Tucson Roadrunners Road Ahead: hockey is for you

Friday, March 29, Tucson vs. San Diego, 7 p.m

Saturday, March 30, Tucson vs. San Diego, 7 p.m

Wednesday, April 3, Tucson @ Bakersfield, 6:30 p.m

Roadrunners register 62 races: 36-21-3-2 (77 points), second place in the Pacific Division, third place in the Western Conference.

Hockey is for everyone Weekend:

The Roadrunners will celebrate Hockey Is For Everyone Weekend presented by Intermountain Centers on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30 before their two games against the San Diego Gulls. On Friday, the Roadrunners will be offering $5 (16 OZ) draft beers, discounted hot dogs and $10 College Night tickets. CLICK HEREto reserve your $10 College Night tickets in our online offering. On Saturday, March 30, Hockey Is For Everyone continues with Rudys Texas BBQ packages, including four tickets and a $25 gift card for Rudys HERE. Both games during Hockey Is For Everyone Weekend include sensory free family games and a sensory room during the match.

A historic season for Tucson:

The month of March, as the Roadrunners continue to make their playoff run, has seen Tucson make history this spring. In the last two weeks alone, four more players were recalled to the Arizona Coyotes; including John Leonard on March 12, Nathan Smith on March 20, Cam Crotty on March 24 and Josh Doan on March 25. These four calls now total 17 total on the season for the Roadrunners, the most in franchise history. In the 2021-2022 season, Tucson saw 16 of their players called up to the NHL, while Cam Crotty was 16th this year and Doan was 17th. Patrik Koch, Matthew Villalta and Cam Crotty have all made their NHL debuts; Doan will make his debut on Tuesday, March 26. Doan was the last call-up and is having one of the best rookie seasons in Roadrunners history. With ten Roadrunners games remaining this year, Doan has played every game for Tucson through game 62, scoring 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points. His 26 goals this season are the most ever in a first full professional season for a Roadrunners rookie; he surpassed Dylan Stromes' 22 goals set in 2017-18. Additionally, Doan's 26 goals are first among rookies in the AHL, and his 46 point total ranks third in the league among first-year players. Goaltender Matthew Villalta has also had a historic season for Tucson. With his next start at match number 45, he will match Ivan Prosvetov's 45 matches in the 2021-2022 season. Villalta already has the most wins in a single season for the Roadrunners, which previously belonged to Hunter Miska, who won 22 games for Tucson in the 2017-18 season. Overall, Villalta enters the week with a 2.61 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and a 26-15-3 record. His 44 starts and 26 wins are both among the top two in the AHL; with his 44 starts ranking first and 26 wins ranking second.

Marching to the finish line:

With two games left in March, Aku Raty (14 points), Jan Jenik (12 points), Steven Kampfer (11 points) and Josh Doan (10 points) are all the top scorers for the team of the month. With his two goals and 12 assists, Aku Raty has surpassed his December mark of 13 points, which was the team's highest mark for that month. Additionally, Raty's 14 points in March are the most of any player in a month this season. Jan Jenik's second place (12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in March) also equaled Dylan Guenther's highest monthly record (12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in December). With his two-assist game in Saturday's 3-1 win over the San Jose Barracuda on March 23, Jenik now leads the team with 10 multi-point games on the season, with Aku Raty and Josh Doan both tied for second with nine. Defenseman Steven Kampfer has led the way for the blue line, not only for Tucson but for the AHL as well. In the month of March, Kampfer's 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists) rank first in the AHL among defensemen.

March Madness:

With ten games remaining on Tucson's schedule, the team remains in second place in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference overall. Tucson's record of 7-3-1-1 in March has helped the team stay in second place in the division as the top teams in the Pacific have had a great March. Coachella Valley leads the way with a record of 8-0-0-2: undefeated in March. The Ontario Reign are second with a record of 8-2-0-1 and Roadrunners are third with their record of 7-3-1-1. Overall, the Pacific Division playoff teams have combined for a record of 44-24-2-6 in the month of March. Entering the week, Tucson, Colorado and Ontario are all separated by two points for second, third and fourth places in the division.

Well, do it live:

Tucson Roadrunners Happy Hour airs every Tuesday at 5pm on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app, with a podcast version also available after each episode on the iHeartRadio app. This week, Adrian Denny and co-hosts Kim Cota-Robles and Brett Fera are joined by Jake Wagman, Director of Roadrunners Hockey Operations. Additionally, the latest episode of the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast dropped on Sunday as a San Jose Special with Adrian Denny, Kim Cota-Robles and Jonathon Schaffer as they recap the series in San Jose.