By: Annie Nadin
A pair of goals from Rory Kerins and Lucas Ciona weren’t enough as the Wranglers fell 5-2 to the Tucson Roadrunners at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night.
Calgary opened the scoring early, with Kerins finishing off a slick feed from Dryden Hunt at the back door, burying it from the top of the crease.
Dynamic duo 🤝 pic.twitter.com/xepSoRcF2P
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) January 3, 2026
The marker extended Kerins’ point streak to 11 games, tying the longest run in Calgary Wranglers history alongside Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier.
Tucson responded with a tally from Austin Poganski before Cameron Hebig struck with 40 seconds left in the frame to give the visitors a 2-1 edge after 20.
The Roadrunners added to their lead late in the second, capitalising with just 15 seconds remaining as Juuso Välimäki found the back of the net to make it 3-1 heading into the third.
Momentum continued to swing Tucson’s way when Miko Matikka made it 4-1 early in the final frame.
Calgary pushed back later in the period, as Ciona got his stick on an Etienne Morin point shot for a redirection that cut the deficit to two.
Deflection perfection from the Fridge💥 pic.twitter.com/33VaM0pczt
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) January 3, 2026
Any comeback hopes were short-lived, though, with Ben McCartney sealing the result moments later, cashing in on a shorthanded chance to close out the scoring.
The Wranglers will be hungry for redemption, as they meet the Roadrunners once more at home to close out the double header on Jan. 4 at 1 p.m.
