Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Call it something out of The Matrix. It was deja vu for the San Jose Barracuda (26-22-3-3) as they carried a one-goal lead into the third period and once again were able to close out the game with three goals in the period for the second straight night to sweep the weekend series against the Cleveland Monsters (20-31-4-3) in a 4-0 shutout victory on Saturday evening at SAP Center. It was also the first time in franchise history the Cuda swept a four-game homestand.

There was not much action in the opening period as neither team scored. San Jose had a good scoring chance when Manny Wiederer had an odd-man rush with Rudolfs Balcers, but Wiederer wasn’t able to connect a pass to Balcers who had an empty net to shoot at.

Cleveland had a late power play opportunity when Radim Simek went to the sin bin for holding. However, Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (18-11-2) held down the fort making key saves, including a point-blank save on Jordan Schroeder right in front of the net. Cleveland outshot San Jose 10-5.

The Cuda would break the deadlock early in the second period once again on the power play. Alexander True would score his eighth goal of the season at the 1:28 mark. Balcers would slide a pass over to True who snapped a shot under Monsters goalie Jeff Zatkoff’s (2-4-1) glove in the far left post. Nick DeSimone received the secondary assist.

The Cuda received a five-minute power play late in the second period when Kale Kessy slammed Wiederer against the boards for a major boarding penalty with 1:37 left. However, they weren’t able to generate many chances in the beginning of the third period as the Monsters were able to kill it off.

Wiederer would get an important insurance goal just seconds after the Monster penalty kill. Captain John McCarthy set up Wiederer with a nice pass and he was able to bury it past Zatkoff for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:24 mark. It was Wiederer’s first goal in his last 22 games. Rourke Chartier received the secondary assist.

Chartier thought he gave the Cuda a 3-0 lead when after a great toe drag move by Sam Warning was able to skate past Terry Broadhurst and send in a shot on Zatkoff that resulted in a rebound causing a mad scramble in front of the net that Chartier argued he had put the puck in the back of net. After video review, no goal was called.

Blacers did make it 3-0 when he blasted his team leading 16th goal of the season past Zatkoff from outside the hashes that hit just under the crossbar in the far left post at the 5:40 mark. McCarthy had a two-point night with his second assist of the night. Julius Bergman received the secondary assist.

Emerson Clark put the game on ice for the Cuda when he skated in on a power move on Zatkoff, then fired a shot that was initially saved but Zatkoff was unable to collect the rebound as Clark was able to jam it home for his seventh goal of the season at the 12:19 mark. Caleb Herbert and Alex Schoenborn received assists on the goal.

Bibeau had a great game, stopping all 23 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season. Zatkoff took the loss, making 25 saves on 29 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/6 on the power play. Cleveland was 0/2.

There was a big post whistle scrum that led to roughing penalties to San Jose’s Emerson Clark and Zach Frye and Cleveland’s Kale Kessy and Calvin Thurkauf, who received a double minor for his actions.

The Cuda set an attendance record with an announced crowd of 8,046.

The game was the second part of Hockey Day in San Jose. The San Jose Sharks hosted the Washington Capitals earlier in the afternoon. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Clark and Zac Delpe exchanged fisticuffs with under four minutes left in the third period. San Jose won the season series over Cleveland 3-1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take their four-game winning streak on the road where they begin a four-game road trip when they travel out to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Friday 3/16 at 7 pm PT.