Tucson Roadrunners, Iowa Wild split weekend series in Des Moines
The Roadrunners recovered from a rough night Friday to win on Sunday
The Roadrunners’ record now stands at 5-6-1 in the packed Pacific division.
After splitting two homestands, the Tucson Roadrunners hit the road for a two-game set with the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate.
Friday’s tilt was all Wild, as Iowa held serve at home and recorded a 5-0 shutout win.
The scoring opened early as Kyle Rau got the Wild on the board 3:35 into the game, with Matt Boldy and former top-10 NHL Draft pick Marco Rossi assisting. Rossi finished with three assists, and he tacked on another for Rau before the first period ended.
Following the break, the Wild leapt back into the scoring column, striking less than three minutes into the second. Dominic Turgeon netted his second on the season with helpers from Adam Beckman and Nick Swaney. Less than five minutes later, the Wild extended their lead to four with a Boldy goal, and Rossi completed his assists hat trick. Defenseman Joe Hicketts also notched his seventh assist of the season on the play.
Boldy wrapped the high-scoring night 7:48 into the final frame, as Joseph Cramarossa and Turner Ottenbreit assisted his second of the game to complete the rout.
Following a day off, the teams squared off in the series finale on Sunday.
Zane McIntyre got his first start for Tucson, and all the action happened early in the game — all three goals came in the opening period.
Matias Maccelli scored first for the Roadrunners, as Michael Carcone was credited with his fifth assist on the season. Terry Broadhurst claimed the eventual game-winning goal less than two minutes later after Maccelli’s opener, with Lewis Zerter-Gossage’s assisting for the first time this season and Ryan McGregor recording his second helper on the year.
Boldy tacked his third goal on the season with just over two minutes left in the frame, with Rau touching the scoresheet again via an assist.
But McIntyre stopped the final 21 shots he faced, helping the Roadrunners break into the win column with a 2-1 triumph and earn a series split.
The Roadrunners return home to the Tucson Convention Center Arena following Thanksgiving for two games with the AHL’s newest team, the Abbotsford Canucks, on Nov. 26 and 27.
