Buckle up, hockey fans.
If the rest of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Roadrunners schedule is anything like their season opener Saturday night, this year is going to be one wild — but fun — ride.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ gave up two goals in the first seven minutes against the visiting San Diego Gulls, and trailed 4-2 entering the third period. But the American Hockey League’s defending Pacific Division and Western Conference regular season champs erupted for a four-goal final frame to defeat their counterparts from down Interstate 8, 6-4, on opening night of the 2018-19 season at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Arena.
“I think it was fantastic for the guys who put in all the effort and won the championship banners last year to have that,†ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Jay Varady said of the both the pre-game championship banner-hanging ceremony turnout and the raucous home crowd — all on a night when the Roadrunners’ schedule went square up against a University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football home game exactly two miles up the road.
People are also reading…
Roadrunners left wing Adam Helewka celebrates scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal in the third period.
Still, the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Arena attendance count topped 6,300.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ outshot San Diego 44-20, likely giving the Roadrunners the belief that at some point, eventually, even when trailing, shots were going to fall.
And in that third period, boy did they fall.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s stat line was a mishmash of usual suspects — including Michael Bunting, the Roadrunners’ leading returning scorer from last year who knocked in the insurance goal on the power play with inside five minutes to play — newcomers and guys who might not necessarily have been expected to provide so much offensive firepower.
But don’t suggest the latter to Varady, coaching his first game with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and first at the AHL level.
“Who’s to say he won’t be?†Varady said of the possibility of Jens Looke become a scoring leader for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Looke, the second-year Roadrunner who scored six goals in 59 games a season ago, kept the game within reach with a pair of first-period goals.
“I think each year brings new opportunities for people,†the coach added. “Whatever the case may be, he took the opportunity tonight.â€
Looke’s night ended when he suffered an upper body injury in the second period, but his teammates were more than equipped to pick up the slack.
With ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ trailing by a pair entering the third, Adam Helewka, in his first season with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ after playing parts of the last three with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, cut the lead to 4-3.
Left wing Michael Bunting watches his shot through traffic sail past Gulls goalie Jared Coreau for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s sixth goal.
Some eight minutes later, Helewka saw the puck on his stick again, this time blasting a one-timer from the right point that was initially stopped by Gulls goalie Jared Coreau but trickled past to tie things up.
“It was tons of fun. It’s always a grind every game no matter who you’re playing,†Helewka said of his first night in a Roadrunners sweater. “But we embrace that grind, and we came out on top. It was a hell of a lot of fun.â€
After that, it was Matteo Gennaro, not only in his first game with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ but his first as a pro at any level, going stick side top shelf on Coreau with a right-side slapshot less than 45 seconds later to put the Roadrunners up for the first time, and for good.
“It was a pretty wild night,†Gennaro said of his first pro outing, and the team’s first game of the year. “I think you’re beginning to see what is a big rivalry between these two teams.â€
Gennaro may be right. These two teams have most of the week off before sparring again Friday and Saturday — this time in San Diego.
