Roadrunners Utilize Specialty Teams to Defeat Eagles
Mar 30, 2019
TUCSON, AZ. – The Tucson Roadrunners netted a pair of power-play goals and added a shorthanded tally to claim a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Eagles on Saturday. Forwards Michael Joly and Dominic Toninato each scored a goal in for Colorado in the loss. Tucson forward Hudson Fasching paced the offense, chipping in two goals in the effort.
For a second straight game the Roadrunners would grab an early lead on the Eagles, as forward Tyler Steenbergen snagged a turnover in the left circle and snapped a shot into the back of the net to give Tucson a 1-0 edge just 2:40 into the contest.
The lead would build to 2-0 when Fasching threw a pass from behind the net to the top of the crease and forward Brayden Burke belted the puck past Eagles goalie Pavel Francouz at the 14:39 mark of the first period.
In desperate need of an answer, Joly would provide it with a skillful rush into the zone that would take him around a defender and setup a shot over the shoulder of Roadrunners goalie Adin Hill. The goal was Joly’s third tally in the last two contests and trimmed Tucson’s advantage to 2-1 with 3:46 left to play in the opening 20 minutes.
The second period would see the Roadrunners jump right back on top by a pair, as forward Jeremy Gregoire would race down the slot on a shorthanded breakaway and snap a wrister past Francouz to give Tucson a 3-1 lead at the 1:38 mark of the middle frame.
The Eagles would again cut the deficit when a goal-mouth scramble set up Toninato to swat a loose puck out of midair and into the back of the net to trim the Roadrunners advantage to 3-2 with 9:29 left to play in the period.
Tucson would earn a power play late in the second stanza and Fasching would take advantage when he tracked down a loose puck on top of the crease and fed it into the net to give the Roadrunners a 4-2 lead at the 18:07 mark of the period.
Heading into the final frame, Tucson would continue to grow its lead, as an early power play allowed Fasching to skate to the top of the crease where he would control a rebound and fire the puck past Francouz. The tally would give the Roadrunners a 5-2 advantage, which they would hold until the final buzzer.
Colorado was held 0-for-5 on the power play, while Tucson netted two goals on eight opportunities on the man-advantage. The Roadrunners owned a decided advantage in shots on goal, 43-29.
The Eagles return to action when they travel to take on the Chicago Wolves on Saturday, April 6th at 6:00pm MT.
Single-game tickets for the 2018-19 season are on-sale now and start at just $18 per seat. Purchase your seats today by visiting the Budweiser Events Center box office, online at ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the Eagles ticketing department at 970-686-SHOT (7468).
