The 蜜柚直播 Roadrunners鈥 season, and perhaps existence in Southern 蜜柚直播, has come down to one do-or-die game.
And if the Roadrunners win Friday, it won鈥檛 be the last time they face that exact same uncertain scenario.
After 73 games, the second-seeded Roadrunners (43-24-4-2) look to stave off elimination and pull even in their AHL Calder Cup first-round best-of-three playoff series against the seventh-seeded Calgary Wranglers (36-28-6-3) Friday at 7 p.m. at 蜜柚直播 Arena.
鈥淚 think the guys are all aware of it,鈥 蜜柚直播 head coach Steve Potvin said. 鈥淲e practiced hard and played hard all season long for these types of moments.
鈥淕uys don鈥檛 let up very much and they look forward to these types of challenges so there鈥檚 not much that we have to say to them.鈥
The game is another Whiteout at 蜜柚直播 Arena, with the Roadrunners giving out white T-shirts to fans.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 postseason continues as the Roadrunners鈥 future in the Old Pueblo remains in doubt. If 蜜柚直播 wins Friday, a Sunday rubber match would carry the same implications.
Upon selling the hockey-related assets of the NHL鈥檚 蜜柚直播 Coyotes last week, Roadrunners鈥 owner Alex Meruelo has said he wants to explore moving the team to Tempe in the wake of the state losing its NHL team.
蜜柚直播 needs to win to prolong the best-of-three series after falling 2-0 to the Wranglers Wednesday despite outshooting them 46-35. Calgary scored late in the second and then added an empty-net goal to seal it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty much do or die so the intensity better be high and we better be leaving it all on the ice for our fans,鈥 蜜柚直播 goalie Matthew Villalta said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 pretty good motivation as it is.
鈥淪o just gotta find a way to regroup and give it 110%.鈥
Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf made 46 saves in Game 1. He won the AHL鈥檚 most valuable player award last year and has extensive playoff experience, playing in 23 AHL postseason games.
蜜柚直播 forward Josh Doan said the Roadrunners don鈥檛 need to be alarmed.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no reason for us to panic right now. It鈥檚 one game. It鈥檚 best of three so it鈥檚 nice and short,鈥 Doan said. 鈥淥bviously it will be a focal point on getting shots on him again but at the end of the day we liked the way that we played and if we get back to that then we鈥檒l be fine.鈥
蜜柚直播 has gone 1-2-0-0 0 against Wolf this season, scoring a total of two goals. 蜜柚直播 left wing John Leonard scored on a penalty shot against Wolf but he was a scratch on Wednesday.
Villalta, for his efforts, held his own, making 33 saves on 34 shots faced Wednesday.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been a rock for us all year,鈥 Doan said. 鈥淭heir goalie鈥檚 good ... but we got just as much confidence in ours and come Friday we鈥檙e going to have just as much confidence in him again to help us and help us get a win.鈥
In his own return to the Roadrunners鈥 line, Doan played on a line with Dylan Guenther and Jan Jenik. The trio combined for 61 NHL games this season, where they got 45 points, led by Guenther鈥檚 18 goals and 17 assists in 45 games.
Doan said the Roadrunners鈥 game plan wasn鈥檛 entirely for naught in Game 1.
鈥淥bviously it worked (Wednesday) night. We almost had 50 shots on goal; it鈥檚 not really a sustainable way to defend,鈥 Doan said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to give up 50 you鈥檙e not going to win too many games.鈥
Wednesday鈥檚 attendance of 4,823 was a Roadrunners record for a weeknight playoff game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so good to be in front of the fans. They bring a lot energy and a lot of excitement and our guys feed off of it,鈥 Potvin said. 鈥淵ou can tell that they want it to continue and that they gain energy from it.鈥
Villalta said the arena energy was noticeable Wednesday night.
鈥淪eeing all the white shirts, white rally towels up there, it鈥檚 pretty cool. It鈥檚 pretty fun and I think our fans showed out (Wednesday) night and I can only imagine Friday鈥檚 gonna be even better,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 heard them chanting 鈥榣et鈥檚 go 蜜柚直播鈥 at certain points of the game and they were into it, so we鈥檙e gonna need that from them again on Friday.鈥
Slap shots
Fliers tied to a fan-generated petition circulated throughout 蜜柚直播 Arena Wednesday 鈥 the ask being for .
Meruelo, who sold the Coyotes鈥 hockey assets for $1.2 billion last week but held on to the 蜜柚直播 AHL club in his portfolio, stated multiple times last week his interest in exploring a move to Mullett Arena, on ASU Tempe campus, for the Roadrunners.
It鈥檚 been reported that such a relocation proposal would need to be presented to the AHL鈥檚 Board of Governors for approval. Those running the petition, which had more than 1,900 signatures by Thursday afternoon, hope to share it with the board prior to a league vote for relocation.
Photos: Roadrunners open the Calder Cup play-offs with a 2-0 loss to Calgary, AHL playoffs
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Calgary Wranglers center Mitch McLain (6) slaps down the puck in front of 蜜柚直播 Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta (31) in the second period of their Calder Cup playoff matchup Wednesday at 蜜柚直播 Arena.
A 蜜柚直播 Roadrunners fan holds a sign imploring the team to remain in town amid relocation discussions, prior to the Roadrunners facing the Calgary Wranglers Wednesday in Game 1 of the teams鈥 Calder Cup playoff series in 蜜柚直播. Calgary won 2-0.
蜜柚直播 Roadrunners forward Hunter Drew (36) pokes his way past Calgary Wranglers forward Jakob Pelletier (49) in the second period of the Wranglers' 2-0 series-opening win at 蜜柚直播 Arena.
A Roadrunners fan holds up her own contribution to the 鈥淭his Or That鈥 game shown on the 蜜柚直播 Arena video board during second period stoppage of play Wednesday night. The choices on her sign: for the Roadrunners to stay at their current home, the 蜜柚直播 Convention Center, or a rumored potential upcoming move of the team to ASU鈥檚 Mullett Arena in Tempe.