Henderson Silver Knights take two from Roadrunners in midweek series
Tucson came up short in a 4-3 loss Tuesday and were shut out 3-0 on Wednesday
The Tucson Convention Center Arena, home to the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate Roadrunners.
The Arizona Coyotes affiliate Tucson Roadrunners continued their homestand with a midweek back-to-back against the Henderson Silver Knights.
Ivan Prosvetov got the start in Tuesday’s back-and-forth affair. The scoring opened early as Travis Barron scored four minutes into the game, catching Sliver Knights goalie Jiri Patera out of position.
Just over two minutes later, Barron lit the lamp again, with the puck redirecting off Knights defenseman Zack Hayes. Barron’s quick one-two punch had the Roadrunners in good shape after the first period.
The visiting Knights ended Prosvetov’s shutout bid early in the next period as Jake Leschyshyn redirected a one-time slap shot from Daniil Miromanov. The second period continued without any further scoring, setting the stage for a Henderson comeback in the third.
After longtime AHL veteran Terry Broadhurst put Tucson up 3-1 less than three minutes into the third, Ben Jones grabbed his seventh goal of the season to trim the deficit to a single goal. Roadrunners defenseman Vladislav Provolnev had inadvertently blocked Jones’ pass attempt into his own net with 12:32 remaining.
The Silver Knights then tied the game at 17:20 of the third when Leschyshyn found the score sheet again. Peter DiLiberatore and Jonas Røndbjerg were credited with assists on Leschyshyn’s fourth goal of the 2021/22 season.
In overtime, the Silver Knights needed only 1:14 to put the game away. Colt Conrad’s one-timer, his fourth goal of the campaign, beat Prosvetov and won the game for Henderson.
Zane McIntyre drew the start for Tucson on Wednesday. After a scoreless opening frame in the rematch, the Silver Knights found the opener 44 seconds into the second period when Pavel Dorofeyev buried a power play goal on a rebound.
The game remained 1-0 until midway through the final period. An open Jack Dugan converted on a man advantage at 11:40 of the third, grabbing his second goal of the season from a Leschyshyn pass. Dorofeyev notchd his second of the evening only 101 seconds later — Matt Boudens won the faceoff, and Dorofeyev walked to the front of the net to place a wrist shot stick-side past McIntyre.
The Roadrunners hit the road next for a one-off game with the Ontario Reign on Saturday before taking on the Abbotsford Canucks Dec. 22 and 23. Both pre-Christmas games against the Canucks will be in British Columbia.
