April 21, 2025 • 51 mins
The Voice of the Tucson Roadrunners and Arizona Daily Star's James Kelley preview the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs for Tucson in Abbotsford versus the Canucks. They hear from Head Coach Steve Potvin with forwards Cameron Hebig and Kailer Yamamoto on clinching playoss; while also looking at the first round matchups across the AHL.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you want more Roadrunners, We've got more road Runners.
This is the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast with a voice
of the Roadrunners Jonathan Shafer.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What advice do you have for me?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Drink a lot of water. It's pretty odd.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
And your new best friend my best friend, Arizona Daily
Stars James Kelly. The guys are already talking, so let's
join them right here on your twoson Roadrunners Insider podcast.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
The playoffs are set seventy two games all played across
the entire league for each team and your two Soon Roadrunners,
I've clinched the very last one in game number seventy
two for the seventh seed of the AHL Specific Division race.
It is playoff time in the American Hockey League and
also in the National Hockey League as well.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 5 (00:50):
This is the two Soon Roadrunners Insider podcast with Jonathan
Schaeffer and Arizona Daily Stars James Kelly. We have lots
and lots to uncover from this past weekend. The Roadrunners
just needing a win on Friday and Saturday or Saturday,
I would say, got the win on Saturday. It was
an absolute movie finish to the season. Roadrunners clinched the
(01:13):
seventh seed of the AHL Specific Division race with a
thirty four thirty two to four and two record. They
they were, They finished same points with the Biggersfield Condors,
but the Roadrunners had that tiebreaker and all they needed
was to win and they got it. And now we
take on the second seed Abbotsford Canucks, the hard the
(01:34):
hottest team in the entire league. It's gonna be tough,
it's gonna be hard, but it's gonna be awesome. Nothing
beats playoff hockey. And now the Roadrunners will start off
the Calder Cup playoffs in Abbotsford. We're gonna be hearing
from head coach Deeve Poppin on clinching the playoffs for
the third year in the row. Here from Cameron Hebig
(01:55):
on the upcoming series, what it was like to have
all these playoffs scenario like games down this stretch. We'll
hear from Kyler Yamamoto as well, returning back to Tucson.
And then we have Hey, I got a question from
Brad Kerner with Sepovin as well. So James storybook finish
to the season. It took all seventy two games. We
(02:15):
did it in good fashion. Made it fun for everybody.
It was a record breaking weekend for Tucson with the crowds,
first time ever that we hit over six thousand and
two games in a row, sixty two hundred fans on
Friday night, sixty one hundred on Saturday for Fan Appreciation Night.
It was an absolutely fun weekend. We got a huge
(02:37):
win on Saturday seven to four to beat the Colorado
Eagles and clinch that final seat. So it's over now, right,
It's regular season's done. Whatever happened, the eight game losing skid,
the adversity that we all went through, it's over, and
now you have punched your ticket. You have given yourself
a chance to clinch this playoff picture, and you've now
(03:01):
given yourself a chance to go for the Cup.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
And it's not gonna be easy.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
But then we say it all the time, you just
never know what can happen for these playoffs, and especially
that it's a best of three series. All the road
Runners need to do is get two of the three wins,
and we also be Abbotsford in the season series five
to three as well. We're actually three and one in
their barn as all three games will be in Abbotsford.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
As well.
Speaker 6 (03:28):
Yeah, you said it well with the talking about the
storybook ending kind of Hollywood kind of ending, I was
thinking the scriptwriters where they went off the edge.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
They were just too too two wild because.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
Honestly, I thought that the whole year they would make
the layoffs and just how good they are and while
they played, but there's also there's all these instances where
they weren't able to pull that pull that far ahead
of Bakersfield, and then like last week, they had that
five point lead and then they went on the floor
really quickly, and then on Friday they the road Owners.
(04:00):
They had a great game against Colorado, which you know,
it was three to two, but if you think of
if you kind of forget about that that first goal,
which is like the first fourteen seconds, it was, it
was it was even for the for the game. And
then on the other side, Bakersfield they almost lost to
at home to Henderson, which if you remember the scenarios
(04:22):
going into the weekend, they just needed to, you know,
the Roaders just need to. Baker should lose the regulation game,
a game in regulation if they if they would have
got a point, then it would have been weird or
you know, I mean it would have been, you know,
instead of losing regulation. If they would have got a point,
then it wouldn't be quite the same. But you know,
obviously they won on Friday. And then when when I
(04:45):
first saw the score, I didn't see that initially by
the start your tweet, it was like it's three to zero. Initially,
that's like, well, I didn't know the game started. I
didn't even know the Baker's Wild game had started. So
you put it out there very very succinctally that saying like,
oh yeah, there's no there's no help to night the
road have to win. So it went down really really
down to the wire, and if you look at it,
it was always it's the kind of familiar faces, the
(05:05):
kind of good story the great storylines.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
During the season.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
You know, the the the Juggernaut line got the first
two goals, and then the Igor he scored his first,
his first goal since becoming a father, So so that
was that was nice, and then they went up three
to zero. But then the second period, after they scored,
after the color I had scored a couple quick goals,
it kind of looked like, oh no, are they gonna
you know, the Roter was gonna blow this lead, which
they had done before, not in a while, but you
(05:30):
know they've had big leads where they lost them. And
then Karen Heab came and scored, and you know, obviously
he's been a great story throughout the year. And then
later on he scored the second and second goal and
he kept the twenty six goals.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Great great season, regular season.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
For him, and a Roan McGregor scored, who you know,
he had been coming on strong lately and obviously and
then and then Karlie on motor almost finished with the
emptying that goal to kind of complete that storyline where
it was really cool where he came back. He came
back for the Bakersfield game, and he came back for
for this for the for the playoffs this year, so
that that was for the in the season after Utah
(06:05):
in their season, and he came back for that and
then the end of the REGA season for the playoffs
for the Roadnors. So that was that's really cool, kind
of really cool to see.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, I mean, who who?
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Who made it too obvious that it was scripted to
make Cameron Hebig the first star interview to clinch the playoffs.
The mayor of Tucson as he finishes his amazing season,
best season in his career by a landslide in his
fifth year with Tucson, finishing with forty seven total points
with twenty six goals and twenty one assists in sixty
(06:37):
seven games played. Twenty six goals career high, the twenty
one assist a career high as well, and the forty
seven points a career high.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
What a year it's been for Cameron.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Hebig gets the All Star bid, has a great run
with Tucson this year, signs the NHL contract with the
Utah Hockey Club and you know, and now he's found
a way to, you know, really become one of the
main staples of this team. He always has been, but
now scoring wise, he has been right. And now he
(07:07):
finishes this season as the last First Our interview for
the regular season. And it was quite remarkable to have
him be out there with a very Onelly on a
diver to just thank the fans and say, let's let's
go do this, let's go to the playoffs and let's
go have some fun.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah. Great, great story.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
And he's a guy who also I brought this up
with Steve and he kind of blinked and blinked, and
he's very he's very humble about that. But this is
the third year that he's been the permanent head coach,
because he was the interim head coach for that one
COVID year when Dave Ardi the head coach. They called
him up to help out with the Coyotes, and so
Steve is thrust into the spotlight and he became the
(07:47):
in the weird one season, not even twenty twenty twenty one,
but just twenty one because it was it was the
season didn't started till like February or whatever. He filled
in for that one. But since he's been the permanent
head coach for this is the third season. They made
the playoffs each each three each of those three years,
and so that's really testament to this coaching staff, especially
Steve and so also but to get getting back to Cam,
(08:11):
he's been on all those teams. He's been on that
and because guys that come and go, you know, there
was like Michael Carconi and you know Dylnant got there
and stuff like guys like that that were important, big fixtures,
big big big goal scorers and point getters for the
for those previous teams. But Cameron Hebeg has been one
of those consistent guys who've been there the whole time,
(08:31):
so he's experienced that whole situation where they've they broke
through when they got to the regular playoffs, because they
had the playoffs in twenty twenty one, but it was
just for the division and every team made it, so
it was it was a weird it was it doesn't
really count. But you know, a couple of years ago
they got back to the playoffs for the first time
in a while, they got over that hump, and so
(08:51):
cam he Big was there for that one and last
year they got to host for the first time in
a while, so that that's something that he was part
of and now he's got part of getting back to
the here, getting back the playoffs for the series and
or else. So it's a great good to have a
leader like that on the team.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, let's hear from Cameron Hebig first for our interviews.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
James.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
I mean, it was an absolute grind fest this entire
year for that seventh seed, right, Like, there are times
where we had it and then there's times where we
didn't have it. We kind of really had it the
whole year and then maybe there's spans where we didn't
have it for like three days and then we got
it right back. And there were even moments throughout the
year two when we were, you know, maybe potentially going
(09:30):
for the first seed, right, you know, back in December,
just before that eight game slide. So it was a
very interesting season for two so on. There were moments
where it probably wasn't gonna be this stressful, but this
team just kind of had to find its identity back, right,
and we were able to do that near this last
stretch of the season. And though it was again a
very storybook like finish, it was fun kind of having
(09:53):
that mentality of these games are all playoff games, right.
And I think when it really sat in was that
homestand we had April first to April six, when we
came home, we had had a rough road trip. We
we just finished the road trip one and four. We
lost to the Condors. We were back in the eighth seed.
We knew we were playing Bakersfield next, we were playing
(10:13):
the sixty Calgary Wranglers, so I was like, oh, here
we go. And then we went three and one. We
split Calgary and then we stopped Bakersfield, swept Bakersfield twice,
and though we only won one game in our next four,
going back on the road for Brockford and then splitting
up the series, you know with the or one of
our next three excuse me, h, or one of our
(10:34):
one of our next four.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Gosh see, I'm all over the place, one of our
next four. And uh.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
You know, though it was not the best finish to
the season for two so on, it was still just
such a such a grinding like mentality to have that
playoff mindset.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
And I thought we played good games in Rockford.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Thought we had a good game even on Friday night
when we lost two three or three to two against
the Colorado Eagles, and then had a very good game
obviously on Saturday night to win it seven to four.
So let's hear from Cameron Hebig of just what it
was like these past few months of just having all
these playoff like games for the Roadrunners to finally clinch
that final seed.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
I think this sets us up good. I think having
those playoffs games leading up to the end of the season,
it prepares us, it gets us ready, and you know,
going into playoffs. We played important games all leading up
to playoffs, so we're ready where we know we need
everyone pulling on their same rope. We know what leads
to success for us, and we know what needs to
be done. So I think everyone buying an in pulling
(11:33):
on the same rope and playing that type of hoockey
we should begin.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I like that, James pulling on the same rope.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
I think it does benefit this team that all these
games were feeling like playoff like ones, and it has
really prepared us for what's to come.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Right, It's not going to be easy.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
We have Abbotsford coming up first second seed in the
HL Specific Division. They finished off the year as one
of the hottest teams. They went on a thirteen game
winning streak that actually kind of pretty much started after
the last time we beat them they won, they lost
one more game, and then after that they won thirteen
in a row. It got snapped on April eleventh in
a shootout loss. They lost another regulation game against Calgary,
(12:13):
but then they finished the season on a three game
winning streak. So it's gonna be hard. They're the hottest
team in the league. But don't forget last year, James,
we were the hottest team in the league going into playoffs,
going against the seventh seed, and then we were playing
the Wranglers who had one of the worst records going
into the playoffs, you know, in the last ten games
(12:34):
or so, and then we lost the two games. So
now we are in the completely different downturn and not
saying we had the worst record going to the playoffs,
but it's just a very different mirror of what we
were in last year hosting the first round, and now
we are gonna be that underdog mentality like team going
into a packed Canadian bar and Abbotsford and playing a
(12:54):
team that finished and could have finished as that first seed,
have not Colorado at least got that win on Friday.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Yeah, I mean, like you said, the pressure is really
on abos Ford. They're the higher seed, They're the team
that's supposed to advance, you know, obviously in the short
series like this, but also the other part of it
is a short series that you know, there's not much
margin for aer for Abtsford, and you talked about already
where the Runners had a lot of success against Abersford
during the regular season. They went five five and three
(13:23):
against them, including three three and one and Avias First Center.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So that's something that you know.
Speaker 6 (13:29):
It's it's hard to kind of look at the regular
season in the HL and make a lot of predictions
for the playoffs because so much changes changes. Stuff changes
pretty much almost from week to week, but it changes
a lot from the playoffs because you have guys, guys
getting hurt, guys getting called up, you know, and guys
guys who were called down for the from the NHF
for the playoffs. So it's it's always kind of you know,
(13:52):
it's it's been a long time since they had that
big sweep against on the on the road and Aversford,
but you know, so maybe you don't read too much
into it, but it was a big sweep.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Honestly it was.
Speaker 6 (14:04):
If you remember, it was right before the Christmas break,
like after that, you know, the game was rather than
mean a night game like they would usually be, it
was kind of a getaway game where you like they
have in like a baseball and stuff like that, where
the second game was in the afternoon, so the guys
to get to the flights to get home for Christmas break.
And Runners won that first game on Friday, and so
Absford had to really really want that game because you
(14:25):
don't want that sour taste in.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Your mouth over the whole Christmas break.
Speaker 6 (14:28):
You're just gonna sit in there, sitting there with their
presence and there with their kids or whatever, and it's like, oh,
you're still still seething about that that getting split by
a Tucson. So they really wanted that game. They had
to really want that game. So for the Runners to
turn around and get that game was really huge. So
looking back, they did have a lot of successing Sabas heard,
they're gonna that's gonna be a motivation for Rabitsford. You know,
(14:48):
obviously you want to win normally, but they probably a
little maybe a little bit more of an edge that
they have, you know, kind of remember that they really
want to get revenge against the road owners. But that's
the thing that Runners can look look black to and look, look, hey,
look we had a lout of access at Abitsford. We
don't have to be in too many. We can just
go out there and play our game, relax and their
pressures on the Canucks.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, James, We've said it all year long.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
When this team plays to their identity, they can beat anybody.
And yeah, we have a lot of success against Abbotsford.
As you said, we swept them, right before the holiday break.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
It was a game twenty six of the year.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
It was way back, and it was actually the best
point we were at in this season with a sixteen
to ten record, and we were kind of right there
in the mix for first place. And then that's what
they kind of started struggling for us a little bit,
and we were able to recover to eventually make the playoffs.
And now you fast forward and we are back at
the Abbotsford Center for the first round of the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
So here are the dates.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Game one Wednesday, April twenty third, at seven pm Pacific
Standard time. Game number two will be the very next day,
on Thursday, April twenty fourth, So that's gonna be a
crazy two days, James. I mean, you win game one
and roll into game two, it's it's gonna put pressure
on whoever loses the first game. And then Game three,
(16:02):
if necessary, will be Saturday, April twenty six. So Roadrunners
won't be able to host any games in the first
round unless we get to the second round against the
Colorado Eagles. So we'll look forward to ed of that
if we get there, of course, But yeah, focusing on
the moment here, it's gonna be a really really good
three games, especially how chippy it got, right James, remember
(16:24):
when Andrew Ragazino scored that overtime winner to sweep the
Abbots for Canucks. At the I would say what at
the end of March it was when we beat them
in a overtime game and Andragazino scored the overtime game
winning goal and then fights all broke out right after
as well. It was an absolute like just gauntlet of everything.
(16:46):
It was February twenty third, then we beat them four
to three in overtime. We saw all kinds of scrappiness
throughout this season series, even back in Abbotsford in the
first few games of the year as On Neubucci hit
Waters really hard and that caused a lot of hearing
of the pot. So it's not only you know, no
margin for error in a three game series, but it
(17:06):
is going to be a potential blood bath.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
You fight when you go against the road Owners, you're
gonna have to fight the whole series. You know, it's
the road Owners way and that that on the Chushan way,
whatever you call it. When they play really hard like that,
it's gonna be It's It's not something that I think
a lot of teams that want to play in a series,
so it's gonna be get really scrappy, going to get
really intense, and you you look back and it's it's
(17:32):
a series that it's a serious that we kind of
knew was going going happened kind of looking the sand,
see how Abata is going. But again it's kind of
it's kind of goes on that script writers the thing
again where it's a it's a great, great matchup for
the runners in terms of it's exciting. You know, it's
kind of it's gonna be really intense. Obviously the players
(17:53):
are always intense, but it's gonna be that much more
of what they have so much bad blood from the
regular season and if you if you look at it
there Abitsford, you know they they have one and they
have really the I mean, it kind of depends on
how you look at it. But to me, I think
they're the oddest team in the league because they're a
(18:13):
in their last ten games, they're eight eight one on
one and then Milwaukee is eight one, one on one.
But that last lost for Rabbitsford was in a shootout fashion.
You know that, you know that not not a lot
not that last loss, but I mean the that one
at the end, and Milwaukee's loss was an overtime, so
it's a little bit a better loss, you know, to
(18:35):
be an overtime, I mean to be an shootout. So
they're coming in really hot like that, and they're they're
on a three game winning streak. But you know, like
I said with with with teams that are on a
losing streak, they're due to win. In this league, you know,
you're looking at a team and they come in and play
the Runners, they're like a four game losing streak, five
and lose streak, like, oh yeah, they're due to win,
because just how how tough sig is, how intense it is,
(18:55):
how you know, how much perry there is, especially.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
In in the division.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
And I kind of think the other one, the other
the other thing is too true that a team is
on a big winning streak there they're due to lose.
I mean last year, last year I think it was
Milwaukee had like a twenty game win streak or something
like guess crazy, but usually don't see crazy one streaks
like that. So to me, I'm I think they're kind
of you know, due to lose, and maybe not the
first game. But you know, it seems kind of hard
for me to be they're gonna win two out of
(19:21):
three right now, just based on you know, there's kind
of due to lose, you know in my mind.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Yeah, no, that's that's that's a fair point, right. It's
like you've got so many wins in the regular season,
and it's again, James, like we we saw it happen
to us.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We won. We were like, I think we won.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
I think we had a seven game point streak and
we're six oh one to oh to end off the
season last year, and the Wranglers were actually one of
the more struggling teams going into the playoffs and then
they Beaus in two games. And yeah, they got reinforcements
in addition to that, and Abbotsford's gonna get a lot
of reinforcements from the Vancouver Canucks going into this series
as well. So, uh, for abbots For, they were winning
(20:00):
games when they had a lot of guys that were
out with call ups, and now they're getting those dudes back.
But you just never know, it could mess up the
chemistry of what they had. I mean, we did the same.
We got a bunch of reinforcements from last season to
come in with Dylan Gunther and Josh Jones and Michael
Kessler Agan Tho. We played good games against Dustin Wolf,
we still lost. So it's definitely gonna be different and
(20:22):
different for us to have Matthew Woolton, Kylie Yamamoto back
because you know, those guys spent most of the year
with us. They were only gone for the last few
weeks of the season last year reassigned Gunther only played
twenty eight games, Josh Jones was kind of the one
that was more of the main staple than Kesslering only
played a few games, so it was kind of interesting.
And we even had Connor Geeky too, who played his
first two pro games and we eventually traded him to
(20:45):
the tam Bay Lightning for Mikhail Sergachev anyway, so it
was you know, it was fun to have all those
guys in. And again Tuson played two good playoff games
last year and just couldn't come away with it. So
now maybe it's a different, you know, same case scenario
year where it's heard gets a bunch of players, maybe
the chemistry is not all there, and you know, Matthew Vilalta.
We've seen him what he can do when he's when
(21:06):
he's on his game, and uh, you know, maybe steal
a couple of games as well.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
And James, that's it.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
You know, you just have to win two of the
next three and you go into the next round the playoff.
Let's also hear from Cameron Hebig again just on playing
the Abbots for Canucks for first round of the cauld
A Cup playoffs after having a successful regular season against
the Vancouver Canucks affiliates.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
Yeah, yeah, abits For is a good team. They got
some some good players.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
You know, we did.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
We have had a success against them this season, so
we'll look at the clips from playing them and try
to build off that and see how we had success.
And uh, obviously they're gonna come already. They're they're a
good team. They're second place for a reason. So we're
looking forward to this challenge. We're looking forward to playing
them and uh, like I said, it's an exciting time.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
Yeah, James, that's what makes it so fun too, Right,
It's like you're going against the the top seed of
the first round with Colorado getting the buy It's a challenge,
but sometimes we like challenges. Right, and you know, if
you find a way to beat these guys, this team's
confidence would be all time high. And it's when you
take teams out like that and again you go all
(22:16):
a sudden and play the first seed, it's like, oh
my gosh, like what's happening here?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
So I think that's what's gonna make it the most fun,
just the challenge that is ahead. It is going to
be not easy by any means, Like, don't be shocked
if this goes all the way to the third game,
maybe in the final period in a a two to
two game, like it's it's gonna be awesome, and it's
it's just gonna be so exciting and also just exciting
to have Kylie.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yamamoto back in the lineup.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Had a really good end to his Utah Hockey Club season,
finished with three points in the last nine games of
the year. Finished the season with US with fifty six
points and fifty four games thirty six assists on the year.
As well, if you have a Moto had played a
full seventy two game season, he'd be easily one of
the top scorers in the America Hockey League. Only played
fifty four games, which is also funny. James Kylie Yamamoto
(23:05):
actually joined our team. He cleared waivers all the way
back in October when we took on the Abbotsford Canucks.
It was his first game with us, near the first
start of the season. It was our first road trip
of the year as well, and our second road trip
of the year, I would say. And Yamamoto made his
roadruner his debut on Tuesday, October twenty ninth, and that's
(23:28):
when he cleared waivers and came to us with Josh
DELLNG And now fast forward all these months later and
he's become one of the best players in the league.
He's shown why he belongs in the National Hockey League,
and I think he's definitely earned a two way contract somewhere,
you know, whether it's back with the Utah Hockey Club
or any other team. But we're gonna have him back
(23:48):
for the playoffs and he's gonna be a game changer
for us.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
It's not just this skilled which is tremendous, and you
see him. When I first saw him, I was like, wow,
this is this is weird that he's with Roaderunners because
he really is skill set, just really looks like an
HL guy. And you know, it was early in the
season and they had him a lot of injuries, and
you know, he started off slow for the Utah not
what they expected. Obviously, he ended up strong and he
(24:14):
she showed they hed a play up there, but so
maybe that was part of it.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
You know, wait didn't get picked up.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
And obviously teams are just headset the teams, and you know,
he you know, it's hard to bring in the guy
when whether it's a room like that, you know, you
can obviously make room, but they was just it was
just kind of weird to see him come. But not
only skill set, but his attitude is really good. He's
the guy who, you know, obviously you could be depressed.
I mean he should maybe and although he should be
(24:41):
depressed after you get on waived and get moved down,
but Steve said that at the time that he had
a really positive attitude. He was really out there to
get the and fire for the guys. And then when
he when Utah came up to him and they told
him about the plan to move him move him on
for Tucson for that one Vickersial game, which you know,
like I mentioned that he used to play for Bikers.
Fie leads to play for Edmonton, He's like, oh yeah,
(25:03):
let's go. He was, he was excited about that, and
then came back and he was excited to be back.
Speaker 8 (25:06):
Now.
Speaker 6 (25:06):
I'm excited to be excited about the guys in the
room and excited to go and go deep in the
playoffs and you know, make a make a run for
the Calder Cup.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Yeah. That's that's what's so good about Kyler Yamamoto. His attitude, right.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
You know, if you if you just have a bad
attitude about the situation that Yamamoto was in, you're you're
never going to earn your way back into the National
Hockey League. But for Kyler Yamamoto, yeah, not easy by
any means. I remember talking to him all the way
back in October on Roadrunners. Happy are talking about just
being put on waivers and not knowing where you're gonna go,
and you know just what you're going to try to
(25:42):
make most of the opportunity here, and he said yeah,
He's like, I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
It was stressful.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I was stressed, didn't know what was going on, and
but he did say like I am happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I want to be here.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
I want to, you know, go to battle with these guys,
and yeah, for him to come back on that Sunday,
April sixth game against Bakersfield, to get to assists back
these last two games, to help out Tucson as well
with a couple more points, and now to have him
for this playoff run. You know, whatever happens in the
offseason for him, I'm sure it's gonna be good. He's
gonna earn a contract somewhere, just not only of the
(26:13):
way he's played, but just his attitude of what he's
been through. Former first round pick, you know, bouncing around
a couple of teams now and being put on waivers
this year, clearing going to Tucson, you know. And I
wouldn't even say having to find his game right. The
game has always been there. It showed when in the
American Hockey League. But it's just how it's just the
(26:34):
person he is, and I think that's just what makes
it better for the locker room to just know, like
this guy wants to be here and he wants to
help us win games and go for a Calder Cup
run as well. Let's hear from Kyler Yamamoto after Saturday
night's game, he was joined to buy a very own
Eliana tiber To talk about clinching the playoffs for Tucson
and just being back with the Roadrunners as well, and
(26:54):
a good finish to his NHL season with the Utah Hockey.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Club, making playoffs for your third consent a year. What
was the locker room like after the game tonight?
Speaker 9 (27:03):
It was electric, obviously, guys putting in a lot of
hard work this whole years. Be able to clinch like
that means a lot.
Speaker 8 (27:09):
And then coming back down from Utah being able to
contribute tonight, how does that feel?
Speaker 9 (27:12):
That feels awesome. Honestly, coming back and playing with these guys.
You know, it's like a family down here. So to
be able to grind with these guys and do that
you don't, means a lot.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
So Kyler Yamamoto finishing a terrific season with Tucson, an
overall terrific season about the HL and NHL with fifty
six points in fifty four games played.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
And the Roadrunners have a lot of good talent.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
James, I've always said this team does have the talent
to win hockey games, and also cool little accolade when
the Yamamoto scored is empty net goal, first twentieth goal
of the season on Saturday night. First time ever in
a single season where we have four different players score
twenty goals or better. Cameron he Big leading team with
(28:00):
twenty six igor so glove, hitting twenty two goals on
the season. It's actually surpassing his season high from the
last three years. He had twenty one in the twenty two,
twenty three and twenty three twenty four year with the
Belleville Senators, had nineteen the year prior, but this year
twenty two, so he sets a single season high in
total goals. Kyli yamabot to hit twenty and also Andrew
(28:21):
Agazino with twenty as well. So first time ever in
Roadrunners history in a single season where four different guys
have twenty goal years.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Yeah, that's one of the things that we talked about
a bunch of times, were when they're successful, they have
a lot of guys scoring. And that's really what happened
on Saturday. Were seven guys on the goals, and you know,
Kamernigan got too, but a lot of guys, a lot
of different goal scorers picked up goals. I mean, there
was a great goal for Hunter drew where he was
kind of like a pick six in football where he
intercepted and then you running back for a touchdowns that
(28:53):
felt like and you see a lot of there's so
many different types of goals. There was the swifty, you know,
kind of very deaf death really impressive, really skillful goals.
And there's the goals that are just like the determination
goals and goals you had were wet, like oh we
really need a goal. Let's go get a goal, you know.
And so there's a lot of variety in that. And
this team, in my mind, is really equipped for a
(29:17):
long playoff ron. I mean, you guys talked about it,
You and Adrian talked about it, like before the season
that they should contend for the division. You think they're
gonna contend for the division? You thought that, and in
terms of talent, you know, I I think that they're
they're around that talent level. I mean, they you talked
about it today where they were almost where those chances
where they had were threatened threatening for the two spots,
(29:38):
the one spot, you know, and ultimately you know, doing
no small part to that a game lose the street.
But they tumbled down to seventh the seventh seed, and
then you know, they weren't able to even though they
were always holding off on your shield. Kind of like, uh,
to me, it kind of felt like the Road cartoon
where Bakersfield is trying to catch up to to Rotors,
but the could never could until that very that last
(30:01):
home game that was home game for them, when they
played Tucson and then Tucson came back and got it
back right away. But it just felt like, you know,
they they've always been ready for the for the tournament.
They've always been there, and when you have this amount
of talent they have and you have diversity they went through,
which I think that I'm kind of worried maybe for
them that maybe they've been playing too much playoff type hockey.
(30:24):
You know, for the last like two months or whatever,
it's been like every game has been like a playoff
game because baker still has been right there behind them,
and they've been there immediately. The Runners haven't been super stellar,
they've been they dropped thought points where they should have
won or whatever, but and the and they lost games
that maybe they should have gotten a little bit more,
maybe she gotten at least like an overtime lost or shoot,
(30:47):
I lost or something. But they still have been able
to stay in that position pretty much the play position
for for the whole year, other than when they had
the ak Louse streak and then really quickly when Big
Shield cops in them. But when you have that adversity,
I kind of worried that maybe, you know, maybe you
have the intensity of having the playoff play a bunch
of playoff games for months at a time, which honestly,
(31:08):
maybe doesn't make that much sense because teams go to
go to play in June when they're in Stanley Cup
playoffs or deep in Sandy Cup playoffs or deep in
the Color Cup playoffs. So maybe that doesn't make them
a lot of sense. But you know, maybe it does,
you know, in terms of you have that intense, have
to keep up that intensity for so long. Any you
have that clinch and a great game like this and
he kind of relaxed mentally, and then absord is a
(31:29):
will to.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Come back and get you.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
But I don't know if that's really gonna be the case,
because they have a lot of seniors, they have a
lot of older players, They have a lot of experience
and especially experienced in the playoffs, and I mean we
didn't talk about it yet, but on Friday, Kevin Connaughton
he played his eight hundredth professional game or eight hundredth
HL NHL games games, but I don't know, but the
(31:51):
tweet you guys in, but he had four hundred and
forty HL games and three hundred and.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Sixty NHL games.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
So guy like that, who haven't talked a lot a
while about lately, but he's he's one of those key
guys that you know that they brought in and it's
a great locker room guy, great great impact. I'm a
great player and Robbie Grusso, so guys like that. And
then you're bringing Eager soklo Off and Keli Almoto from
from last year's team that they fell on the first round.
(32:17):
But maybe they have this kind of edge, they have
a little more experience. Maybe they can give over the
hump and get over to the second round.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, it's uh, we've made playoffs three in a row,
three years in a row, but we have yet to
get to the second round in the Steve paven Era,
so that's also a little task at hand as well.
And also James, just the death scoring in total that
we've seen this season once again from two so on.
You know, mentioning the four players you know with goals
twenty goals are better this year, But then we have
(32:45):
five different players with who have forty points are better
on the year. Austin mcganski hitting forty one actually the
first time ever in his career hitting forty points are
better in his seven year or six year AHL career
seven years if you want to count his four game
rookie season. Agasino finishes his season strong forty three points
and fifty five games played after missing fifteen games with
(33:08):
an injury. Igor Sokola finishes with forty four points with
twenty two goals and twenty two assists. Menchi, Cameron Hebig,
and Yamamoto earlier as well, and we also saw good
finishes of endings to the seasons as well, Robbi Russo
leading all defensemen in points with thirty four with four
goals and thirty assists as well. He ended off the
season with points in three of his last four games.
(33:32):
You know, he had a terrific year in his return
to Tucson. Bet McCartney a great second half to the
season post All Star. We saw what Sammy Walker did
joining the Roadrunners with twenty two points in thirty one
games played, with Tucson Maximilian Zuber hitting over thirty points
as well the rookie season for Ardam. Dude, There's just
so many great storylines that we saw this season and
so many guys really contributing. Ryan McGregor folding into the
(33:55):
mix near the end of the year and scoring a
huge goal on Saturday for insurance for US, Right, Curtis
Douglas having a terrific season, had that home stretch where
he scored goals in four straight it's four straight home
games with five goals in total in that span as well,
winning Man of the Year. Uh in addition to that,
and uh, you know, just overall, just an amazing season
(34:18):
for all of these guys and for all of them
to come together and continue to learn off of one
another really shows the adversity that we went through. And
you know, when you play a team like Abbotsford, they
haven't been through any adversity, right, They've been good all
season long.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
They even went on the thirteen game winning streak.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
And now they're gonna get all these guys back and
they're gonna be you know, they're gonna be as confident
as ever, of course, but when you go and play
a team like the road runnersho has been through so much.
We know what it's gonna be like to play in
this tough game. We know what it We've been through
it all, and I think that's just gonna help us.
Speaker 6 (34:49):
Yeah, it's gonna be misally, it's gonna be tough playing
playing abb abbts. For they have the finish real season
with twenty four to eleven one one record, which is
you know, twenty four wins is the second yeah, the
second most in the league for home you know, you know,
for home home record. But you know, obviously the Runners
(35:11):
had success there and it's a it's it's a you
know situation where Runners can go up there and they
have to be the way they finished the season, have
to be kind of confident. You know, they didn't get
the win on Friday, but they came close. They played Colorado,
who's definitely one of the best teams in the league,
competing for the most points trophy, you know, up there
(35:34):
for with with other teams, and you know, they have
the most points in the in the conference. You know,
they played they played them well and then they beat
them ultimately on on Saturday, they had some guys rested,
but they're so deep that it's still constantly win in
my mind because they're so there's a color, so deep.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
So really the.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
Runners and then they they they got swept and they
did get a point, but they got swept in and Rawford.
But to me, they're kind of quietly coming in, quietly confident.
They got that boost of a couple of guys who
did really well and NHL lately in Kylie Almono and
Matt Wlalta, who you know, you talked about it on
the Insider on the Happy Hour show about how well
(36:14):
he did in his first getting his first NHL win
and getting it again that first start for Utah. So
he came in and had a great game on Friday,
and he came in on Saturday, and you know, there
was a kind of you know, the four goals that
they gave up, but he made some super tactical saves,
including what you called and I think after agree on
the save of the year. And so he really kept
(36:35):
them in there and really made some big saves and
really inspired the guy. So he's the guy who a
week ago I thought was thinking, like, well do they
even play him? How much did they play him in
that last series, because because he hadn't been playing that
much for UTA. Obviously, he didn't play it all for
Utah until the until started against Nashville. So he came
in and had that big had that big get that
big win at the second start of the night, I
(36:57):
think it was the second star. And then he came
back and I've got two wins or gotta win and
almost gotta win on Friday, so that their team the
road is going in that they have to like their
taxes when they go up to that Havingsford.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yeah, the chances are definitely there.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
And for Matthew Volalta and Jackson Stauber, you know, we
have Dylan Wells in the mix as well. You know,
it's all you need is a hot goaltender, and you know,
presumably maybe Volalta goes game one, stober games goes game two.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
It just we just don't know. It really just depends
on the situation.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
And we do know that Matthew Voalta tends to play
a little better when he's uh when he has the
start game and game and he's a perfect goaltender for
the playoffs for that. But again, you still have Jackson
Stauber if need beat as well, who's also had good
amount of wins. The Road Runs win when Starbor plays
as well, so it will be interesting to see. But regardless,
the Road Runs are in good hands with their goaltending
(37:51):
situation as well, and just overall with the team. You
made the playoffs and that all is what matters. Now
no one cares. The regular season is done. Let's go
do this. Let's hear from Steve Pobin again as we
roll on with our interview byes just overall on making
the playoffs for the third straight year in a row,
and just everything that this team went through this season
to get to this point, to clinch the playoffs in
(38:12):
game number seventy two.
Speaker 10 (38:14):
Well, it feels great. You know, I don't know if
I don't know why everybody's so surprised. We knew we
had it all along. You know, I don't think worried
one time in January, February, March at all. It was
all part of our script.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Listen.
Speaker 10 (38:31):
The feeling's great. You know, I really appreciate the growth
that we've seen from our guys, our leadership, our players.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
Listen.
Speaker 10 (38:41):
They had to solve a lot of problems this year.
There's too many to list. I thought they responded well
and there's a lot of great humans in that room.
And I know, listen, whether we had won or lost,
it would have been the same type of dialogue. I
would have been a proud of our guys either way.
I mean, some of the guys didn't get to play
for a real long stretch and it was hard for them.
(39:05):
And not only did they have to deal with it,
but they're teammates that really appreciate their type of work
and their relationship. They also had to deal with it.
And it seems at times from a distance it might
be an easy thing to handle, but it certainly wasn't.
And you know what, they found a way in through
all the adversity and call ups and injuries, and you know,
(39:29):
young guys learning the game and you know, increasing their
level of their awareness and decision making at right times.
So real proud of the other group, all.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Right, James.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
So the playoffs are all set for the first round.
We were waiting for Calgary and San Jose to finish
off their game and the looks as it appears, the
San Jose Bearcuda lost to the Calgary Wranglers in this
Sunday game, they lost one nothing, so I turned it
on for a little bit, then I took a nap.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
I was very exhausted after the last two days.
Speaker 5 (40:05):
But yeah, so they won one nothing for Calgary, so
they will secure the fifth seed of the HLS Pacific
Division race. So they will go up against the fourth
Sea Calgary Wranglers San Jose. Now we'll head to Crypto
dot Com Arena with the whole Ontario arena situation. They
will play the first two games at Crypto dot Com.
(40:25):
That series doesn't even start till Thursday, and they will
play the Ontario Rain. We have the Abotsford Caducks that
we said for the Central Division Rockford we'll be going
up against the Chicago Wolves, the Texas Stars and Grend Rapids.
Griffins are already set for the second round with the
whole kind of different division alignment. Colorado is already having
our to buy in our division as well as we
(40:46):
talked about. And then for the Eastern Conference side, we
have the Providence Bruins against the Springfield Thunderbirds, Wilke Space
Grand Penguins against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms that was a
big upset last season. Lehigh actually upset wilkes Bury last
season as one of the lower seeds, so that's a
remake rematch for that from the playoffs from last year.
(41:08):
Hershey and Charlotte has already gone their first round bys
Laval first round by as well. They actually have clinched
the home ie advantage all throughout the entire playoffs having
the best season in the league.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Toronto and Cleveland will.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
Play the best of three series for that first round,
and then Rockford and Syracuse already set for that second
round best of five and in Colorado. In addition to
their bye, they also have the best record in the
Western Conference as well, so they'll have home iice advantage
all throughout if they were to make it. But we
would have to go against them in the second round
if we were able to get past Abbitsford.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
So it is absolutely chaotic.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
You really have to look at the picture I'm looking
at right now to really understand how these playoffs work.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
It looks crazy.
Speaker 5 (41:50):
It's just because we have ten teams, which is why
we have the most teams playing in the first round.
It's why some teams don't play till the second that kids,
I think that just gives us the advantage, but also
you have to defend us too because we play in
a gauntlet of a division with ten teams all really good, right,
you know, even San Diego had a good stretch at
the end of the year. We're in that constant battle
(42:10):
with Bakersfield and now San Jose was actually got good
this year. So that's what made it so hard to
make the playoffs till the very end. So people will
always say like, well, they get all more teams. I'm like, well,
it's because this is the best division, right, or at
least one of the best, So it's a little crazy.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Just go to hl dot com.
Speaker 5 (42:28):
They have this full beautiful bracket with all the great
colors and everything and your two soon roads will be
taken on the Abbots for Canducks starting this Wednesday at
seven pm.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
Basically, the basic summary of how the tournament, the Color
Cup Playoffs work is that you go through your division
again and so for the Pacific Division teams, it's a
war again because you know that we talk about tough
it is, but you also play there's three series in
the first round that they have and the line Twiss
(43:00):
to the North Division is one and Central Division is one.
So there's a lot of games you're play into.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
You get to that.
Speaker 6 (43:05):
In Carlorado's the only team that gets a buy and
directly in the division semi finals, and the first round
is best of three. We talked about that second round
is best of five, and so that one, if the
Runners do advance, they would get to play home games
home game or HYMN games against Colorado. And then if
they the next round of that is Division finals, and
so that one you kind of that's best of five also,
(43:27):
and then the winner of that goes in the conference finals,
and so you play against the in the in the
division specific divisions case they play against the the winner
of the the Central Division in the Western College Finals.
And on the other side the Atlantic Division obviously in
the North Division they match up. And so those are
cases where you know it's gonna be it's gonna be
(43:48):
a battle for the Runners if they want to get
out of the get out of the conference again. I'll
get out of the vision, get out of the conference again.
How they did before, how that one year they played
Texas in the you know, they played ToxS in the
in the tournament, and you look at it. One thing
to mention is that this is Runners. This is their
fifth post season appearance in their nine year history, and
(44:09):
then one of the third second birth obviously, and then
one of those accounts of twenty twenty that's count twenty
twenty obviously, because he didn't have the playoffs that year.
Those councils of the COVID and Runners had a really
good team that year. They hung up a banner for that.
They took the division or was it conference or division,
I don't remember.
Speaker 5 (44:26):
It was division and conference call because they were good.
I called them the fact the facto banners because we
were the facto. So it was still good. It was
still good. It's just because COVID happened. It's why we
have him up there.
Speaker 6 (44:39):
Yeah, So who knows how they would have done it
had they won that, had they had the had they
had that tournament. So that's it's interesting thing to note
how good the Runners have been historically in there, you know,
in the playoffs and everything. And if you look at
Colorado they had that they just get got edged by
(45:01):
LaVall and LaVall won the McGregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which is
for most points, and you look at it, it's a
situation that you know, obviously, especially in the NHL. A
lot of times in the pros, you see teams that
have the top seed going into the playoffs, they don't
really then they don't do that well, especially especially Boston
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (45:21):
You look at that.
Speaker 6 (45:22):
But in the case of the HL, the team with
the most points they often do really well. Like last year, Hershey,
they they got the double more regular season championship and
the Color Cut. You look at there's a lot of
teams that have done really well, you know done. You
know that that they've won the McGregor ka Patrick Trophy
and they won the Culture Cut Trophy. So there's like
(45:46):
there's Chicago a couple of years ago. So if you're
looking at that, but you going back to Colorado, they
they still had lots to play for on Saturday because
they had you know, they they lost the they already
clinched the they already got to the home home advantage
throughout the Western Conference tournament, and if they make it
to the Color Cup playoffs and the Color Cup Finals,
(46:06):
they would play against the Eastern champion, which you know,
in terms of points, would be LaVall. But if Hershey
can upset or someone whoever else upsets Laval, then they
would Colorado would get the homeless advantage in the Calor
Cup finals and Hershey's a team that they won back
to back called the Cup. They've always been a Mallel franchise,
one of the very first franchises, if not the first,
(46:26):
I don't remember exactly, but they've have been a Madel franchise,
so they, uh, it wouldn't be surprising off the upset
LaVall and Carler got the homeless advantage against the the
Eastern Conference team in the color Cup finals.
Speaker 5 (46:40):
Yeah, it's it's gonna be a very fun playoff run.
You know her, she's trying to go for the three
pet Laval a great season overall, winning the best points
in the in the league, as you just mentioned, and yeah,
it's gonna be awesome.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Playoff hockey is just awesome.
Speaker 5 (46:57):
NHL playoffs already starting this week as well, and the
American Hockey League playoffs starting this week now, as the
Roadrunners will take on the Abbotsford Canucks for Game number
one on Wednesday. Before we close out this show, let's
go to our Brad questions for the last time at
least of this regular season. Hopefully we can get these
back home at the Tucson Arena should the Roadrunners make
(47:18):
it to the second round.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
But Brad caught up with our head coach C.
Speaker 5 (47:21):
Poffin to ask his final two questions of the twenty
four to twenty five regular season.
Speaker 10 (47:26):
Oh, we're gonna start off with a bit of a
softball here.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
Seventy two games in the book.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
What has been kind of your favorite memory from the season.
Speaker 10 (47:34):
Oh, man, there's a well, obviously tonight was one of them.
I think that is actually the best thing because obviously
we've been talking a lot about the adversity of the
guys have gone through. But every season you aim to
try to build a team, and every season it starts
out as a group, and you could see we were.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Frankly a group.
Speaker 10 (47:55):
I'm proud that they were able to learn how to
deal with circumstance answers, really overcome a lot of the hurdles,
and they understand now that honestly, there are no barriers.
You know, there's only barriers if you think there are.
So I'm proud of that the most awesome.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
Then we have a heavy hitter here, smart fella or
fart smella.
Speaker 10 (48:16):
Well, I am definitely leaning towards the smart fella, but
I can appreciate the fart smeller.
Speaker 5 (48:26):
All right, James, great way to end the show. It's now, man,
it's playoff time. We're excited. Game number one on Wednesday
against the Abbotsford Canucks and get in the round one
series and it's best of three.
Speaker 2 (48:41):
Doesn't matter anymore. Record's done, season's over. The grinds there.
Speaker 5 (48:45):
But now it is postseason and everything just throw it
out the window. Think of it maybe as a brand
new year, and now it is time to try to
get maybe the biggest upset of the American Hockey League
for the first round.
Speaker 6 (48:59):
It's gonna be, you know, everyone's favorite part of the season.
Even hockey season is great, you know, and it's getting
a little bit warm and Tucson, but was part of
favorite part of the season for hockey is the It
is the playoffs obviously, so it's it's it's a great time.
Remember the game is on Game one is on Wednesday,
Game two is on Thursday, and the necessary game is
(49:19):
on Thursday. So if you're not able to, you know,
if you don't have an hl TV subscription or whatever,
get to the radio. Listen to the voice of the
run a nurse he well, I'm probably biased, but he
calls a great game, so it's it's gonna be fun
to hear him call with that playoff intend to do.
Speaker 2 (49:36):
Yeah, it's I'm excited too.
Speaker 5 (49:38):
You know, if you can't tell already, my voice hasn't
been fully there just from last night and uh now
it's gonna be going through a lot of gauntlets for
these potential next three games. So one more time, everybody.
Game one on Wednesday, seven pm. Game two will be Thursday.
Those two are guaranteed, and then, if necessary, the game
three will be Saturday, also at seven pm Pacific Standard times.
(50:00):
So we will see you in Abbotsford later this week.
We're also being Abbotsford for our usual Tuesday night get together.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
It will be a practice day for Tucson.
Speaker 5 (50:07):
We're gonna try to either get baby Steve Hooven or
Matthew will Alter to talk about his first NHL win. Regardless,
we'll be back with that as well as happy. I
will continue on now into the playoff edition. Have a
great rest of your night, everybody, Playoff hockey is here.
We are excited. Let's go to Abbotsford and let's take
care of business. We'll throw things out with Roadrunner.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Rock, have a great us.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Every night, A come after one of ours.
Speaker 4 (50:34):
You gonna need a lot more friends.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
We've seen us gap before.
Speaker 4 (50:38):
We don't how the story ends.
Speaker 6 (50:40):
Tonight.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
We runs up tonight to go us down.
Speaker 8 (50:45):
You try to run up on us. We're the bus.
Speaker 4 (50:52):
Go back to where it came from.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
Getting on the bus, drop five far away.
Speaker 4 (50:59):
Hey, I'm just kaping.
Speaker 2 (51:00):
Drop your gloves, put you just this away. You got
beat down tonight.
Speaker 8 (51:05):
That's the two sad Way. Road right fro ro Rodner
from road right, her from road roder Frock.
Speaker 3 (51:23):
That's the two sad Way
When you want more Roadrunners, We've got more road Runners.
This is the Tucson Roadrunners Insider Podcast with a voice
of the Roadrunners Jonathan Shafer.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What advice do you have for me?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Drink a lot of water. It's pretty odd.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
And your new best friend my best friend, Arizona Daily
Stars James Kelly. The guys are already talking, so let's
join them right here on your twoson Roadrunners Insider podcast.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
The playoffs are set seventy two games all played across
the entire league for each team and your two Soon Roadrunners,
I've clinched the very last one in game number seventy
two for the seventh seed of the AHL Specific Division race.
It is playoff time in the American Hockey League and
also in the National Hockey League as well.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 5 (00:50):
This is the two Soon Roadrunners Insider podcast with Jonathan
Schaeffer and Arizona Daily Stars James Kelly. We have lots
and lots to uncover from this past weekend. The Roadrunners
just needing a win on Friday and Saturday or Saturday,
I would say, got the win on Saturday. It was
an absolute movie finish to the season. Roadrunners clinched the
(01:13):
seventh seed of the AHL Specific Division race with a
thirty four thirty two to four and two record. They
they were, They finished same points with the Biggersfield Condors,
but the Roadrunners had that tiebreaker and all they needed
was to win and they got it. And now we
take on the second seed Abbotsford Canucks, the hard the
(01:34):
hottest team in the entire league. It's gonna be tough,
it's gonna be hard, but it's gonna be awesome. Nothing
beats playoff hockey. And now the Roadrunners will start off
the Calder Cup playoffs in Abbotsford. We're gonna be hearing
from head coach Deeve Poppin on clinching the playoffs for
the third year in the row. Here from Cameron Hebig
(01:55):
on the upcoming series, what it was like to have
all these playoffs scenario like games down this stretch. We'll
hear from Kyler Yamamoto as well, returning back to Tucson.
And then we have Hey, I got a question from
Brad Kerner with Sepovin as well. So James storybook finish
to the season. It took all seventy two games. We
(02:15):
did it in good fashion. Made it fun for everybody.
It was a record breaking weekend for Tucson with the crowds,
first time ever that we hit over six thousand and
two games in a row, sixty two hundred fans on
Friday night, sixty one hundred on Saturday for Fan Appreciation Night.
It was an absolutely fun weekend. We got a huge
(02:37):
win on Saturday seven to four to beat the Colorado
Eagles and clinch that final seat. So it's over now, right,
It's regular season's done. Whatever happened, the eight game losing skid,
the adversity that we all went through, it's over, and
now you have punched your ticket. You have given yourself
a chance to clinch this playoff picture, and you've now
(03:01):
given yourself a chance to go for the Cup.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
And it's not gonna be easy.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
But then we say it all the time, you just
never know what can happen for these playoffs, and especially
that it's a best of three series. All the road
Runners need to do is get two of the three wins,
and we also be Abbotsford in the season series five
to three as well. We're actually three and one in
their barn as all three games will be in Abbotsford.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
As well.
Speaker 6 (03:28):
Yeah, you said it well with the talking about the
storybook ending kind of Hollywood kind of ending, I was
thinking the scriptwriters where they went off the edge.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
They were just too too two wild because.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
Honestly, I thought that the whole year they would make
the layoffs and just how good they are and while
they played, but there's also there's all these instances where
they weren't able to pull that pull that far ahead
of Bakersfield, and then like last week, they had that
five point lead and then they went on the floor
really quickly, and then on Friday they the road Owners.
(04:00):
They had a great game against Colorado, which you know,
it was three to two, but if you think of
if you kind of forget about that that first goal,
which is like the first fourteen seconds, it was, it
was it was even for the for the game. And
then on the other side, Bakersfield they almost lost to
at home to Henderson, which if you remember the scenarios
(04:22):
going into the weekend, they just needed to, you know,
the Roaders just need to. Baker should lose the regulation game,
a game in regulation if they if they would have
got a point, then it would have been weird or
you know, I mean it would have been, you know,
instead of losing regulation. If they would have got a point,
then it wouldn't be quite the same. But you know,
obviously they won on Friday. And then when when I
(04:45):
first saw the score, I didn't see that initially by
the start your tweet, it was like it's three to zero. Initially,
that's like, well, I didn't know the game started. I
didn't even know the Baker's Wild game had started. So
you put it out there very very succinctally that saying like,
oh yeah, there's no there's no help to night the
road have to win. So it went down really really
down to the wire, and if you look at it,
it was always it's the kind of familiar faces, the
(05:05):
kind of good story the great storylines.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
During the season.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
You know, the the the Juggernaut line got the first
two goals, and then the Igor he scored his first,
his first goal since becoming a father, So so that
was that was nice, and then they went up three
to zero. But then the second period, after they scored,
after the color I had scored a couple quick goals,
it kind of looked like, oh no, are they gonna
you know, the Roter was gonna blow this lead, which
they had done before, not in a while, but you
(05:30):
know they've had big leads where they lost them. And
then Karen Heab came and scored, and you know, obviously
he's been a great story throughout the year. And then
later on he scored the second and second goal and
he kept the twenty six goals.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Great great season, regular season.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
For him, and a Roan McGregor scored, who you know,
he had been coming on strong lately and obviously and
then and then Karlie on motor almost finished with the
emptying that goal to kind of complete that storyline where
it was really cool where he came back. He came
back for the Bakersfield game, and he came back for
for this for the for the playoffs this year, so
that that was for the in the season after Utah
(06:05):
in their season, and he came back for that and
then the end of the REGA season for the playoffs
for the Roadnors. So that was that's really cool, kind
of really cool to see.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, I mean, who who?
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Who made it too obvious that it was scripted to
make Cameron Hebig the first star interview to clinch the playoffs.
The mayor of Tucson as he finishes his amazing season,
best season in his career by a landslide in his
fifth year with Tucson, finishing with forty seven total points
with twenty six goals and twenty one assists in sixty
(06:37):
seven games played. Twenty six goals career high, the twenty
one assist a career high as well, and the forty
seven points a career high.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
What a year it's been for Cameron.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Hebig gets the All Star bid, has a great run
with Tucson this year, signs the NHL contract with the
Utah Hockey Club and you know, and now he's found
a way to, you know, really become one of the
main staples of this team. He always has been, but
now scoring wise, he has been right. And now he
(07:07):
finishes this season as the last First Our interview for
the regular season. And it was quite remarkable to have
him be out there with a very Onelly on a
diver to just thank the fans and say, let's let's
go do this, let's go to the playoffs and let's
go have some fun.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah. Great, great story.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
And he's a guy who also I brought this up
with Steve and he kind of blinked and blinked, and
he's very he's very humble about that. But this is
the third year that he's been the permanent head coach,
because he was the interim head coach for that one
COVID year when Dave Ardi the head coach. They called
him up to help out with the Coyotes, and so
Steve is thrust into the spotlight and he became the
(07:47):
in the weird one season, not even twenty twenty twenty one,
but just twenty one because it was it was the
season didn't started till like February or whatever. He filled
in for that one. But since he's been the permanent
head coach for this is the third season. They made
the playoffs each each three each of those three years,
and so that's really testament to this coaching staff, especially
Steve and so also but to get getting back to Cam,
(08:11):
he's been on all those teams. He's been on that
and because guys that come and go, you know, there
was like Michael Carconi and you know Dylnant got there
and stuff like guys like that that were important, big fixtures,
big big big goal scorers and point getters for the
for those previous teams. But Cameron Hebeg has been one
of those consistent guys who've been there the whole time,
(08:31):
so he's experienced that whole situation where they've they broke
through when they got to the regular playoffs, because they
had the playoffs in twenty twenty one, but it was
just for the division and every team made it, so
it was it was a weird it was it doesn't
really count. But you know, a couple of years ago
they got back to the playoffs for the first time
in a while, they got over that hump, and so
(08:51):
cam he Big was there for that one and last
year they got to host for the first time in
a while, so that that's something that he was part
of and now he's got part of getting back to
the here, getting back the playoffs for the series and
or else. So it's a great good to have a
leader like that on the team.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, let's hear from Cameron Hebig first for our interviews.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
James.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
I mean, it was an absolute grind fest this entire
year for that seventh seed, right, Like, there are times
where we had it and then there's times where we
didn't have it. We kind of really had it the
whole year and then maybe there's spans where we didn't
have it for like three days and then we got
it right back. And there were even moments throughout the
year two when we were, you know, maybe potentially going
(09:30):
for the first seed, right, you know, back in December,
just before that eight game slide. So it was a
very interesting season for two so on. There were moments
where it probably wasn't gonna be this stressful, but this
team just kind of had to find its identity back, right,
and we were able to do that near this last
stretch of the season. And though it was again a
very storybook like finish, it was fun kind of having
(09:53):
that mentality of these games are all playoff games, right.
And I think when it really sat in was that
homestand we had April first to April six, when we
came home, we had had a rough road trip. We
we just finished the road trip one and four. We
lost to the Condors. We were back in the eighth seed.
We knew we were playing Bakersfield next, we were playing
(10:13):
the sixty Calgary Wranglers, so I was like, oh, here
we go. And then we went three and one. We
split Calgary and then we stopped Bakersfield, swept Bakersfield twice,
and though we only won one game in our next four,
going back on the road for Brockford and then splitting
up the series, you know with the or one of
our next three excuse me, h, or one of our
(10:34):
one of our next four.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Gosh see, I'm all over the place, one of our
next four. And uh.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
You know, though it was not the best finish to
the season for two so on, it was still just
such a such a grinding like mentality to have that
playoff mindset.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
And I thought we played good games in Rockford.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Thought we had a good game even on Friday night
when we lost two three or three to two against
the Colorado Eagles, and then had a very good game
obviously on Saturday night to win it seven to four.
So let's hear from Cameron Hebig of just what it
was like these past few months of just having all
these playoff like games for the Roadrunners to finally clinch
that final seed.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
I think this sets us up good. I think having
those playoffs games leading up to the end of the season,
it prepares us, it gets us ready, and you know,
going into playoffs. We played important games all leading up
to playoffs, so we're ready where we know we need
everyone pulling on their same rope. We know what leads
to success for us, and we know what needs to
be done. So I think everyone buying an in pulling
(11:33):
on the same rope and playing that type of hoockey
we should begin.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I like that, James pulling on the same rope.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
I think it does benefit this team that all these
games were feeling like playoff like ones, and it has
really prepared us for what's to come.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Right, It's not going to be easy.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
We have Abbotsford coming up first second seed in the
HL Specific Division. They finished off the year as one
of the hottest teams. They went on a thirteen game
winning streak that actually kind of pretty much started after
the last time we beat them they won, they lost
one more game, and then after that they won thirteen
in a row. It got snapped on April eleventh in
a shootout loss. They lost another regulation game against Calgary,
(12:13):
but then they finished the season on a three game
winning streak. So it's gonna be hard. They're the hottest
team in the league. But don't forget last year, James,
we were the hottest team in the league going into playoffs,
going against the seventh seed, and then we were playing
the Wranglers who had one of the worst records going
into the playoffs, you know, in the last ten games
(12:34):
or so, and then we lost the two games. So
now we are in the completely different downturn and not
saying we had the worst record going to the playoffs,
but it's just a very different mirror of what we
were in last year hosting the first round, and now
we are gonna be that underdog mentality like team going
into a packed Canadian bar and Abbotsford and playing a
(12:54):
team that finished and could have finished as that first seed,
have not Colorado at least got that win on Friday.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Yeah, I mean, like you said, the pressure is really
on abos Ford. They're the higher seed, They're the team
that's supposed to advance, you know, obviously in the short
series like this, but also the other part of it
is a short series that you know, there's not much
margin for aer for Abtsford, and you talked about already
where the Runners had a lot of success against Abersford
during the regular season. They went five five and three
(13:23):
against them, including three three and one and Avias First Center.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So that's something that you know.
Speaker 6 (13:29):
It's it's hard to kind of look at the regular
season in the HL and make a lot of predictions
for the playoffs because so much changes changes. Stuff changes
pretty much almost from week to week, but it changes
a lot from the playoffs because you have guys, guys
getting hurt, guys getting called up, you know, and guys
guys who were called down for the from the NHF
for the playoffs. So it's it's always kind of you know,
(13:52):
it's it's been a long time since they had that
big sweep against on the on the road and Aversford,
but you know, so maybe you don't read too much
into it, but it was a big sweep.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Honestly it was.
Speaker 6 (14:04):
If you remember, it was right before the Christmas break,
like after that, you know, the game was rather than
mean a night game like they would usually be, it
was kind of a getaway game where you like they
have in like a baseball and stuff like that, where
the second game was in the afternoon, so the guys
to get to the flights to get home for Christmas break.
And Runners won that first game on Friday, and so
Absford had to really really want that game because you
(14:25):
don't want that sour taste in.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Your mouth over the whole Christmas break.
Speaker 6 (14:28):
You're just gonna sit in there, sitting there with their
presence and there with their kids or whatever, and it's like, oh,
you're still still seething about that that getting split by
a Tucson. So they really wanted that game. They had
to really want that game. So for the Runners to
turn around and get that game was really huge. So
looking back, they did have a lot of successing Sabas heard,
they're gonna that's gonna be a motivation for Rabitsford. You know,
(14:48):
obviously you want to win normally, but they probably a
little maybe a little bit more of an edge that
they have, you know, kind of remember that they really
want to get revenge against the road owners. But that's
the thing that Runners can look look black to and look, look, hey,
look we had a lout of access at Abitsford. We
don't have to be in too many. We can just
go out there and play our game, relax and their
pressures on the Canucks.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, James, We've said it all year long.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
When this team plays to their identity, they can beat anybody.
And yeah, we have a lot of success against Abbotsford.
As you said, we swept them, right before the holiday break.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
It was a game twenty six of the year.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
It was way back, and it was actually the best
point we were at in this season with a sixteen
to ten record, and we were kind of right there
in the mix for first place. And then that's what
they kind of started struggling for us a little bit,
and we were able to recover to eventually make the playoffs.
And now you fast forward and we are back at
the Abbotsford Center for the first round of the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
So here are the dates.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Game one Wednesday, April twenty third, at seven pm Pacific
Standard time. Game number two will be the very next day,
on Thursday, April twenty fourth, So that's gonna be a
crazy two days, James. I mean, you win game one
and roll into game two, it's it's gonna put pressure
on whoever loses the first game. And then Game three,
(16:02):
if necessary, will be Saturday, April twenty six. So Roadrunners
won't be able to host any games in the first
round unless we get to the second round against the
Colorado Eagles. So we'll look forward to ed of that
if we get there, of course, But yeah, focusing on
the moment here, it's gonna be a really really good
three games, especially how chippy it got, right James, remember
(16:24):
when Andrew Ragazino scored that overtime winner to sweep the
Abbots for Canucks. At the I would say what at
the end of March it was when we beat them
in a overtime game and Andragazino scored the overtime game
winning goal and then fights all broke out right after
as well. It was an absolute like just gauntlet of everything.
(16:46):
It was February twenty third, then we beat them four
to three in overtime. We saw all kinds of scrappiness
throughout this season series, even back in Abbotsford in the
first few games of the year as On Neubucci hit
Waters really hard and that caused a lot of hearing
of the pot. So it's not only you know, no
margin for error in a three game series, but it
(17:06):
is going to be a potential blood bath.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
You fight when you go against the road Owners, you're
gonna have to fight the whole series. You know, it's
the road Owners way and that that on the Chushan way,
whatever you call it. When they play really hard like that,
it's gonna be It's It's not something that I think
a lot of teams that want to play in a series,
so it's gonna be get really scrappy, going to get
really intense, and you you look back and it's it's
(17:32):
a series that it's a serious that we kind of
knew was going going happened kind of looking the sand,
see how Abata is going. But again it's kind of
it's kind of goes on that script writers the thing
again where it's a it's a great, great matchup for
the runners in terms of it's exciting. You know, it's
kind of it's gonna be really intense. Obviously the players
(17:53):
are always intense, but it's gonna be that much more
of what they have so much bad blood from the
regular season and if you if you look at it
there Abitsford, you know they they have one and they
have really the I mean, it kind of depends on
how you look at it. But to me, I think
they're the oddest team in the league because they're a
(18:13):
in their last ten games, they're eight eight one on
one and then Milwaukee is eight one, one on one.
But that last lost for Rabbitsford was in a shootout fashion.
You know that, you know that not not a lot
not that last loss, but I mean the that one
at the end, and Milwaukee's loss was an overtime, so
it's a little bit a better loss, you know, to
(18:35):
be an overtime, I mean to be an shootout. So
they're coming in really hot like that, and they're they're
on a three game winning streak. But you know, like
I said with with with teams that are on a
losing streak, they're due to win. In this league, you know,
you're looking at a team and they come in and play
the Runners, they're like a four game losing streak, five
and lose streak, like, oh yeah, they're due to win,
because just how how tough sig is, how intense it is,
(18:55):
how you know, how much perry there is, especially.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
In in the division.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
And I kind of think the other one, the other
the other thing is too true that a team is
on a big winning streak there they're due to lose.
I mean last year, last year I think it was
Milwaukee had like a twenty game win streak or something
like guess crazy, but usually don't see crazy one streaks
like that. So to me, I'm I think they're kind
of you know, due to lose, and maybe not the
first game. But you know, it seems kind of hard
for me to be they're gonna win two out of
(19:21):
three right now, just based on you know, there's kind
of due to lose, you know in my mind.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Yeah, no, that's that's that's a fair point, right. It's
like you've got so many wins in the regular season,
and it's again, James, like we we saw it happen
to us.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We won. We were like, I think we won.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
I think we had a seven game point streak and
we're six oh one to oh to end off the
season last year, and the Wranglers were actually one of
the more struggling teams going into the playoffs and then
they Beaus in two games. And yeah, they got reinforcements
in addition to that, and Abbotsford's gonna get a lot
of reinforcements from the Vancouver Canucks going into this series
as well. So, uh, for abbots For, they were winning
(20:00):
games when they had a lot of guys that were
out with call ups, and now they're getting those dudes back.
But you just never know, it could mess up the
chemistry of what they had. I mean, we did the same.
We got a bunch of reinforcements from last season to
come in with Dylan Gunther and Josh Jones and Michael
Kessler Agan Tho. We played good games against Dustin Wolf,
we still lost. So it's definitely gonna be different and
(20:22):
different for us to have Matthew Woolton, Kylie Yamamoto back
because you know, those guys spent most of the year
with us. They were only gone for the last few
weeks of the season last year reassigned Gunther only played
twenty eight games, Josh Jones was kind of the one
that was more of the main staple than Kesslering only
played a few games, so it was kind of interesting.
And we even had Connor Geeky too, who played his
first two pro games and we eventually traded him to
(20:45):
the tam Bay Lightning for Mikhail Sergachev anyway, so it
was you know, it was fun to have all those
guys in. And again Tuson played two good playoff games
last year and just couldn't come away with it. So
now maybe it's a different, you know, same case scenario
year where it's heard gets a bunch of players, maybe
the chemistry is not all there, and you know, Matthew Vilalta.
We've seen him what he can do when he's when
(21:06):
he's on his game, and uh, you know, maybe steal
a couple of games as well.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
And James, that's it.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
You know, you just have to win two of the
next three and you go into the next round the playoff.
Let's also hear from Cameron Hebig again just on playing
the Abbots for Canucks for first round of the cauld
A Cup playoffs after having a successful regular season against
the Vancouver Canucks affiliates.
Speaker 7 (21:29):
Yeah, yeah, abits For is a good team. They got
some some good players.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
You know, we did.
Speaker 7 (21:35):
We have had a success against them this season, so
we'll look at the clips from playing them and try
to build off that and see how we had success.
And uh, obviously they're gonna come already. They're they're a
good team. They're second place for a reason. So we're
looking forward to this challenge. We're looking forward to playing
them and uh, like I said, it's an exciting time.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
Yeah, James, that's what makes it so fun too, Right,
It's like you're going against the the top seed of
the first round with Colorado getting the buy It's a challenge,
but sometimes we like challenges. Right, and you know, if
you find a way to beat these guys, this team's
confidence would be all time high. And it's when you
take teams out like that and again you go all
(22:16):
a sudden and play the first seed, it's like, oh
my gosh, like what's happening here?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
So I think that's what's gonna make it the most fun,
just the challenge that is ahead. It is going to
be not easy by any means, Like, don't be shocked
if this goes all the way to the third game,
maybe in the final period in a a two to
two game, like it's it's gonna be awesome, and it's
it's just gonna be so exciting and also just exciting
to have Kylie.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yamamoto back in the lineup.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Had a really good end to his Utah Hockey Club season,
finished with three points in the last nine games of
the year. Finished the season with US with fifty six
points and fifty four games thirty six assists on the year.
As well, if you have a Moto had played a
full seventy two game season, he'd be easily one of
the top scorers in the America Hockey League. Only played
fifty four games, which is also funny. James Kylie Yamamoto
(23:05):
actually joined our team. He cleared waivers all the way
back in October when we took on the Abbotsford Canucks.
It was his first game with us, near the first
start of the season. It was our first road trip
of the year as well, and our second road trip
of the year, I would say. And Yamamoto made his
roadruner his debut on Tuesday, October twenty ninth, and that's
(23:28):
when he cleared waivers and came to us with Josh
DELLNG And now fast forward all these months later and
he's become one of the best players in the league.
He's shown why he belongs in the National Hockey League,
and I think he's definitely earned a two way contract somewhere,
you know, whether it's back with the Utah Hockey Club
or any other team. But we're gonna have him back
(23:48):
for the playoffs and he's gonna be a game changer
for us.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
It's not just this skilled which is tremendous, and you
see him. When I first saw him, I was like, wow,
this is this is weird that he's with Roaderunners because
he really is skill set, just really looks like an
HL guy. And you know, it was early in the
season and they had him a lot of injuries, and
you know, he started off slow for the Utah not
what they expected. Obviously, he ended up strong and he
(24:14):
she showed they hed a play up there, but so
maybe that was part of it.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
You know, wait didn't get picked up.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
And obviously teams are just headset the teams, and you know,
he you know, it's hard to bring in the guy
when whether it's a room like that, you know, you
can obviously make room, but they was just it was
just kind of weird to see him come. But not
only skill set, but his attitude is really good. He's
the guy who, you know, obviously you could be depressed.
I mean he should maybe and although he should be
(24:41):
depressed after you get on waived and get moved down,
but Steve said that at the time that he had
a really positive attitude. He was really out there to
get the and fire for the guys. And then when
he when Utah came up to him and they told
him about the plan to move him move him on
for Tucson for that one Vickersial game, which you know,
like I mentioned that he used to play for Bikers.
Fie leads to play for Edmonton, He's like, oh yeah,
(25:03):
let's go. He was, he was excited about that, and
then came back and he was excited to be back.
Speaker 8 (25:06):
Now.
Speaker 6 (25:06):
I'm excited to be excited about the guys in the
room and excited to go and go deep in the
playoffs and you know, make a make a run for
the Calder Cup.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Yeah. That's that's what's so good about Kyler Yamamoto. His attitude, right.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
You know, if you if you just have a bad
attitude about the situation that Yamamoto was in, you're you're
never going to earn your way back into the National
Hockey League. But for Kyler Yamamoto, yeah, not easy by
any means. I remember talking to him all the way
back in October on Roadrunners. Happy are talking about just
being put on waivers and not knowing where you're gonna go,
and you know just what you're going to try to
(25:42):
make most of the opportunity here, and he said yeah,
He's like, I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
It was stressful.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I was stressed, didn't know what was going on, and
but he did say like I am happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I want to be here.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
I want to, you know, go to battle with these guys,
and yeah, for him to come back on that Sunday,
April sixth game against Bakersfield, to get to assists back
these last two games, to help out Tucson as well
with a couple more points, and now to have him
for this playoff run. You know, whatever happens in the
offseason for him, I'm sure it's gonna be good. He's
gonna earn a contract somewhere, just not only of the
(26:13):
way he's played, but just his attitude of what he's
been through. Former first round pick, you know, bouncing around
a couple of teams now and being put on waivers
this year, clearing going to Tucson, you know. And I
wouldn't even say having to find his game right. The
game has always been there. It showed when in the
American Hockey League. But it's just how it's just the
(26:34):
person he is, and I think that's just what makes
it better for the locker room to just know, like
this guy wants to be here and he wants to
help us win games and go for a Calder Cup
run as well. Let's hear from Kyler Yamamoto after Saturday
night's game, he was joined to buy a very own
Eliana tiber To talk about clinching the playoffs for Tucson
and just being back with the Roadrunners as well, and
(26:54):
a good finish to his NHL season with the Utah Hockey.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Club, making playoffs for your third consent a year. What
was the locker room like after the game tonight?
Speaker 9 (27:03):
It was electric, obviously, guys putting in a lot of
hard work this whole years. Be able to clinch like
that means a lot.
Speaker 8 (27:09):
And then coming back down from Utah being able to
contribute tonight, how does that feel?
Speaker 9 (27:12):
That feels awesome. Honestly, coming back and playing with these guys.
You know, it's like a family down here. So to
be able to grind with these guys and do that
you don't, means a lot.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
So Kyler Yamamoto finishing a terrific season with Tucson, an
overall terrific season about the HL and NHL with fifty
six points in fifty four games played.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
And the Roadrunners have a lot of good talent.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
James, I've always said this team does have the talent
to win hockey games, and also cool little accolade when
the Yamamoto scored is empty net goal, first twentieth goal
of the season on Saturday night. First time ever in
a single season where we have four different players score
twenty goals or better. Cameron he Big leading team with
(28:00):
twenty six igor so glove, hitting twenty two goals on
the season. It's actually surpassing his season high from the
last three years. He had twenty one in the twenty two,
twenty three and twenty three twenty four year with the
Belleville Senators, had nineteen the year prior, but this year
twenty two, so he sets a single season high in
total goals. Kyli yamabot to hit twenty and also Andrew
(28:21):
Agazino with twenty as well. So first time ever in
Roadrunners history in a single season where four different guys
have twenty goal years.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Yeah, that's one of the things that we talked about
a bunch of times, were when they're successful, they have
a lot of guys scoring. And that's really what happened
on Saturday. Were seven guys on the goals, and you know,
Kamernigan got too, but a lot of guys, a lot
of different goal scorers picked up goals. I mean, there
was a great goal for Hunter drew where he was
kind of like a pick six in football where he
intercepted and then you running back for a touchdowns that
(28:53):
felt like and you see a lot of there's so
many different types of goals. There was the swifty, you know,
kind of very deaf death really impressive, really skillful goals.
And there's the goals that are just like the determination
goals and goals you had were wet, like oh we
really need a goal. Let's go get a goal, you know.
And so there's a lot of variety in that. And
this team, in my mind, is really equipped for a
(29:17):
long playoff ron. I mean, you guys talked about it,
You and Adrian talked about it, like before the season
that they should contend for the division. You think they're
gonna contend for the division? You thought that, and in
terms of talent, you know, I I think that they're
they're around that talent level. I mean, they you talked
about it today where they were almost where those chances
where they had were threatened threatening for the two spots,
(29:38):
the one spot, you know, and ultimately you know, doing
no small part to that a game lose the street.
But they tumbled down to seventh the seventh seed, and
then you know, they weren't able to even though they
were always holding off on your shield. Kind of like, uh,
to me, it kind of felt like the Road cartoon
where Bakersfield is trying to catch up to to Rotors,
but the could never could until that very that last
(30:01):
home game that was home game for them, when they
played Tucson and then Tucson came back and got it
back right away. But it just felt like, you know,
they they've always been ready for the for the tournament.
They've always been there, and when you have this amount
of talent they have and you have diversity they went through,
which I think that I'm kind of worried maybe for
them that maybe they've been playing too much playoff type hockey.
(30:24):
You know, for the last like two months or whatever,
it's been like every game has been like a playoff
game because baker still has been right there behind them,
and they've been there immediately. The Runners haven't been super stellar,
they've been they dropped thought points where they should have
won or whatever, but and the and they lost games
that maybe they should have gotten a little bit more,
maybe she gotten at least like an overtime lost or shoot,
(30:47):
I lost or something. But they still have been able
to stay in that position pretty much the play position
for for the whole year, other than when they had
the ak Louse streak and then really quickly when Big
Shield cops in them. But when you have that adversity,
I kind of worried that maybe, you know, maybe you
have the intensity of having the playoff play a bunch
of playoff games for months at a time, which honestly,
(31:08):
maybe doesn't make that much sense because teams go to
go to play in June when they're in Stanley Cup
playoffs or deep in Sandy Cup playoffs or deep in
the Color Cup playoffs. So maybe that doesn't make them
a lot of sense. But you know, maybe it does,
you know, in terms of you have that intense, have
to keep up that intensity for so long. Any you
have that clinch and a great game like this and
he kind of relaxed mentally, and then absord is a
(31:29):
will to.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Come back and get you.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
But I don't know if that's really gonna be the case,
because they have a lot of seniors, they have a
lot of older players, They have a lot of experience
and especially experienced in the playoffs, and I mean we
didn't talk about it yet, but on Friday, Kevin Connaughton
he played his eight hundredth professional game or eight hundredth
HL NHL games games, but I don't know, but the
(31:51):
tweet you guys in, but he had four hundred and
forty HL games and three hundred and.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Sixty NHL games.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
So guy like that, who haven't talked a lot a
while about lately, but he's he's one of those key
guys that you know that they brought in and it's
a great locker room guy, great great impact. I'm a
great player and Robbie Grusso, so guys like that. And
then you're bringing Eager soklo Off and Keli Almoto from
from last year's team that they fell on the first round.
(32:17):
But maybe they have this kind of edge, they have
a little more experience. Maybe they can give over the
hump and get over to the second round.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yeah, it's uh, we've made playoffs three in a row,
three years in a row, but we have yet to
get to the second round in the Steve paven Era,
so that's also a little task at hand as well.
And also James, just the death scoring in total that
we've seen this season once again from two so on.
You know, mentioning the four players you know with goals
twenty goals are better this year, But then we have
(32:45):
five different players with who have forty points are better
on the year. Austin mcganski hitting forty one actually the
first time ever in his career hitting forty points are
better in his seven year or six year AHL career
seven years if you want to count his four game
rookie season. Agasino finishes his season strong forty three points
and fifty five games played after missing fifteen games with
(33:08):
an injury. Igor Sokola finishes with forty four points with
twenty two goals and twenty two assists. Menchi, Cameron Hebig,
and Yamamoto earlier as well, and we also saw good
finishes of endings to the seasons as well, Robbi Russo
leading all defensemen in points with thirty four with four
goals and thirty assists as well. He ended off the
season with points in three of his last four games.
(33:32):
You know, he had a terrific year in his return
to Tucson. Bet McCartney a great second half to the
season post All Star. We saw what Sammy Walker did
joining the Roadrunners with twenty two points in thirty one
games played, with Tucson Maximilian Zuber hitting over thirty points
as well the rookie season for Ardam. Dude, There's just
so many great storylines that we saw this season and
so many guys really contributing. Ryan McGregor folding into the
(33:55):
mix near the end of the year and scoring a
huge goal on Saturday for insurance for US, Right, Curtis
Douglas having a terrific season, had that home stretch where
he scored goals in four straight it's four straight home
games with five goals in total in that span as well,
winning Man of the Year. Uh in addition to that,
and uh, you know, just overall, just an amazing season
(34:18):
for all of these guys and for all of them
to come together and continue to learn off of one
another really shows the adversity that we went through. And
you know, when you play a team like Abbotsford, they
haven't been through any adversity, right, They've been good all
season long.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
They even went on the thirteen game winning streak.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
And now they're gonna get all these guys back and
they're gonna be you know, they're gonna be as confident
as ever, of course, but when you go and play
a team like the road runnersho has been through so much.
We know what it's gonna be like to play in
this tough game. We know what it We've been through
it all, and I think that's just gonna help us.
Speaker 6 (34:49):
Yeah, it's gonna be misally, it's gonna be tough playing
playing abb abbts. For they have the finish real season
with twenty four to eleven one one record, which is
you know, twenty four wins is the second yeah, the
second most in the league for home you know, you know,
for home home record. But you know, obviously the Runners
(35:11):
had success there and it's a it's it's a you
know situation where Runners can go up there and they
have to be the way they finished the season, have
to be kind of confident. You know, they didn't get
the win on Friday, but they came close. They played Colorado,
who's definitely one of the best teams in the league,
competing for the most points trophy, you know, up there
(35:34):
for with with other teams, and you know, they have
the most points in the in the conference. You know,
they played they played them well and then they beat
them ultimately on on Saturday, they had some guys rested,
but they're so deep that it's still constantly win in
my mind because they're so there's a color, so deep.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
So really the.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
Runners and then they they they got swept and they
did get a point, but they got swept in and Rawford.
But to me, they're kind of quietly coming in, quietly confident.
They got that boost of a couple of guys who
did really well and NHL lately in Kylie Almono and
Matt Wlalta, who you know, you talked about it on
the Insider on the Happy Hour show about how well
(36:14):
he did in his first getting his first NHL win
and getting it again that first start for Utah. So
he came in and had a great game on Friday,
and he came in on Saturday, and you know, there
was a kind of you know, the four goals that
they gave up, but he made some super tactical saves,
including what you called and I think after agree on
the save of the year. And so he really kept
(36:35):
them in there and really made some big saves and
really inspired the guy. So he's the guy who a
week ago I thought was thinking, like, well do they
even play him? How much did they play him in
that last series, because because he hadn't been playing that
much for UTA. Obviously, he didn't play it all for
Utah until the until started against Nashville. So he came
in and had that big had that big get that
big win at the second start of the night, I
(36:57):
think it was the second star. And then he came
back and I've got two wins or gotta win and
almost gotta win on Friday, so that their team the
road is going in that they have to like their
taxes when they go up to that Havingsford.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yeah, the chances are definitely there.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
And for Matthew Volalta and Jackson Stauber, you know, we
have Dylan Wells in the mix as well. You know,
it's all you need is a hot goaltender, and you know,
presumably maybe Volalta goes game one, stober games goes game two.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
It just we just don't know. It really just depends
on the situation.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
And we do know that Matthew Voalta tends to play
a little better when he's uh when he has the
start game and game and he's a perfect goaltender for
the playoffs for that. But again, you still have Jackson
Stauber if need beat as well, who's also had good
amount of wins. The Road Runs win when Starbor plays
as well, so it will be interesting to see. But regardless,
the Road Runs are in good hands with their goaltending
(37:51):
situation as well, and just overall with the team. You
made the playoffs and that all is what matters. Now
no one cares. The regular season is done. Let's go
do this. Let's hear from Steve Pobin again as we
roll on with our interview byes just overall on making
the playoffs for the third straight year in a row,
and just everything that this team went through this season
to get to this point, to clinch the playoffs in
(38:12):
game number seventy two.
Speaker 10 (38:14):
Well, it feels great. You know, I don't know if
I don't know why everybody's so surprised. We knew we
had it all along. You know, I don't think worried
one time in January, February, March at all. It was
all part of our script.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Listen.
Speaker 10 (38:31):
The feeling's great. You know, I really appreciate the growth
that we've seen from our guys, our leadership, our players.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
Listen.
Speaker 10 (38:41):
They had to solve a lot of problems this year.
There's too many to list. I thought they responded well
and there's a lot of great humans in that room.
And I know, listen, whether we had won or lost,
it would have been the same type of dialogue. I
would have been a proud of our guys either way.
I mean, some of the guys didn't get to play
for a real long stretch and it was hard for them.
(39:05):
And not only did they have to deal with it,
but they're teammates that really appreciate their type of work
and their relationship. They also had to deal with it.
And it seems at times from a distance it might
be an easy thing to handle, but it certainly wasn't.
And you know what, they found a way in through
all the adversity and call ups and injuries, and you know,
(39:29):
young guys learning the game and you know, increasing their
level of their awareness and decision making at right times.
So real proud of the other group, all.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Right, James.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
So the playoffs are all set for the first round.
We were waiting for Calgary and San Jose to finish
off their game and the looks as it appears, the
San Jose Bearcuda lost to the Calgary Wranglers in this
Sunday game, they lost one nothing, so I turned it
on for a little bit, then I took a nap.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
I was very exhausted after the last two days.
Speaker 5 (40:05):
But yeah, so they won one nothing for Calgary, so
they will secure the fifth seed of the HLS Pacific
Division race. So they will go up against the fourth
Sea Calgary Wranglers San Jose. Now we'll head to Crypto
dot Com Arena with the whole Ontario arena situation. They
will play the first two games at Crypto dot Com.
(40:25):
That series doesn't even start till Thursday, and they will
play the Ontario Rain. We have the Abotsford Caducks that
we said for the Central Division Rockford we'll be going
up against the Chicago Wolves, the Texas Stars and Grend Rapids.
Griffins are already set for the second round with the
whole kind of different division alignment. Colorado is already having
our to buy in our division as well as we
(40:46):
talked about. And then for the Eastern Conference side, we
have the Providence Bruins against the Springfield Thunderbirds, Wilke Space
Grand Penguins against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms that was a
big upset last season. Lehigh actually upset wilkes Bury last
season as one of the lower seeds, so that's a
remake rematch for that from the playoffs from last year.
(41:08):
Hershey and Charlotte has already gone their first round bys
Laval first round by as well. They actually have clinched
the home ie advantage all throughout the entire playoffs having
the best season in the league.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Toronto and Cleveland will.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
Play the best of three series for that first round,
and then Rockford and Syracuse already set for that second
round best of five and in Colorado. In addition to
their bye, they also have the best record in the
Western Conference as well, so they'll have home iice advantage
all throughout if they were to make it. But we
would have to go against them in the second round
if we were able to get past Abbitsford.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
So it is absolutely chaotic.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
You really have to look at the picture I'm looking
at right now to really understand how these playoffs work.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
It looks crazy.
Speaker 5 (41:50):
It's just because we have ten teams, which is why
we have the most teams playing in the first round.
It's why some teams don't play till the second that kids,
I think that just gives us the advantage, but also
you have to defend us too because we play in
a gauntlet of a division with ten teams all really good, right,
you know, even San Diego had a good stretch at
the end of the year. We're in that constant battle
(42:10):
with Bakersfield and now San Jose was actually got good
this year. So that's what made it so hard to
make the playoffs till the very end. So people will
always say like, well, they get all more teams. I'm like, well,
it's because this is the best division, right, or at
least one of the best, So it's a little crazy.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Just go to hl dot com.
Speaker 5 (42:28):
They have this full beautiful bracket with all the great
colors and everything and your two soon roads will be
taken on the Abbots for Canducks starting this Wednesday at
seven pm.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
Basically, the basic summary of how the tournament, the Color
Cup Playoffs work is that you go through your division
again and so for the Pacific Division teams, it's a
war again because you know that we talk about tough
it is, but you also play there's three series in
the first round that they have and the line Twiss
(43:00):
to the North Division is one and Central Division is one.
So there's a lot of games you're play into.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
You get to that.
Speaker 6 (43:05):
In Carlorado's the only team that gets a buy and
directly in the division semi finals, and the first round
is best of three. We talked about that second round
is best of five, and so that one, if the
Runners do advance, they would get to play home games
home game or HYMN games against Colorado. And then if
they the next round of that is Division finals, and
so that one you kind of that's best of five also,
(43:27):
and then the winner of that goes in the conference finals,
and so you play against the in the in the
division specific divisions case they play against the the winner
of the the Central Division in the Western College Finals.
And on the other side the Atlantic Division obviously in
the North Division they match up. And so those are
cases where you know it's gonna be it's gonna be
(43:48):
a battle for the Runners if they want to get
out of the get out of the conference again. I'll
get out of the vision, get out of the conference again.
How they did before, how that one year they played
Texas in the you know, they played ToxS in the
in the tournament, and you look at it. One thing
to mention is that this is Runners. This is their
fifth post season appearance in their nine year history, and
(44:09):
then one of the third second birth obviously, and then
one of those accounts of twenty twenty that's count twenty
twenty obviously, because he didn't have the playoffs that year.
Those councils of the COVID and Runners had a really
good team that year. They hung up a banner for that.
They took the division or was it conference or division,
I don't remember.
Speaker 5 (44:26):
It was division and conference call because they were good.
I called them the fact the facto banners because we
were the facto. So it was still good. It was
still good. It's just because COVID happened. It's why we
have him up there.
Speaker 6 (44:39):
Yeah, So who knows how they would have done it
had they won that, had they had the had they
had that tournament. So that's it's interesting thing to note
how good the Runners have been historically in there, you know,
in the playoffs and everything. And if you look at
Colorado they had that they just get got edged by
(45:01):
LaVall and LaVall won the McGregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which is
for most points, and you look at it, it's a
situation that you know, obviously, especially in the NHL. A
lot of times in the pros, you see teams that
have the top seed going into the playoffs, they don't
really then they don't do that well, especially especially Boston
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (45:21):
You look at that.
Speaker 6 (45:22):
But in the case of the HL, the team with
the most points they often do really well. Like last year, Hershey,
they they got the double more regular season championship and
the Color Cut. You look at there's a lot of
teams that have done really well, you know done. You
know that that they've won the McGregor ka Patrick Trophy
and they won the Culture Cut Trophy. So there's like
(45:46):
there's Chicago a couple of years ago. So if you're
looking at that, but you going back to Colorado, they
they still had lots to play for on Saturday because
they had you know, they they lost the they already
clinched the they already got to the home home advantage
throughout the Western Conference tournament, and if they make it
to the Color Cup playoffs and the Color Cup Finals,
(46:06):
they would play against the Eastern champion, which you know,
in terms of points, would be LaVall. But if Hershey
can upset or someone whoever else upsets Laval, then they
would Colorado would get the homeless advantage in the Calor
Cup finals and Hershey's a team that they won back
to back called the Cup. They've always been a Mallel franchise,
one of the very first franchises, if not the first,
(46:26):
I don't remember exactly, but they've have been a Madel franchise,
so they, uh, it wouldn't be surprising off the upset
LaVall and Carler got the homeless advantage against the the
Eastern Conference team in the color Cup finals.
Speaker 5 (46:40):
Yeah, it's it's gonna be a very fun playoff run.
You know her, she's trying to go for the three
pet Laval a great season overall, winning the best points
in the in the league, as you just mentioned, and yeah,
it's gonna be awesome.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Playoff hockey is just awesome.
Speaker 5 (46:57):
NHL playoffs already starting this week as well, and the
American Hockey League playoffs starting this week now, as the
Roadrunners will take on the Abbotsford Canucks for Game number
one on Wednesday. Before we close out this show, let's
go to our Brad questions for the last time at
least of this regular season. Hopefully we can get these
back home at the Tucson Arena should the Roadrunners make
(47:18):
it to the second round.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
But Brad caught up with our head coach C.
Speaker 5 (47:21):
Poffin to ask his final two questions of the twenty
four to twenty five regular season.
Speaker 10 (47:26):
Oh, we're gonna start off with a bit of a
softball here.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
Seventy two games in the book.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
What has been kind of your favorite memory from the season.
Speaker 10 (47:34):
Oh, man, there's a well, obviously tonight was one of them.
I think that is actually the best thing because obviously
we've been talking a lot about the adversity of the
guys have gone through. But every season you aim to
try to build a team, and every season it starts
out as a group, and you could see we were.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Frankly a group.
Speaker 10 (47:55):
I'm proud that they were able to learn how to
deal with circumstance answers, really overcome a lot of the hurdles,
and they understand now that honestly, there are no barriers.
You know, there's only barriers if you think there are.
So I'm proud of that the most awesome.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
Then we have a heavy hitter here, smart fella or
fart smella.
Speaker 10 (48:16):
Well, I am definitely leaning towards the smart fella, but
I can appreciate the fart smeller.
Speaker 5 (48:26):
All right, James, great way to end the show. It's now, man,
it's playoff time. We're excited. Game number one on Wednesday
against the Abbotsford Canucks and get in the round one
series and it's best of three.
Speaker 2 (48:41):
Doesn't matter anymore. Record's done, season's over. The grinds there.
Speaker 5 (48:45):
But now it is postseason and everything just throw it
out the window. Think of it maybe as a brand
new year, and now it is time to try to
get maybe the biggest upset of the American Hockey League
for the first round.
Speaker 6 (48:59):
It's gonna be, you know, everyone's favorite part of the season.
Even hockey season is great, you know, and it's getting
a little bit warm and Tucson, but was part of
favorite part of the season for hockey is the It
is the playoffs obviously, so it's it's it's a great time.
Remember the game is on Game one is on Wednesday,
Game two is on Thursday, and the necessary game is
(49:19):
on Thursday. So if you're not able to, you know,
if you don't have an hl TV subscription or whatever,
get to the radio. Listen to the voice of the
run a nurse he well, I'm probably biased, but he
calls a great game, so it's it's gonna be fun
to hear him call with that playoff intend to do.
Speaker 2 (49:36):
Yeah, it's I'm excited too.
Speaker 5 (49:38):
You know, if you can't tell already, my voice hasn't
been fully there just from last night and uh now
it's gonna be going through a lot of gauntlets for
these potential next three games. So one more time, everybody.
Game one on Wednesday, seven pm. Game two will be Thursday.
Those two are guaranteed, and then, if necessary, the game
three will be Saturday, also at seven pm Pacific Standard times.
(50:00):
So we will see you in Abbotsford later this week.
We're also being Abbotsford for our usual Tuesday night get together.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
It will be a practice day for Tucson.
Speaker 5 (50:07):
We're gonna try to either get baby Steve Hooven or
Matthew will Alter to talk about his first NHL win. Regardless,
we'll be back with that as well as happy. I
will continue on now into the playoff edition. Have a
great rest of your night, everybody, Playoff hockey is here.
We are excited. Let's go to Abbotsford and let's take
care of business. We'll throw things out with Roadrunner.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Rock, have a great us.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
Every night, A come after one of ours.
Speaker 4 (50:34):
You gonna need a lot more friends.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
We've seen us gap before.
Speaker 4 (50:38):
We don't how the story ends.
Speaker 6 (50:40):
Tonight.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
We runs up tonight to go us down.
Speaker 8 (50:45):
You try to run up on us. We're the bus.
Speaker 4 (50:52):
Go back to where it came from.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
Getting on the bus, drop five far away.
Speaker 4 (50:59):
Hey, I'm just kaping.
Speaker 2 (51:00):
Drop your gloves, put you just this away. You got
beat down tonight.
Speaker 8 (51:05):
That's the two sad Way. Road right fro ro Rodner
from road right, her from road roder Frock.
Speaker 3 (51:23):
That's the two sad Way
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