Preview: IceHogs Travel West As They Take On The Tucson Roadrunners

Game Preview Presented By-Roofers and Waterproofers Local 11

Tucson, AZ.- The Rockford IceHogs and Tucson Roadrunners meet for the first time since 2022 tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center. Rockford swept the season series with the Roadrunners back in the 2021-22 season.

Last Time Out- The IceHogs suffered a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves last Sunday in Rosemont. Rockford outshot the Wolves 31-15 in the contest but could not climb back from the four-goal deficit. Gerry Mayhew and Ryan Gagnier would find the back of the net less than a minute apart to bring Rockford to within two goals in the third period. Chicago goalie Dustin Tokarski would keep the IceHogs off the board after Gagnier's goal to secure the victory for Chicago.

2024-25 Records:
Rockford- 21-24-5-1, 48 points (5th Central Division)
Tucson - 24-22-2-2, 52 points (7th Pacific Division)

Rookies Making An Impact- The youth movement kickstarted the 2024-25 season for the Rockford IceHogs with players like Frank Nazar (11G, 13A) and Landon Slaggert (10G, 15A) getting off to hot starts in Rockford. Both Nazar and Slaggert are making their mark in Chicago along with other young skaters Ethan Del Mastro and Colton Dach. Meanwhile Artyom Levshunov and Samuel Savoie have found their scoring touch as of late in Rockford. Levshunov has 21 points (5G,16A) and is second in shots on goal among AHL rookies. Savoie has 16 points (6G,10A) in 51 games in his first season with the IceHogs.

Unfamiliar Foes- The IceHogs and Roadrunners meet for the first time since April 2022 where the IceHogs swept the season series. Rockford leads the all-time series with Tucson with a 6-1-1 mark with the Utah Hockey Club affiliate. Before 2022, the teams met four times in the 2018-19 season where the teams split the four games. The Roadrunners will visit the BMO Center April 11-12 to conclude the season series.

Heading West- The Roadrunners have swept last weekend's series with the Abbotsford Canucks with a pair of one-goal victories. Former first round draft pick Kailer Yamamoto leads Tucson with 42 points (14G,28A) and is currently riding a six game point streak. The Roadrunners enter the weekend series just one point ahead of the Bakersfield Condors for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division and are 5-3-0-2 in their last ten games. Tucson ranks in the top five in penalty minutes in the AHL while the IceHogs' power-play ranks seventh best in the league.

Tune In LIVE on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO
Watch and listen to every game this season on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO! Fans can also watch every IceHogs game on AHLTV on FloHockey! AHLTV on FloHockey features live streaming of every AHL game in high definition on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices by clicking here, as well as on over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. AHLTV is also available through the official AHL mobile app for iOS or Android.

2024-25 Head to Head Matchups:

Feb. 28 @ Tucson 8 p.m.
March. 1 @ Tucson 8 p.m.
April. 11 vs Tucson 7 p.m.
April. 12 vs Tucson 7 p.m.