Henderson Silver Knights Erase Deficit, Stun Roadrunners 7-6 in Overtime

Raphael Lavoie rifled a shot from the high slot past Tucson goaltender Stauber 1:38 into overtime Wednesday night, completing a hat trick and capping a wild Henderson Silver Knights comeback at Tucson Arena. The final score was 7-6, and it wasn't remotely that tidy getting there.

Henderson trailed 5-2 after one period, a hole that looked especially deep given how Tucson dug it. After Lavoie opened the scoring at 3:14 of the first, the Roadrunners erupted for four goals on four shots in a span of 1:51, with Austin Poganski, Scott Perunovich, Cameron Hebig, and Ty Tullio each finding the net before Henderson could blink. Julian Lutz piled on at 16:31 to send Tucson into the first intermission with a commanding three-goal cushion.

The Silver Knights came out of the locker room and started chipping away immediately. Eleven seconds into the second period, Lavoie scored his second of the night off a pass from Tanner Laczynski, making it 5-3. That assist was Laczynski's 100th career AHL point from the blueline up, a milestone buried in a chaos-filled box score. Matyas Sapovaliv converted a power-play goal near the midway point of the period to close it to 5-4, then Trevor Connelly tied it at 5-5 shortly after.

Tucson refused to fold. Poganski scored his second of the game less than 50 seconds after Connelly's equalizer, pushing the Roadrunners back in front 6-5. It looked like Henderson might fall short of completing the comeback. With 45 seconds left in the second period, Connelly scored again, this time from Alex Holtz and Kai Uchacz, to send the game to the third deadlocked at 6-6.

The third period produced nothing, which only amplified what came next. Lavoie took over in overtime, finishing off the hat trick with a shot described as a rifle from the high slot that beat Stauber cleanly and ended it 7-6 for Henderson.

The numbers around this game carry context worth noting. Jaycob Megna had cut the first-period deficit to 4-2 at 8:11, keeping Henderson alive before Lutz extended the lead. And Connelly's two second-period goals were the spine of the rally, each arriving at a critical inflection point.

For Tucson, the loss was the latest gut-punch in a season defined by overtime. Wednesday was the Roadrunners' 21st overtime game, the second-most in the AHL this season. Their record in games decided beyond regulation stands at 12-0-9-0, which means the 6-6 tie entering the third felt like familiar territory. This time, the Silver Knights had the finisher.

Tucson stays home to wrap up their homestand against the San Jose Barracuda in a two-game set Saturday and Sunday at Tucson Arena. Saturday's broadcast begins at 6:45 p.m. AZT on FOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app, with coverage available on AHLtv on FloHockey. Sunday's coverage starts at 3:45 p.m. ahead of puck drop. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.