 remaining. Off the draw, Stauber came up clutch once again, smothering Sasson's short-side rebound chance to preserve Tucson's two-goal lead and kill the penalty.

Back at even strength, Poganski made an immediate impact-winning a battle behind the net and feeding Yamamoto in the slot for a one-timer that was turned aside by Šilovs.

Rather than sitting back, the Roadrunners stayed aggressive down the stretch, hemming the Canucks in their own zone and generating chances to put the game away. Curtis Douglas ripped a dangerous shot from the left circle, and Duda let go a heavy blast from the point that forced Šilovs to make a clutch save to keep Abbotsford's comeback hopes alive.

With just under three minutes to play, Abbotsford nearly pulled within one. Nielsen spun and fired a low wrister through traffic from the slot, but Stauber flashed the right pad for another key stop.

The Canucks pulled Šilovs for the extra attacker with two minutes left, but McCartney sealed the win for Tucson with an empty-net goal at 18:20 for his second tally of the night.

UP NEXT

With the best ‚¬â€˜of ‚¬â€˜three series knotted at 1-1, the Roadrunners will look to advance to the second round in Saturday's winner ‚¬â€˜take ‚¬â€˜all Game ‚ 3 against the Canucks. Puck drop is set for 7 ‚ p.m. ‚ PT at the Abbotsford Centre. Fans can catch all the action live on AHLTV on FloHockey.

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Tucson Roadrunners assistant captain Ben McCartney
Tucson Roadrunners assistant captain Ben McCartney
(Abbotsford Canucks)		   

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