Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — In a wild game that saw the Tuscon Roadrunners (25-14-2-1) cough up a three-goal lead, only to save face in the shootout with a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Barracuda (21-18-1-3) on Monday evening at SAP Center.

Lane Pederson scored the game winner in a long shootout period to give the Pacific Division leaders the two points in a game that saw each team score three unanswered goals after the first 20 minutes of play.

The first period featured each team getting a power play opportunity, but neither team could score as San Jose’s Antonie Bibeau (14-8-2) and Tuscon’s Adin Hill (10-10-1) were able to keep the puck out of their own respective nets. Scoring chances were few, far and between for both teams. The period featured only 14 total shots, with San Jose outshooting Tuscon 8-6.

The Roadrunners broke through early in the second period when Michael Bunting was on the receiving end of a pretty give and go with Tyler Gaudet. Bunting passed it over Gaudet from the right slot with Gaudet returning the favor right back to an open Bunting who slammed the puck into an empty net for his 13th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead at the 3:14 mark. Dysin Mayo received the secondary assist.

Bunting would get his second goal of the evening just a minute and a half later when he was able to tip in a Kyle Wood shot from the middle of the slot past Bibeau for a 2-0 lead. Bunting’s 14th goal of the season was also assisted by Conor Garland at the 5:55 mark of the second period.

Tuscon would get a lucky break that resulted in a power play goal at the 8:29 mark when Lawson Crouse was able to somehow get his stick on the puck that rolled past Bibeau into the net. After a shot from the point by Dakota Mermis was blocked away by Bibeau, a mad scramble ensued on the rebound with Crouse getting credited for his eighth goal on the season. Mike Sislo received the secondary assist on the goal.

“A power play goal, a tunrover and a quick play they make to the net, you’re down 3-0,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “It happens. But I liked the way we battled back.”

The Barracuda finally got on the board at the 10:55 mark of the second period when Nick DeSimone blasted a shot past Hill from the right point. The power play goal was DeSimone’s fifth goal on the season. Brandon Mashinter received the only assist on the goal.

Captain John McCarthy pulled the Barracuda to within one goal on the power play with just 38 seconds remaining in the period. He was able to tip in a shot past Hill from defenseman Julius Bergman, who launched the puck from the right point. Adam Helewka was also credited with an assist on McCarthy’s seventh goal of the season.

“We responded. It’s good to see the way we came back like we did,” said McCarthy on his team’s resiliency. “It would’ve been nice to get both points, but it was a good response by us.”

Bibeau kept the Cuda in the game midway through the third period when he stopped a point-blank tip attempt by Artur Tyanulin just as the tripping penalty by McCarthy had come to an end.

Jon Martin tied the game up at 3-3 when he was able to bury home the puck past Hill after receiving a great feed from Emerson Clark who had skated in from the left boards to feed a wide-open Martin at the left slot for his fourth goal of the season at the 9:48 mark of the period.

Both teams traded odd man rushes in overtime, but neither team could finish off their chances to win it in the extra session sending the game into the shootout.

“If we had any kind of scorers at all,” Sommer said jokingly. “We haven’t been too lucky in the shoot outs, but hey I’ll take the point.”

Hill made 35 shots on 38 shots to even his record for the victory, while Bibeau made 24 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 2/4 on the power play while Tuscon was 1/4.

The shootout went seven rounds before Pederson’s goal and San Jose’s Manny Wiederer’s failed attempt ended it. This was captain John McCarthy’s last game with the Barracuda for the next couple of weeks as he will head off to Pyeongchang, South Korea, to join his Team USA hockey teammates for the XXIII Winter Olympics.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda will face off against Pacific Divison rival San Diego Gulls for a weekend series starting on Saturday, February 10 at 1:15 pm PT at SAP Center.