Tucson Roadrunners Score Six Goals, Provide Tucson With Excitement

The Tucson Roadrunners dropped the puck on the first home game in franchise history on Friday night. The team (and the fans) did not disappoint.

After three games on the road to start the 2016-17 season, the Tucson Roadrunners christened Tucson Convention Center with a wild 6-5 victory.

The game against the Stockton Heat was good old fashioned “fire wagon hockey”, with eleven goals scored between the two teams.

Defense wasn’t on the menu in Tucson on Friday night, but excitement wasn’t hard to come by.

Goaltender Adin Hill received the loudest cheers during player introductions.

Unfortunately, a mere five minutes into the contest he had already allowed three goals to put the Roadrunners in a 3-0 hole.

He bounced back through the final 55 minutes, saving 36 of 41 shots to secure the win.

Jarred Tinordi – yes, you read that right! – scored the Tucson Roadrunners’ first home goal to cut the lead to 3-1 and both teams were off to the races.

Fans in attendance were treated to a little bit of everything that is great about the sport of hockey.

Jon Gillies and Hill alternated thrilling saves and head-hanging gaffes.

Hits were a-plenty.

Coyotes prospect Christian Fischer lifted a puck and skated end-to-end to setup a game-tying shorthanded goal.

Eric Selleck won the hearts of Tucson fans with an entertaining video segment. He later scored the game-winning goal with 3:10 left in the third period after Tyler Gaudet found him as he exited the penalty box.

There was also the other thing that gets hockey fans out of their seats; an epic slugfest between Garret Ross and Ryan Lomberg that saw the pair battle from one side of the ice to the other.

If there were any fans in attendance who had not been indoctrinated into hockey fandom before the game, it’s safe to say they are probably lifelong believers now.

The Tucson Roadrunners organization, with some help from the Arizona Coyotes, put on a sterling event in their first stab at AHL hockey.

Roadrunners’ mascot Dusty and the Coyotes’ mascot Howler were prominent throughout the arena. The game ops crew introduced a “just right” mix of campiness and hype to keep the crowd engaged, particularly when things were looking bleak early.

To the fans’ credit, they were electric from puck drop, cheering the team and jeering the opponent. It was loud in TCC, creating a killer atmosphere as fans lived and died with each turn of play.

Beyond the veterans, many future Coyotes were showcased in their new city.

The crowd was treated to the first professional goal of Ryan MacInnis‘ career. We also witnessed the first professional points for speedster Conor Garland and winger Christian Fischer.

Meanwhile, defenseman Kyle Wood added to his team-leading points total with an assist.

Defensively both teams were a bit of an eyesore, but it’s fair to say the future is bright.

Next: Clayton Keller May Be The Coyotes' Top Prospect

Everyone talks about hockey in the desert being a hard sell to fans in a non-traditional market.

The Tucson Roadrunners and Arizona Coyotes are proving that all it takes is a little patience, and a lot of heart.