Brendan Perlini scored the first natural hat trick (three consecutive goals by the same player) in Tucson Roadrunners history as they defeated the Manitoba Moose 5-2 Tuesday night.
It was a make-up game from November 19th, when captain Craig Cunningham suffered a cardiac arrest on the ice prior to face-off.
Perlini's hat trick was the first natural hat trick in team history - three consecutive goals by the same player.
The Roadrunners trailed 2-0 just 1:51 into the game after a pair of quick goals by Manitoba. Tucson Head Coach Mark Lamb called a timeout to steady the team and the Roadrunners would get back in the game when Stefan Fournier scored at 17:44 to make it 2-1 at the first intermission.
After Christian Fischer tied the game with his 13th of the season at 3:52 of the second, Perlini took over. He scored his first goal, the eventual game winner, at 10:31 of the second period and followed that with a five-on-three power play goal at 7:10 of the third period and an empty net goal to seal the 5-2 final at 17:06.
Adin Hill made 36 saves for the win.
The game was the first of a five-game, nine-day homestand. Tucson will now host the Texas Stars on Friday and Saturday night.
