By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It will continue to be a season of firsts in the inaugural campaign for the San Jose Barracuda, but with the highs will also come the lows. Friday night at the SAP Center, the Barracuda earned an inevitable and unenviable first after falling to the San Diego Gulls 3-0.

Ducks goalie John Gibson made 23 saves to shut out San Jose for the first time this year and give the Barracuda losses in two-straight for the first time this season. The Barracuda also fell to the undefeated Gulls (4-0-0-0) 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night at home.

“There’s still plenty of things to work on,” said San Jose coach Roy Sommer. “We’re still young. We’d like to get a home win here.”

The Gulls scored twice in the first period on miscues from the Barracuda. Chris Wagner scored the first goal of the game at the 5:02 mark after cherry picking behind a Barracuda defender at the Gulls blue line. After defenseman Brandon Montour chipped the puck up, Wagner scooped it up and skated down the wing unimpeded before beating Barracuda goalie Aaron Dell’s glove hand for the goal.

Dell’s glove would come up short with 1:49 left in the period when he appeared to glove down a Gulls shot only to have the puck pop out where Chris Mueller could tap in his first goal of the season and double the Gulls’ advantage. One gaffe aside, Dell played well for the Barracuda, turning away 31 shots.

“We didn’t have any hold ups, we had a few miscues,” said San Jose forward Micheal Haley. “They had a lot of steam coming into our end. It’s hard to get out of your end when they’re coming at you full speed.”

While the Barracuda didn’t beat Gibson in the 1^st 20 minutes, they came close on a 5-on-3 power play just about halfway through the period. Twice San Jose ripped perfect cross-crease passes just off the goal line, but twice one of the top goalie prospects in the AHL Gibson robbed would-be goals.

“That was the turning point in the game,” said Sommer. “We had two good looks where he made two great saves. After that we didn’t have much.”

First Gibson robbed Nikolai Goldobin on the glove side, then kicked away a stick-side shot pad-high from Melker Karlsson. Goldobin also hit the post on the man advantage in the third period on a night when San Jose’s power play unit was snakebit (0-for-5).

“He’s covering the bottom so we have to go up top,” said Karlsson. “If it’s there you have to hit it. That should be a goal.”

San Diego added a power play goal in the 2^nd after Nick Ritchie received a pass from Brandon Montour to Dell’s right. Ritchie’s wrist shot beat Dell blocker side to give the Gulls a commanding lead with 4:04 left a period that saw the visitors outshoot the home team 15-5.

“They had a very good forecheck,” said Haley. “They didn’t give us very much time or options which makes it very hard for us to get our forecheck going. It was just one of those days where it felt like we were chasing and not supporting.”

For the Barracuda, it’s back to work after a quick bus trip to the Inland Empire. San Jose takes on the Ontario Reign, affiliate of the rival Los Angeles Kings

“We’ve got a hard game tomorrow,” said Sommer. “That’s a team that’s undefeated. They’re not missing much from the team that won the Calder Cup (as the Manchester Monarchs). We’ll have our hands full tomorrow.”

Notes: The regulation loss snapped a three-game point-streak for the Barracuda. After losing to Rockford on opening night, the Barracuda twice beat Bakersfield before falling to San Diego in a shootout Wednesday…Melker Karlsson played in his second game with the Sharks affiliate, finishing with a shot on goal. “I’m getting better and better but I still have some things to work on. I haven’t practiced that much so my conditioning isn’t where it should be,” said Karlsson…Micheal Haley was returned to the Barracuda for Friday’s game after skating on the Sharks fourth line in their game against the Kings Thursday night. He saw 6:48 of ice time. Haley is expected to play Saturday against Ontario, his third game in a row. “It’s the American Hockey League. If you don’t want to play three-on-threes go play up top,” Sommer said with a smile…Barracuda captain Bryan Lerg played 8:51 with a shot on goal. He remains with the parent club…Defenseman Karl Stollery missed the game with an injury.