Category: AHL

Condors edge Barracuda in 4-3 shootout victory

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

Seth Griffith scored the game-winning goal in the shootout to give the Bakersfield Condors a 4-3 win over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

The Condors extended their point streak at home to 10 games and have dominated the series with the Barracuda winning five of the six games. San Jose is now 0-5 in games in overtime games as this was its first shootout of the season.

San Jose (6-6-4-1) drew first blood in the first half of the first period. Joel Kellman found Nick DeSimone all alone just to the left of the net. Condors goalie Stuart Skinner made a diving paddle save on DeSimone’s shot, but the puck leaked out to the slot, where Stefan Noesen cleaned up the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 7:26 mark.

It was the first time the ‘Cuda scored a first period goal against its Pacific Division rival this season.

Bakersfield (11-6-0-1) scored the equalizer early in the second period as they capitalized on San Jose’s failue to clear the puck out of its own zone. Adam Cracknell sent a cross-ice, no-look pass over to Ostap Safin, who buried a one-timer past ‘Cuda goalie Sam Harvey for his first of two goals on the evening at the 2:41 mark.

For Safin, it was his first AHL goal in the past three years.

Noah Gregor regained the lead for the ‘Cuda when he slipped past Cooper Marody along the right boards after Nicholas Meloche cleared the puck out of the defensive zone. Gregor raced in on a breakaway and snapped home a wrist shot past Stuart for his second goal of the season at the 12:22 mark.

The Condors deadlocked the game at 2-2 just over two minutes later. Once again Bakersfield made San Jose pay for not being able to clear the puck out of their own zone. Marody skated around the net and centered a pass to a wide-open Tyler Benson, who finished off the play with a tap-in for his sixth goal of the season at the 14:44 mark.

Bakersfield outshot San Jose 17-14 in the middle frame.

The Condors gained its first lead of the game early in the third period. Cracknell won a faceoff inside the ‘Cuda zone and acted a screen for Safin, who went behind Cracknell and fired a wrist shot to the short side of Harvey for his second goal of the game and the season at the 2:54 mark.

Cracknell had an assist on every Condors goal and finished with a three-point night.

San Jose finally gave Bakersfield a taste of their own medicine scoring the equalizer late in the third period. Joachim Blichfeld led an odd-man rush after a turnover by Bakersfield in the neutral zone. Blichfeld executed a give-and-go with Gregor before Blichfeld’s attempted pass was blocked back to him and he fired a wrist shot past a screened Skinner for his team-leading 10th goal of the season at the 17:27 mark.

The ‘Cuda had a chance to end it in overtime with a power play at the 1:08 mark with a tripping penalty on Marody, but weren’t able to take advantage of the 4-on-3 opportunity.

Skinner finished with 38 saves on 41 shots to earn the victory. Harvey, who made his first start since early February, made 31 saves on 34 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-2 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-1.

Marody currently has a 14-game point streak.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Safin 2) Cracknell 3) Griffith

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home on Tuesday 3/30 as they host the Bakersfield Condors at 6:00 pm PST at Solar4America Ice at San Jose.

Silver Knights sweep series over Barracuda in 4-0 shutout win

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The San Jose Barracuda forward Jake Middleton (21) and the Henderson Silver Knights left winger Danny O’Regan (21) scramble for the puck on Sun Mar 21, 2021 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (@sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The Henderson Silver Knights received goals from four different scorers and rode the back of their goaltender Logan Thompson in a 4-0 shutout victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Sunday afternoon at Orleans Arena.

Thompson stopped all 38 shots he faced for his first career AHL shutout. Henderson has won eight of their past nine games. San Jose has lost five of its past six games.

Henderson (13-2-0-0) drew first blood in the first five minutes of the first period on the power play. Lucas Elvenes skated from the left wing before centering a pass to a wide open Pavel Dorofeyev in the slot and he buried a one-timer past ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Sawchenko for his third goal of the season at the 4:46 mark.

This was the second game in a row San Jose (6-6-4-0) outshot Henderson and have lost the game. The ‘Cuda out shot the Knights 9-6 in the first period, 13-7 in the second and 16-8 in third.

The Silver Knights doubled its lead late in the middle frame. Gage Quinney’s shot from just beyond the faceoff circles was initially stopped by Sawchenko but Jack Dugan cleaned up the rebound for his second goal of the season at th 17:12 mark.

Despite the offensive attack from San Jose in the third period, Thompson kept the ‘Cuda off the scoreboard.

Henderson put the game away with an empty net goal from former San Jose Sharks propect Danny O’Regan at the 18:37 mark of the third period. Quinney received his second assist of the game on O’Regan’s fifth goal of the season.

Tyrell Goulbourne closed out the scoring for the Silver Knights 12 seconds later when he scored his first goal in 47 games after finishing off a centering pass from Paul Cotter.

Sawchenko, who made his first start in goal for the first since last March, finished the game with 17 shots on 20 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-5 on the power play. They went 0-for-8 in the two-game series. Henderson went 1-for-4. They had scored on three consecutive power plays against San Jose.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Thompson 2) Dorofeyev 3) Dugan

The past two games Orleans fans had hosted fans for the first time this season.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its roadtrip as they travel out to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Wednesday 3/24 at 6:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.

Silver Knights too much for Barracuda in 5-2 win

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Photo credit: Forward Joel Kellman (46) of the San Jose Barracuda looks more like he’s putting a tackle on one of the Henderson Silver Knights players during Sat Mar 20, 2021 game in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena (@sjbarracuda photo)

By Marko Ukalovic

The Henderson Silver Knights scored four unanswered goals in the final 27 minutes of the game to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Orleans Arena.

The Silver Knights have won seven of its past eight games. The Barracuda have lost four of its past five games.

Henderson (12-2-0-0) drew first blood in the opening minute of the first period. With Nick DeSimone in the sinbin for holding just 30 seconds into the game, the Silver Knights scored on its first power play opportunity.

Jack Dugan sent a pass back to Dylan Sikura on the right wing and Sikura snapped home a wrist shot top-shelf to the short side of ‘Cuda starting goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his team-leading seventh goal of the season at the 1:09 mark.

San Jose (6-5-4-0) regrouped and scored the equalizer five minutes later. The Russian connection of Ivan Chekhovich and Maxim Letunov helped get the ‘Cuda on the board. Chekhovich, who made his San Jose debut after returning from playing in the KHL, found Letunov in between the faceoff circles and Letunov buried a wrist shot top-shelf past Silver Knights goalie Logan Thompson for his second goal of the season at the 5:35 mark.

The Barracuda gained the lead with one-tenth of a second left in the opening 20 minutes. A turnover by a Silver Knights defender from behind his own net led to a mad scramble in front of the net where Alex True was able to jam home the puck past Thompson for his fifth goal of the season. Captain Jacob Magna and Noah Gregor received assists.

True extended his point streak to five games and has points in six of his last seven games.

Henderson proved why they are one of the best teams of the AHL in the second period. Coming into the game they were a +11 and scored two goals to take control of the game.

Sikura found Danny O’Regan in the slot and the former San Jose Sharks’ fifth round draft pick rifled a wrist shot short-side over the left shoulder of Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 12:53 mark. O’Regan has goals in back-to-back games.

The Silver Knights regained the lead for good when Patrick Brown fed a pass over to Paul Cotter and he fired a wrist shot that beat Melnichuk top-shelf for his third goal of the season at the 15:36 mark.

Melnichuk left the game after the second period with an apparent lower body injury he suffered in the second period. He was replaced with Zachary Sawchenko to start the third period.

Henderson scored an insurance goal at the 13:11 mark of the third period. Tyrell Goulbourne’s shot on goal wasn’t controlled by Sawchenko and Jake Leschyshyn cashed in the rebound for his second goal of the season.

Ben Jones iced the game and finished off the scoring for Henderson with an empty net goal at the 17:21 mark.

Thompson had an impressive game, stopping 39 of the 41 shots to earn the victory. Melnichuk made 22 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort. Sawchenko, who had his first action in the AHL since March 6, 2020, stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced in the third period.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-3 on the power play. Henderson went 1-for-2.

Henderson is currently undefeated at home with a 6-0 record.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Tomas Jurco 2) O’Regan 3) Cotter

UP NEXT: The Barracuda and Silver Knights conclude their series on Sunday, March 21 at 12 pm PST.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda took early lead; Knights just too good catch up and win

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The San Jose Barracuda forward Alex True (70) and the Henerson Silver Knights forward Jonas Rondbjerg (46) face off on Sat Mar 20, 2021at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (@sjbarracuda photo)

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Barracuda (6-4-4-0) win on Wednesday to the Bakersfield Condors (9-6-0-0) 4-3 was a close contest it might have been a different outcome if not for the fine goaltending of Josef Korenar who stopped 37 shots.

#2 The Barracuda led in the first period but it got away in Saturday afternoon’s game against the Henderson Silver Knights (12-2-0-0).

#3 The Barracuda’s Alex True extended his point streak to five games after scoring with just one second left in the first period.

#4 Marko, talk about Maxim Letunov who hadn’t score in five games but found the back end of the net in the first period

#5 The Barracuda lost today by three points 5-2 have another shot at the Knights on Sunday at noon another matinee what will the Barracuda need to work on most their offense or defense against a very talented Knights team.

Join Marko Saturday nights for the Barracuda podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda edge Condors 4-3, snap two streaks

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda had a pair of two-goal leads before hanging on to defeat the the Bakersfield Condors 4-3 on Wednesday evening at SAP Center.

A pair of streaks came to an end with the Barracuda’s 4-3 win. The Condors’ nine-game winning streak and the ‘Cuda’s three-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion.

There was no scoring in the penalty-free first period as Bakersfield outshot San Jose 9-6. Both Josef Korenar and Condors backup goalie Olivier Rodrigue stood their ground, stopping the 15 combined shots on net.

San Jose (6-4-4-0) finally drew first blood early in the second period. Stefan Noesen made a pretty, no-look centering pass from behind the net out to Joel Kellman, who buried the puck past the five-hole of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 1:22 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead late in the middle frame to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Sasha Chmelevski led an odd man rush into the Condors zone. Chmelevski sent a cross ice pass to a trailing Jeffery Viel, who snapped home a wrist shot to the short side of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 18:05 mark. Noesen collected his second point of the game, receiving the secondary assist.

Bakersfield (9-6-0-0) cut the lead in half early in the second period. ‘Cuda killer Cooper Marody sent a pass up to Tyler Benson, who was behind the bet. Benson skated out and banked a shot off Korenar for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:40 mark.

The Barracuda scored two unanswered goals in a 4:05 span midway through the third period that proved to be more than just insurance.

Nicholas Meloche sent a cross-ice pass from the right point over to Jacob Middleton. The veteran defenseman’s initial shot was blocked by a Condors defender before Middleton followed up on his own rebound and slid a backhander underneath Rodrigue for his goal of the season at the 7:19 mark.

San Jose went up 4-1 when Kellman led a 2-on-1 odd man rush with Joachim Blichfeld. Kellman sent a cross-ice pass over to Blichfeld, who lasered a one-timer past Rodrigue for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, his team-leading ninth of the season at the 11:24 mark.

The Condors did not go down quietly as they responded just 25 seconds later. Adam Cracknell intercepted a clearing attempt by Viel and skated to the left faceoff circle, rifling a wrist shot to past Korenar to the short side for an unassisted goal, his fourth of the season.

Bakersfield made it a 4-3 game 28 seconds later when Cracknell centered a pass from behind the ‘Cuda net to an open Seth Griffith, who buried a one-timer past Korenar for his third goal of the season at the 12:17 mark.

The Condors’ last ditch effort to get the equalizer was washed away when Korenar robbed Marody of a wide-open chance off a backdoor feed with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Korenar finished the game with 37 saves on 40 shots to earn the victory. Rodrigue made 21 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-1 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Kellman 2) Noesen 3) Korenar

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to the desert to start a two-game series with the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, 3/20 at 1:00 pm PST at Orleans Arena.

Condors Esposito wins it in OT 3-2 over Barracuda, win streak at nine

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The San Jose Barracuda had a 2-1 lead disappear and lost a one goal game to the Bakersfield Condors in overtime at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Mar 16, 2021 (@ sjbarracuda image) 

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif—It was Deja vu all over again. For the second straight game, the San Jose Barracuda gave up a late lead and the Bakersfield Condors won the game in overtime in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday evening at SAP center.

Lukas Esposito tipped home a shot from Vincent Desharnais 2:45 into the extra session for the game winning goal. Cooper Maordy received an assist on Esposito’s sixth goal of the season.

Bakersfield (9-5-0-0) extended its win streak to a season high nine games. San Jose has lost three games in a row, all to their Pacific Division rival.

Bakersfield controlled played in the the first period out shooting San Jose 13-6. However they were not able to get the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar as he stopped all 13 shots.

San Jose (5-4-4-0) drew first blood on the power play early in the second period. Ryan Merkley fed a pass out to Joachim Blichfeld on the left wing. Blichfeld skated in a wired a wrist shot past Condors goalie Stuart Skinner to the short side for his team leading seventh goal of the season at the 3:25 mark.

Bakersfield came back with the equalizer when James Hamblin took advantage of a ‘Cuda turnover. Hamblin fed Jacob Stukel whose shot was denied by a diving Korenar with the left blocker pad. Hamblin crashed the net and cleaned up the rebound with a backhander for his third goal of the season at the 14:22 mark.

Hamblin has scored three goals in his past five games.

The Barracuda regained the momentum and the lead late in the middle frame. Jeffery Viel’s centering pass went off the stick of Stuart on to the tape of Sasha Chmelevski and the Long Beach native buried a shot top-shelf past Stuart for his second goal of the season at the 18:08 mark.

Just when the San Jose looked like they were going to hold on to the lead this team, Bakersfield once again struck late in third period to score the equalizer and force overtime.

Esposito centered a pass between two ‘Cuda defenders from behind the net out to Joe Gambardella. The veteran Condor skated in alone on Korenar and lifted a backhander top-shelf into the left corner of the net for his second goal of the season at the 16:30 mark.

Stuart made 22 saves on 24 shots to earn the victory. Korenar finished with 34 saves on 37 shots in an impressive, yet losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1-for-1 on the power play. They snapped Bakersfield’s 24 straight penalty kills. Bakersfield never had a power play opportunity.

San Jose is now 0-4 in overtime games.

Bakersfield had its nine game streak of scoring the first goal snapped with Blichfeld’s goal.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Blichfeld 2) Korenar 3) Esposito

UP NEXT: The two teams complete their four game series on Wednesday 3/17 at 6:00pm at SAP Center.

 

Condors 4-3 OT comeback win over SJ Barracuda extends win streak to eight

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The San Jose Barracuda fought it out with the Bakersfield Condors on Sat Mar 13, 2021 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield (@ sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

BAKERSFIELD, Calif—Ryan McLeod went from goat to hero in a span of two minutes in overtime.

He scored the game winning goal at the 2:37 mark of the extra session as the Bakersfield Condors came from behind to beat the San Jose Barracuda 4-3 to extend its winning streak to eight games on Friday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

McLeod took a tripping penalty 30 seconds into overtime. However San Jose wasn’t able to capitalize on its sixth power play of the game. Seconds after the penalty expired, Ryan Stanton sprung McLeod on a breakaway just as he exited the sinbin and beat ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar with a fore-hand to backhand move sliding the puck past Korenar’s five hole for his sixth goal of the season.

Bakersfield (8-5-0-0) drew first blood in the first period with the AHL’s leading scorer in goals and points Cooper Marody getting things started. Tyler Benson sent the puck toward the middle of the net where the puck pinballed through three ‘Cuda defenders. Marody gathered the puck and his backhander beat Korenar for the first goal of his hatrick on the night at the 13:40 mark.

Marody’s goal marked the eighth straight game the Condors have scored the opening goal of the game. They have outscored their opponents 14-0 in the first period during its winning streak, including 6-0 over San Jose.

The ‘Cuda went down a man before the end of the opening frame when Evan Weinger was injured after receiving a hit up high from Graham McPhee. Weinger would not finish the game as he suffered an apparent upper body injury.

Jeffery Viel took exeption to McPhee’s hit on Weinger as the two squared off in a fight immediately afterward and both ended up with fighting majors.

San Jose (5-4-3-0) scored the equalizer early in the second. Alexander True found defenseman Ryan Merkley at the Condors blueline. Merkley skated in from the right wing to just below the net when he sneaked in a backhand shot that went off the back of Condors goalie Stuart Skinner for the former first round pick’s first career goal at the 4:14 mark.

Bakersfield regained the lead late in the middle frame. After a faceoff win inside the ‘Cuda zone, Markus Niemelainen fired a shot from the left point that Marody redirected from the slot past Korenar for his second goal of the game at the 17:09 mark.

The Condors out shot the ‘Cuda 15-12 in the second period.

It only took 41 seconds in the third period for the Barracuda to get the second equalizer of the game. Noah Gregor’s shot from the right wing was stopped but not controlled by Skinner. Joachim Blichfeld crashed the net and cashed in on the rebound for his seventh goal of the season. True received the secondary assist.

San Jose gained its first lead of the season against Bakersfield thanks to a miscue by Skinner. The netminder’s clearing attempt deflected off the body of Noah Gregor on to the stick of True who beat Skinner back to the net with a wrap around to the far post for his fourth goal of the season and second goal in as many games at the 4:22 mark.

True finished with three points on the night (1G, 2A).

Bakersfield pulled Skinner for an extra attacker with 2:04 remaining in the third period. The gamble paid off when Benson found Marody with a backdoor pass and Marody completed his second career hatrick burying a wrist shot past Korenar for his 12th goal of the season.

Marody has 18 points to go along with his 12 goals to lead the league in both categories. He has 17 points in his last nine games.

Skinner finished the game with 31 saves on 34 shots to earn the victory. Korenar stopped 34 of the 38 saves in the losing cause.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-6 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-3.

More special teams- San Jose is currently on an 0-for-10 streak on the power play. While Bakersfield has killed 24 straight penalties.

Bakersfield is now 7-0 (6-0 at home) when leading after two periods.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Marody 2) McLeod 3) True

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host Bakersfield for two games starting on Tuesday 3/16 at 6:00pm at SAP Center.

 

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda out to prevent Condors from getting 14th straight win tonight in Bakersfield

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A look at the San Jose Barracuda and the Bakersfield Condors post game results from Fri Mar 12, 2021 at Mechanics Bank Arena as the same two teams match up again tonight (@sjbarracuda image)

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 Marko, too much Bakersfield Condors (9-6-0-0) on Friday night as they attacked the net without hesitation scoring two goal in the opening volley and ending up getting a 4-1 win over the San Jose Barracuda (5-4-2-0) at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield.

#2 For Barracuda goaltender Alexi Melnichuk (2-3-2) a tough night facing 22 shots and allowing four goals. For Milnichuk was it a matter of not getting defensive protection up front or the Condors have a number of snipers who can figure out getting in the back in the net?

#3 The Condors with the win picked up their seventh straight win and they did it with the help of goaltender Stuart Skinner (7-2-0-0) who allowed just one goal and stopped 23 Barracuda shots.

#4 The Condors are a devastating team on offense in the first period they have now outscored their opponents 13-0 during this seven game win streak and have scored the first goal in eight straight games.

#5 Same two teams tonight Marko, does Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer go with Melnichuk or will he go with another goaltender as the Condors look to score their 14th straight win tonight?

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Condors cruise to a 4-1 win over Barracuda

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The San Jose Barracuda forward Jayden Halbgewachs (89) and the Bakersfield Condors left winger Jakob Stukel (10) make brief contact during Fri Mar 11, 2021 game at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield (@ sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

BAKERSFIELD, Calif-The Bakersfield Condors scored four unanswered goals in a commanding 4-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

The Condors have won seven games in row, including 2-0 versus San Jose. The Barracuda have have lost three of its past five games.

Bakersfield (7-5-0-0) opened the scoring early in the first period. Seth Griffith set up Adam Cranknell on the left wing and Cracknell buried a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his third goal of the season at the 6:29 mark.

The Condors doubled its lead while short-handed. James Hamblin carried the puck into the ‘Cuda zone where he split two defenders and sent a back pass over to Cracknell who then returned the favor back to Hamblin and he went top-shelf with a wrist shot past Melnichuk for his second goal of the season at the 14:10 mark.

Despite starting the game 7-0 on the shot clock, San Jose’s chances were thwarted away by Condors goalie Stuart Skinner.

“I thought Stu (Skinner) was a rock early for us when we needed him,” said Condors head coach Jay Woodcroft. “Allowed us to work out way into the game. It’s not always going to feel pretty, it’s not always going to feel nice. Learning how to win is a skill.”

Bakersfield extended its lead to 3-0 on the power play early in the second period. Cooper Maordy sent a cross ice pass over to Tyler Benson, who then sent a backdoor pass over to Luke Esposito and he finished off the tic-tac-toe play with his fifth goal of the season at the 3:47 mark.

“We’re making a lot better decisions with the puck. We’re playing with our legs. We’re checking hard. That’s creating offense, making the other team tired,” Marody said regarding his team’s winning streak.

The middle frame didn’t have as many scoring chances as in the first period. Both teams combined for only 12 shots in the period.

The Condors scored its fourth unanswered goal early in the third period. Benson recorded his second assist of the game when he centered a pass from behind the net out to Marody and he snapped home a wrist shot past Melnichuk for his ninth goal of the season at the 4:19 mark.

San Jose (5-4-2-0) broke up Skinner’s shutout bid halfway through the final period. Alexander True cleaned up the rebound of a Jaycob Magna shot when lifted a backhander past Skinner for his third goal of the season at the 10:53 mark.

Skinner finished 21 saves on 22 shots to earn the victory. Melnichuk made 20 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort,

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-2 on the power play. Bakersfield was 1-for-5.

Marody recorded his 100th point in a Condors uniform.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Cracknell 2) Marody 3) Hamblin

UP NEXT: Both teams square off again with each other on Saturday 3/13 at 6:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.

Barracuda up end Gulls 4-2

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San Jose Barracuda forward Sasha Chmelevski (55), Alexi Meinchuk goalie (1), Lean Bergmann (45) share congratulations following the Barracuda win over the San Diego Gulls on Tue Mar 9, 2021 in San Diego (@sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif—The San Jose Barracuda scored three unanswered goals and then held on to defeat the San Diego Gulls 4-2 on Tuesday evening at Solar4America Ice At San Jose.

San Jose has won three out of their last five games, including two out of three from San Diego. The Gulls have lost four of their past six games.

The ‘Cuda (5-3-2-0) drew first blood in the first 11 seconds of the game.

Christian Jaros fed a pass over to Noah Gregor at the blueline. Gregor made a deke past a Gulls’ defender into the middle of the ice and snapped home a hard wrist shot past Gulls’ goalie Lukas Dostal for his first goal of the season.

San Jose out shot San Diego 10-7 after the opening 20 minutes.

The Barracuda extended its lead with two goals in a two-minute span to begin the second period. Gregor skated in from the right wing before centering a pass back up to Fredrik Handemark and buried a wrist shot far side past Dostal for his third goal of the season at the 2:28 mark. It was also Gregor’s first assist of the season.

San Jose made it 3-0 when a San Diego turnover in the neutral zone proved costly to the visiting team. Handemark brought the puck into the Gulls zone and gave it up to Evan Weinger with a rink wide pass. Weinger found Jayden Halbgewachs down low where he slid a backhander past Dostal for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:41 mark.

San Diego (9-6-0-0) got on the scoreboard with under a minute left in the middle frame on the power play. Sam Carrick sent a cross ice pass over to Kodie Curran who blasted a one-timer top-shelf past Cuda

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, after losing three straight games the San Jose Sharks (9-11-3) looked like they tightened down the defense despite getting behind early 2-0 on Monday night against the St Louis Blues (14-8-2).

#2 The defense played a big enough role for San Jose that allowed them to tie the score at 2-2 in the second and third periods with a goal a piece from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

#3 The Sharks in their last few games have been getting goal scoring help from their defencemen and Vlasic’s goal on Monday night no exception.

#4 Evander Kane can come out and get one in the back of the net and he didn’t waste anytime on Monday night 41 seconds in the overtime and scored the game winner.

#5 The Sharks open up back to back games in Anaheim this Friday and Saturday. The Anaheim Ducks (7-12-6) have lost five of their last six games this is a team that has been struggling will this give the Sharks an opportunity to take advantage of the Ducks?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts every Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

for his third goal of the season at the 19:16 mark.

The Gulls made the ‘Cuda pay once again for it’s fifth trip to the sinbin. Andrew Poturalski sent a shot-pass to a wide open Sam Carrick who tapped home the puck right in front of the crease for his fifth goal of the season at the 16:36 mark.

Jaycob Megna scored an empty netter from his own defensive zone with 30 seconds left to ice the game.

Melnichuk stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced to earn his second victory of the season. Dostal made 21 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-4 on the power play. San Diego went 2-for-5.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Gregor 2) Handemark 3) Alex Dostie

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel back down to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Friday 3/12 at 6:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.