MacDonald's late overtime goal lifts Eagles past Roadrunners, 3-2

Jacob MacDonald did what closers do, finishing the game with 45 seconds left in overtime and sending the Colorado Eagles past the Tucson Roadrunners, 3-2, in a tense one-goal game at Blue Federal Credit Union Arena in Loveland, Colorado. The victory came after 64:15 of hockey and left Colorado at 41-18-6-5, a result that mattered as much for the Eagles’ posture in the Pacific Division as for the two points themselves.

Colorado needed late-game heroics because Tucson never let the night settle into comfort. Daniil But opened the scoring 1:22 into the first period, but Tristen Nielsen answered 19 seconds later, then Alex Barré-Boulet put Colorado ahead with a power-play goal at 9:57 of the opening frame. That early burst gave the Eagles control on the scoreboard, but not enough separation to coast. Robbie Russo tied it for Tucson later, and the Roadrunners kept pushing long enough to force overtime.

The pressure Colorado applied was real. The Eagles outshot Tucson 44-24 overall and 17-8 in the first period, a margin that showed territorial control even as the score stayed tight. Trent Miner backed that up in net, stopping 22 of 24 shots and giving Colorado the chance to survive the kind of swing game that postseason hockey often becomes. MacDonald then finished the job with a shot that arrived at the exact moment a contender wants to find one.

That is what makes this result more than a regular-season notch. Colorado did not win with a runaway margin or by leaning on a single hot stretch. It won after answering an early goal, taking a lead, losing it, and then settling into enough structure to create the opening MacDonald converted. That profile matters in a playoff race, where games are often decided by one clean shift, one mistake, or one defenseman stepping into the role of finisher.

MacDonald brings credibility to that moment. He won the AHL’s Eddie Shore Award in 2024-25 after breaking the league record for goals by a defenseman with 31, so an overtime winner off his stick carries real weight. Nielsen’s two-point night also fit the bigger picture, especially for a player who won the Calder Cup with Abbotsford last season. Colorado’s latest one-goal escape, while Tucson fell to 31-28-10-0 and stayed in the Pacific wild-card chase, looked like the kind of result that can harden a team for the games that count most.