By: Annie Nadin

A powerplay marker from Aydar Suniev, a breakaway finish by Sam Morton, and a late strike from Daniil Miromanov weren’t enough as the Wranglers fell 6-3 to Tucson at the Scotiabank Saddledome Friday night.

Calgary struck first and set the early tone in the opening frame.

Suniev showed patience while avoiding pressure from Tucson, waited for a screen to open and snapped his shot home for his 10th goal of the season.

Miromanov drew the secondary help on the play, keeping the puck alive at the blue-line before the finish.

Momentum swung in the second as Tucson flipped the script.

Noel Nordh and Ben McCartney scored one minute apart to put the visitors in front, but the Wranglers answered back.

Morton continued his strong run of form, levelling the game on a clean breakaway to extend his point streak to six points in five games, with Lucas Ciona picking up the assist.

The Roadrunners regained control through Austin Poganski, Jack Ricketts and McCartney striking again on the powerplay to make it a two-goal lead.

Calgary pushed back late in the period when Miromanov walked the line and ripped a shot from the top of the zone to cut the deficit to 5-3, with Clark Bishop credited on the assist.

Any hopes of a third-period push were dampened when Ricketts scored his second of the night to restore breathing room for Tucson, who added another to seal the result.

One of the more notable storylines on the night was Alex Gallant stepping behind the bench, adding an extra layer of intrigue despite the outcome.

The Wranglers will look for redemption in their final meeting with Tucson on Feb. 7.

GET TICKETS

Fans won’t want to miss tomorrow’s NextGen game presented by Sentinel Storage the first 3,000 through the doors will receive a collectable Dustin Wolf pin, with NextGen posters featuring Matvei Gridin also available around the building.