After the Tucson Roadrunners lost to the Bakersfield Condors on Friday, Tucson head coach Steve Potvin said they have to treat it like a playoff series.
The three consecutive games against Bakersfield, however, ended up like a playoff series that the Condors swept.
On Wednesday night the Condors (27-17-2-2) won their third game over Tucson (29-18-2-1) in six games, beating the Roadrunners 7-2.
“We had a good start to the game. They scored a lucky goal the first one,” Tucson forward Milos Kelemen told Roadrunners’ communications staff after Wednesday’s loss. “We need like more lucky bounce of our sticks. We got a lot of shots but everything going out of us. We need to be better on the rebounds.
“I got a couple chances and didn’t hit the net from, I don’t know, like five feet”
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Bakersfield also won in Tucson 3-2 on Saturday and 3-2 on Friday.
The Roadrunners (29-18-2-1) look to get back on track at the Henderson Silver Knights (22-24-2-4) in a weekend series starting on Friday. The Silver Knights have also lost three in a row.
Tucson forward Aku Räty is second on the Roadrunners in goals and third in points in his first season of pro hockey in North America.
The Roadrunners have lost six of their last seven, though they did pick up a point in the 5-4 overtime loss at the Iowa Wild on Feb. 10.
Tucson’s losing skid, which started after the All-Star Break, comes after they won four in a row before the break.
Bakersfield forward Raphael Lavoie earned a hat trick on Wednesday and tallied five points in the three games against Tucson this week.
“I think we must be better for our next two games. We are on a losing streak so we must show in Henderson better and show we are a good group,” Kelemen said.
Tucson’s record in California dropped to 9-3-0-0 with the Roadrunners seeing their six game winning streak in the Golden State snapped.
Up until Wednesday night, the prior five games in the Tucson/Bakersfield season series this year was won by the road team. Tucson is now 2-4-0-0 against the Condors this year.
The Roadrunners are 16-8-2-0 on the road and the Condors are 15-9-0-0 away games.
The mid-season sputter appears to be organization-wide, as the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes had lost 13 in a row heading in a Thursday night matchup at Toronto.
After the Henderson trip, six of Tucson’s next seven games are at home, although Tucson did go 1-3-0-0 on its last home stand.
March madness
On Friday the Roadrunners start a busy March.
Tucson has 14 games in March — six away and eight home.
After starting the month with the trip to Henderson, in eighth place in the AHL’s Pacific Division, the Roadrunners host fourth place Calgary for pair before heading to first-place Coachella Valley for one.
Tucson also hosts the Texas Stars, the third-place team in the Central Division.
The NHL trade deadline is Mar. 8 and the AHL’s is usually a week after the NHL’s.
The Roadrunners finished February 3-5-1-0.
Tucson forward Aku Räty is second on the Roadrunners in goals and third in points in his first season of pro hockey in North America.
Aku goes for two
Tucson right wing Aku Räty scored both of Tucson’s goals Wednesday night to earn his second multi-goal game of his AHL career.
The Finnish forward had a hat trick on Dec. 20 at the San Jose Barracuda.
Räty’s goals ended his goals drought of eight games. Before Wednesday his last goal was Jan. 13 against his brother Aatu and the Abbotsford Canucks in 4-0 win.
“He got an injury so I’m happy for him, he’s back and healthy,” Kelemen said. “We need his goals and his points, he’s really a good prospect and I’m very happy for him.”
In the red
After Wednesday’s loss the Roadrunners’ goal differential dropped to -5. Going into the game it was an even 145 goals for and 145 against.
VIDEO: Bakersfield Condors forward Ty Tullio beats Tucson Roadrunners goalie Dylan Wells for the first time early in the Condors' 7-2 win over the Roadrunners in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Aku Raty scores the first of his two goals against the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, but Tucson was outmatched on the road, falling 7-2. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
