For the second night in a row, Ontario needed more than 60 minutes to beat Tucson. Forward Rasmus Kupari was the hero on Saturday, as he powered a wrist shot past the Roadrunner netminder 1:36 into overtime on a 2-on-1 rush to complete the road sweep in Tucson.
Between the two teams, only one power play goal was scored, coming from Roadrunners forward Adam Cracknell — who tied the game late in the third period. Earlier, Ontario was unable able to capitalize on five man-advantages, yet killed off four of five penalties against.
Kings prospect Quinton Byfield, who is turning into a bit of a Roadrunner killer, opened the scoring late in the first period off a turnaround shot in the slot. The 20-year-old used his big frame to create the scoring play. Ontario put together a strong road period, doubling Tucson’s shots on goal (14-7), due to their aggressive forecheck.
STATS CHECK
Byfield conditioning assignment…
14 points in 13 games
9 goals, 5 assistsNext up. Friday @ Bako
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) December 11, 2022
In the middle period, Tucson evened the score when they were able to sneak one past goalie Matt Villalta.
Early going in the third stanza, Villalta made a monumental save for Ontario. With 4:28 left to play, Taylor Ward notched his fifth of the season, taking advantage of a rebound of a Jacob Moverare shot. However, Tucson eventually tied it on a powerplay goal, just seconds after Tobie Bisson took a delay of game penalty.
Less than two minutes into the overtime period, Kupari netted the overtime winner, sealing the weekend sweep.
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Lead photo via Mike Zitek
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