Following last weekend’s sweep against Henderson Silver Knights, the Tucson Roadrunners returned to the Tucson Convention Center for two games with the first-place Ontario Reign.

Ivan Prosvetov made his third consecutive start in net for the Roadrunners on Friday since his return from a short stint with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. And Friday’s opener was a high-scoring affair, with 12 combined goals. 

Cameron Hebig opened the scoring eight minutes into the first period, with Matias Maccelli grabbing an assist. This helper would be the first of Maccelli’s five points on the night, and the first of his two assists.

Thirty-six seconds later, the Reign tied it up as Brett Sutter netted his second goal on the season, and Ontario took the lead at 14:53 of the first period after Jacob Moverare scored, with assists from top prospect Alex Turcotte and Jordan Spence. 

Jan Jenik tied the game moments before the first intermission as he grabbed his thrid goal of the 2021/22 season. The previous homestand’s star, Hudson Fasching, notched his fourth assist of the year.

Aidan Dudas restored Ontario’s lead early in the second, with Spence assisting again alongside the AHL’s previous player of the week, Martin Frk. But Maccelli had a reply less than a minute later, and Michael Carcone nabbed the lead for the Roadrunners with an unassisted strike 5:18 into the period.

Former Reign player Bokondji Imama continued the goalscoring bonanza, with Carcone assisting Imama’s first goal of the season. Frk then pulled the Reign within two as the frame closed, but the third period was all Tucson.

Maccelli finished off his hat trick with two power play goals, and a Janis Moser goal sandwiched in between. The Roadrunners skated off with a thrilling 8-4 victory over one of the AHL’s top teams.

But game two of the series told a different tale for Tucson.

Josef Korenar started in goal for the rematch, and Ontario jumped all over the Roadrunners from the start.

Sean Durzi and Samuel Fagemo had the Reign ahead in the first period before Ben McCartney put Tucson on the board. His fifth goal on the season, with assists from Fasching and Maccelli, brought the hosts within a goal

But Fagemo (two goals) and Durzi (one goal) grabbed the reins in the middle period, combining for three goals and effectively putting the game out of reach. Vladislav Kolyachonok assisted a Moser goal to bring Tucson within two entering the third period, but that was as close as the Roadrunners would get on Saturday. 

Sutter scored an empty-net goal late in the third period for the Reign, but Jenik struck on a late power play to make the final scoreline 6-3 in Ontario’s favor.

Next, the Roadrunners head to the Midwest for a set with the Iowa Wild. They return home to face the newest AHL franchise, the Abbotsford Canucks, on Nov. 26 and 27.