Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. MST, Acrisure Arena
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Thousand Palms, CA – The Tucson Roadrunners (4-2-1-0) continue their five-game road trip Wednesday when they make their first visit of the season to Acrisure Arena to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds (3-3-2-1).
Tucson is coming off a 4-1 victory over Henderson on Saturday and has earned at least one point in each of its last six games, posting a 4-0-2-0 record dating back to Oct. 9 at San Jose. The Roadrunners enter Wednesday’s matchup fourth in the Pacific Division with 10 points, one point behind the first-place Abbotsford Canucks.
Coachella Valley enters the matchup in seventh place in the Pacific Division with nine points after suffering a 5-2 home loss to San Jose on Friday in their last outing. The Firebirds have dropped four of their last five games, posting a 1-3-0-1 record over that span.
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Wednesday marks the 25th all-time regular-season meeting and the first of eight matchups between Tucson and Coachella Valley this season. It marks the first time the Roadrunners will face the Firebirds eight times in a season since 2023-24 after meeting just four times in each of the last two seasons. Tucson holds a 10-12-1-1 all-time record against Coachella Valley, including a 6-6-0-0 mark at Acrisure Arena.
The Roadrunners Weekly Tune-Up, presented by Semper Fi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, has you covered with some of the key storylines to watch heading into the game.
Three things to know
Road warriors
With a 3-0-1-0 road record, Tucson is one of just five teams in the AHL yet to lose in regulation on the road. The Roadrunners own the best road goal differential in the Western Conference and the third-best mark in the AHL at +8, trailing only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Laval.
Locking it down
Tucson ranks tied for fifth in the AHL in goals against per game, allowing just 2.25. The Roadrunners have surrendered just 1.4 goals per game over their last five contests dating back to Oct. 10 at San Jose. Tucson has not allowed more than three goals in that span and has held opponents to two goals or fewer in four of its last five games.
Offensive leaders
Cameron Hebig is coming off a two-goal performance Saturday and has scored in back-to-back games, totaling three goals over that span. He leads Tucson with five goals this season. Assistant captain Ben McCartney recorded two assists Saturday and leads the Roadrunners with 11 points (2g, 9a), ranking tied for seventh in the AHL. Rookie Tij Iginla also recorded a pair of assists in Tucson’s last game and has assisted on three of the Roadrunners’ last four power-play goals over their last three games dating back to Oct. 17 vs. San Diego.
Numbers to know
28.6% – The Roadrunners have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their first four road games this season, going 6-for-21 (28.6%) over that span. Tucson’s road power play ranks third in the Western Conference and fifth in the AHL.
