Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Diego Gulls never say die attitude helped erased a two-goal deficit and eventually win 4-3 in a shootout over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at Pachanga Arena. Despite the loss, San Jose has earned a point in nine straight games.

San Jose (15-3-1-3) drew first blood on the power play just 36 seconds into the game. Jayden Halbgewachs fed a pass over to Alex True below the right circle and True buried a point-blank shot past Gulls goalie Kevin Boyle (6-5-0) for his eighth goal of the season. Vincent Praplan received the secondary assist.

The Cuda would double their lead when captain John McCarthy pick-pocketed the puck off Troy Terry’s stick that led to a 3-on-1 odd man rush along with Kyle Wood and Antti Suomela up the ice. Suomela’s cross-ice pass would deflect off a Gulls defender, as he went sliding onto his stomach, and into the back of the net for Suomela’s first career AHL goal at the 11:35 mark.

San Diego (9-11-1-2) cut the lead in half just under two minutes later when Max Jones swiped in a rebound off a Sam Carrick shot past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (6-2-3). Jones won a battle along the corner and was rewarded with his sixth goal of the season at the 13:28 mark.

Jones evened up the game in the second period for his second goal of the season. After a failed clearing attempt by San Jose kept the puck in their own zone, Isac Lundestrom fed Jones who sniped a shot over Bibeau’s left shoulder for his seventh goal of the season at the 3:57 mark.

The middle frame featured two fights that happened over the final 11 minutes of the period. Jeremy Roy went toe-for-toe with Carrick and then Jon Martin and Like Schenn exchanged fisticuffs.

San Jose regained the lead early in the third period when Dylan Gambrell rifled a shot from the right point over the shoulder of Boyle for his fifth goal of the season at the 6:43 mark. Wood and Keaton Middleton received assists.

The Gulls scored the equalizer on the power play when Carrick bounced a pass off a Cuda defender past Bibeau for his 11th goal of the season halfway through the third period at the 10:03 mark.

In overtime the Cuda had a golden chance to leave San Diego with a win, but McCarthy and Halbgewachs weren’t able to connect on their 2-on-1 odd man rush.

Adam Cracknell scored the game-winning goal in the fifth round of the shootout.

Boyle made 28 saves on 31 shots to earn the victory. Bibeau suffered the tough luck loss making 25 saves on 28 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play. San Diego was 1/5.

The announced attendance was 10,911.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda head to Ontario to conclude their two-game SoCal trip as they take on the Reign on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 5:00 pm.