Category: AHL

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the San Diego Gulls in Game 1 of a Division Final series at SAP Center on Friday night.

The Barracuda dominated in the opening period. They held the Gulls shotless until the 12:48 mark.

The Barracuda also struck first on the power play. Sam Carrick was called for hooking at 10:45. Shortly after, Joakim Ryan accepted a pass from Danny O’Regan and put it into the Gulls’ net, beating Jhonas Enroth for his third goal of the playoffs.

The Gulls responded with a power-play goal to tie the game 1-1 with 2:14 left in the period. First, Tim Heed was called for tripping. Then, Ryan Carpenter went to the box for hooking. Kalle Kossila took a pass from Kevin Roy and fired a long-range wrist shot past Troy Grosenick for his second goal of the playoffs.

Both teams were tied at one apiece after 20 minutes. The Barracuda outshot the Gulls 14-2.

The Barracuda surrendered just one even strength shot on goal in the second period.

Yet, the game remained in a 1-1 deadlock as the Barracuda outshot the Gulls 26-10.

The Barracuda took a 2-1 lead with 7:52 left in the third period. John McCarthy set up Carpenter, who skated down the middle and tipped the puck into the net past Enroth for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

“Yeah it’s tough, but we can’t dwell on it too much,” Carpenter said when asked about the tough loss. “We played pretty well, but I guess the team hung around and had some good players that capitalized on their chances.”

Things got chippy late in the period as Marcus Sorensen dropped the gloves with Zac Larraza for a fight. As a result, both players received and served roughing penalties.

“I think we played pretty good,” Sorensen commented. “There were many shots to the net. We probably to be around the net more.”

The Gulls weren’t done yet. They tied the game 2-2 with 3:56 left in regulation when Nate Guenin blasted a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic for his first goal of the playoffs.

Fans in the arena received a treat of free hockey as Guenin’s game-tying goal forced the contest into overtime.

The game was in favor of the Gulls as Roy scored the game-winning goal just 36 seconds into overtime to lift his team to a 3-2 victory over the Barracuda in Game 1.

The Gulls lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. Enroth finished with 36 saves for San Diego whereas

Grosenick made 13 saves in a losing effort for San Jose.

“If you look at it, I think they had six scoring chances and three goals,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer recalled. “I think the biggest thing is that we gotta get to (Jhonas) Enroth…Look at the last series against the Ontario Reign. He was the difference.”

Notes
During the regular season, the Barracuda went 5-3-1-1 against the Gulls and a perfect 5-0 at SAP Center.

Three of the Barracuda’s five wins over the Gulls at home were shutouts. San Jose outscored San Diego 15-4 in those five games. The Barracuda had the AHL’s best home-winning percentage during the regular season and are 3-2 all-time at home during the playoffs.

Ryan dominated in the Barracuda’s first-round series against the Stockton Heat. He recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) and currently leads the AHL during the playoffs. He also had a league-high plus-eight rating. He has 12 points (six goals, six assists), six penalty minutes and a plus-13 rating in 13 career postseason games. He scored four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games against San Diego during the regular season.

During the regular season, the Barracuda were first in shorthanded goals with 14 and finished with the eighth-best penalty kill at 83.7 percent. San Jose’s power play went 1-for-22 in round one at 4.5 percent, but they scored a pair of short-handed goals, including a game winner down a man in a decisive Game 5 overtime victory on Tuesday night.

Buddy Robinson totaled five points (three goals, two assists) in five games, two penalty minutes and a plus-four rating in round one. He was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in January. He collected 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 33 games, 53 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating after recording just 12 points (seven goals, five assists), 18 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating in 33 games with the Binghamton Senators. He had zero points in six career postseason games prior to 2017.

Troy Grosenick had a promising regular season, going 30-10-7 with a 2.04 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and 10 shutouts. He received the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender. He went 5-3-1 during the regular season in 10 games played against the Gulls with a 2.46 goals-against, .914 save percentage and three shutouts.

Zack Stortini is the Barracuda’s most experienced postseason player. He played in 61 playoff games through his 12-year career. He won a Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007.

Up Next
Both teams return to action for Game 2 on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. PST. You can tune into the game through AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

by Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda edged the Stockton Heat 2-1 in overtime in a do-or-die Game 5 at SAP Center on Tuesday night.

The Heat served three penalties in the first period, but the Barracuda were unable to capitalize on the power play. Rasmus Andersson was called for roughing at 11:56. Mike Kostka went to the box for high-sticking at 10:58. Hunter Shinkaruk received an elbowing penalty at 16:39.

The Barracuda served just one penalty as the officials sent Mirco Mueller to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct with 1:23 left in the period. As a result, 37 seconds of Mueller’s penalty rolled over.

Both teams skated to a scoreless deadlock after 20 minutes. The Barracuda outshot the Heat 15-9.
David Rittich left the game and never returned. He stopped all 15 shots he faced.

Jon Gillies entered the game in the second period in relief of Rittich.

The Heat broke the scoreless deadlock at 10:38. Brett Kulak fired a shot from the left slot that went wide of the net, but Jamie Devane picked up the loose puck and put it into the net, beating Troy Grosenick for his first goal of the playoffs.

Shots were 38-13 in favor of the Barracuda, but they trailed the Heat 1-0 through 40 minutes.

The speed of both teams increased during the third period. The Heat finally managed their first shot on goal of the period around 12:40.

Timo Meier beat Gillies top-shelf for his second goal of the playoffs, tying the score 1-1 with 9:47 left in the period.

“I was pretty confident it was going to happen,” Meier said. “So it was just a matter of time…I had some good chances early in the game…It was obviously a relief to finally have it bounce in and we went from there and just kept going.”

Mike Angelidis fired a shot that was supposed to go into the net, but Grosenick made an impressive glove save to keep the score tied 1-1 late in the period.

Hockey fans inside the arena received free hockey as a treat as the decisive Game 5 headed into overtime. Both teams were tied 1-1 after 60 minutes. The Barracuda outshot the Heat 48-23.

Ryan Carpenter scored on a breakaway to lift the Barracuda to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Heat. Grosenick finished with 27 saves for San Jose. Gillies made 37 saves in a losing effort for Stockton.

“I lost the draw and then the puck went back and forth so we just tried to stay in the shot lanes and the guy made a bad pass and then (Barclay) Goodrow pounced on it,” Carpenter said when asked to describe his game-winning goal. “He continued to protect the puck…It was wide open in the slot and I couldn’t ask for an easier chance. Just tried to get on it quick.”

“If I stopped that goal, we would’ve won in regulation,” Grosenick said when asked about the first goal he allowed. “But that’s hockey. It was kind of a weird bounce off the board and I felt it hit my blocker and I just didn’t quite know where it was on the net so I was just trying to seal the post and it squeaked through. It’s kind of one of those weird plays, but hey, their puck counted and they found a way to put it in and our guys battled back and got the big goals, and it is what it is, we won.”

The Barracuda won the best-of-five series 3-2.

“It was one of those games,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said. “Their other goalie (Jon Gillies) played really well. He (David Rittich) got sick and left because of something…The other guy (Gillies) stood on his head and made like 15 or 18 point blankers, and then Grosy (Grosenick), what can you say? He made great plays late in the third period like the ones on (Mike) Angelidis and (Hunter) Shinkaruk. I thought it was over. He hit the post, went behind him…Every team that goes a long way, there’s always a huge scare somewhere…That kind of described us tonight, but I thought we deserved the win.”

Notes
After finishing the 2016-17 regular season with the AHL’s second best power play, the Barracuda’s power play unit went ice-cold during the postseason. San Jose is just 1-for-17 on the man advantage, ranking 14th out of the 16 playoff teams.

After being held off the scoresheet in the Barracuda’s first two postseason games, Danny O’Regan has three points (two goals, one assist) over his last two games. O’Regan is the AHL’s Rookie of the Year, leading all of the league’s freshmen in points (23 goals, 35 assists) during the regular season. He finished second in San Jose with 11 points (five goals, six assists) against the Heat in 11 games played.

Ryan Carpenter netted his third goal of the series on Friday. He now has six points (three goals, three assists) in four postseason games. In his three-year career, Carpenter scored 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 12 career playoff games along with a plus-12 rating.

After signing an entry-level contract with the Sharks fresh out of Union College, Nick DeSimone played just four regular season games for the Barracuda before the playoffs. He has four points (zero goals, four assists) in four postseason games along with a plus-four rating. He leads all defensemen in points during the series and ranks third in points among all defensemen during the postseason. He scored his first professional goal in San Jose’s final regular season game of the year on April 15.

Zack Stortini is the Barracuda’s most experienced postseason player. He played in 61 playoff games over his 12-year career. He won a Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007. He appeared in San Jose’s first two playoff games, but wasn’t featured in the lineup in Games 3 and 4 at Stockton Arena.

Up Next
The Barracuda host the San Diego Gulls in Game 1 of the second round on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. PST on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

STOCKTON — The San Jose Barracuda lost 5-3 to the Stockton Heat in Game 4 at Stockton Arena on Sunday.

By: Ana Kieu

The Barracuda didn’t waste any time getting on the board as Danny O’Regan fired a shot past David Rittich short-side just 58 seconds into the opening period. Kevin Labanc and Nick DeSimone were credited with the assists on O’Regan’s second goal of the playoffs.

The Heat’s defense was superb in the period. Rittich made three notable saves, blocking two shots from Rourke Chartier and one shot from Timo Meier.

The Barracuda outshot the Heat 10-6 and led 1-0 after 20 minutes.

The Barracuda’s defense remained solid in the second period. Both teams exchanged chances and Andrew Mangiapane almost scored the game-tying goal, but Grosenick made an incredible left pad save to hold onto a 1-0 lead. However, Stockton made it a game after Hunter Shinkaruk picked up a loose puck on Matt Frattin’s turnover for the equalizer and his second goal of the playoffs.

The Heat grabbed their first lead of the game at 12:05 when Garnet Hathaway knocked in the puck for the go-ahead goal, his second of the playoffs.

Doetzel bodyslammed Timo Meier, who received a roughing penalty at 11:07. The officials also assessed a roughing penalty to Frattin at the same time. The game went into a four-on-four.

The Barracuda were back on the power play shortly after Michael Kostka got out of the box. Hathaway took a tripping call with 5:45 left in the period.

Buddy Robinson got a lucky bounce that found the back of the net for his third goal of the playoffs, tying the game 2-2 with 2:05 left.

Both teams were tied at two apiece after 40 minutes. Shots were 23-22 in favor of the Barracuda.

The Barracuda retook the lead when Tim Heed fired a long-range shot from the right point that went top-shelf to beat Rittich at 15:22 of the third period. Meier and Chartier notched the assists on Heed’s second goal of the playoffs.

Mangiapane scored his first goal of the playoffs on a shot that went top-shelf to beat Troy Grosenick on the far side, tying the game 3-3 with 5:05 left in the period.

The Heat went ahead with 2:56 left in regulation. Linden Vey picked up a pass from Shinkaruk and put it into the net for his third goal of the playoffs. Vey added an empty-net goal to seal the scoring.

The Heat forced a Game 5 with a 5-3 victory over the Barracuda. Rittich finished with 34 saves for Stockton. Grosenick made 28 saves in a losing effort for San Jose.

Notes
The Barracuda finished the 2016-17 AHL regular season with a 43-16-4-5 record. They won both the Bud Poile Trophy and John Chick Trophy. They went on a 14-game winning streak from January 21 to March 1.

Ryan Carpenter netted his third goal of the series last Friday. In his three-year career, Carpenter has 11 points in 11 postseason games along with a plus-12 rating.

After leading the Barracuda with 25 goals during the regular season, Barclay Goodrow netted his first playoff goal on Friday. In his three-year career, Goodrow has five points in 11 postseason games.

After finishing fifth in the AHL regular season with 49 points among defensemen, fifth with 39 assists and fourth with a plus-27 rating, Joakim Ryan recorded two goals, one assist and a plus-four rating in his two-year career. He has six points in seven postseason games.

Zack Stortini played in 61 postseason games over his 12-year playoff career. He won a Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007.

Up Next
The best-of-five series will shift to San Jose for Game 5 on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. PST on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Photo credit: The AHL Twitter (@TheAHL)

By: Ana Kieu

STOCKTON — The San Jose Barracuda beat the Stockton Heat 5-3 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead at Stockton Arena on Friday night.

Barracuda fans were loud and energized, shouting the “Bar-ra-cu-da” chant just moments before the opening faceoff in enemy territory.

Barclay Goodrow helped the Barracuda grab an early 1-0 lead at 16:11 of the first period. Goodrow knocked in the rebound from Ryan Carpenter’s wraparound attempt, beating David Rittich for his first goal of the playoffs.

Kevin Labanc tipped in a shot from Danny O’Regan to give the Barracuda a 2-0 lead with just 15.1 seconds left in the first.

Shots were 10-8 in favor of the Barracuda, who held a 2-0 lead over the Heat after 20 minutes.

The attention shifted to the Heat in the second period.

Buddy Robinson was called for tripping at 11:02. Just 46 seconds later, Andrew Mangiapane swayed in front of the net and Mike Angelidis beat Troy Grosenick to score a power-play goal —his first goal of the playoffs — and cut the Barracuda’s lead in half.

Brandon Bollig hammered home the rebound to tie the game 2-2 with 6:44 left in the second.

Both teams were tied at two apiece after 40 minutes. Shots were 23-20 in favor of the Barracuda.

The Barracuda were back on top 3-2 with 4:43 left in the period. Carpenter beat Rittich top-shelf, short-side for his third goal of the playoffs.

Timo Meier added an insurance goal to give the Barracuda a 4-2 lead just 1:26 later. After Rourke Chartier got out of the box for goaltender interference, he sent a pass to Meier, who fired it into the net for his first goal of the playoffs.

The Heat didn’t sit and back and relax just yet. Mike Kostka buried a shot from the point to make it a one-goal game with 27.9 seconds left in regulation.

However, the Heat’s comeback fell short as the Barracuda took Game 3 with a 5-3 victory. Buddy Robinson scored an empty-net goal to seal the scoring. Grosenick finished with 30 saves for San Jose.

Rittich made 28 saves in a losing effort for Stockton.

Notes
Barracuda starting lineup
Troy Grosenick
John McCarthy
Barclay Goodrow
Ryan Carpenter
Joakim Ryan
Tim Heed

Barracuda defenders
Joakim Ryan – Tim Heed
Mirco Mueller – Julius Bergman
Jacob Middleton – Nick DeSimone

Up Next
Both teams return to action for Game 4 in Stockton Arena on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. PST. You can tune into the game on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda dropped a 6-4 decision to the Stockton Heat in Game 2 of the best-of-five opening series at SAP Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Heat poured in the goals in enemy territory in the opening period. They struck first when Mark Jankowski scored his first goal of the playoffs just 1:30 into the contest. Jankowski was all alone and he fired a shot that went past heavy traffic and into the Barracuda net to beat Troy Grosenick.

The Heat took a 2-0 lead with 7:38 left in the period when Austin Carroll picked up a pass from Mikkel Aagaard and put it in the net for his first goal of the playoffs.

Things got a little chippy as Zack Stortini and Rasmus Andersson dropped the gloves for a fight with 4:56 left in the period. As a result, Stortini received a roughing penalty and Andersson was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Mike Angelides had a screen in the front. This allowed Linden Vey to score a power-play goal, his first of the playoffs, to extend the Heat’s lead to 3-0 with 3:37 left in the period.

Garnet Hathaway put the Heat ahead 4-0 with his first goal of the playoffs. He scored on a breakaway with a backhand shot.

The Barracuda outshot the Heat 15-9, but found themselves in a deep hole as they trailed 4-0 after 20 minutes.

The second period began with the officials handing a hooking penalty to Brett Hulak just 64 seconds in. The Barracuda finally got on the board at 13:48 of the second period. Julius Bergman sent a pass to Joakim Ryan, who fired a long-range shot into the net for a power-play goal, his first of the playoffs.

John McCarthy cut the Heat’s lead in half just 79 seconds later. McCarthy received a pass from Barclay Goodrow, jamming the shot into the net for his first goal of the playoffs.

“I thought we kind of moved around pretty good,” McCarthy said when asked about the Barracuda’s power play. “We got some pucks to the net…Just gotta get some second chances to succeed.”

Ryan scored his second goal of the game and playoffs to pull the Barracuda within one with 8:59 left in the period.

After the game, Ryan told the media that he liked the Barracuda’s offense, but not their defense.

The Heat were back on top, 5-3, with 2:17 left in the period. A sneaky Hunter Shinkaruk blasted a shot that beat Grosenick blocker side for his first goal of the playoffs.

Timo Meier went to the box for high-sticking with just eight seconds left in the period. The Barracuda’s game improved as they outshot the Heat 24-14 and trailed 5-3 after 40 minutes.

Meier served the remaining 112 seconds of his penalty to start the third period.

The Heat only had two shots on goal midway through the period. The Barracuda’s power-play goals helped them stay close to their opponent in Sunday’s game.

Danny O’Regan was called for slashing late in the period. Once again, the Barracuda pulled within one, thanks to Buddy Robinson’s short-handed goal with 3:41 left in regulation.

Vey added an empty-net goal, his second of the game and playoffs, to seal the scoring and tie the best-of-five series 1-1.

Despite a valiant comeback, the Barracuda fell short and dropped a 6-4 decision to the Heat in Game 2. Grosenick made 14 saves in a losing effort for San Jose.

Gillies allowed three goals on 17 shots before being pulled in favor of David Rittich. Rittich made 11 saves in relief of Gillies.

“We haven’t given up a lot of chances,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said when asked about what his team could improve in terms of defense. “We had too many offensive chances, five-on-five and a couple of allowed goals tonight where our defense got caught staying up and I just think we gotta do a better job denying the back of the net and not giving up those quick plays.”

Notes
The Barracuda finished the regular season with a 43-16-4-5 record. As a result, they became Western Conference Regular Season Champions and Pacific Division Regular Season Champions. They also went on a 14-game winning streak from January 21 to March 1.

Grosenick made 28-saves to earn his first pro playoff shutout on Friday. He went 30-10-5 in the regular season. He won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for 2016-17. In 49 appearances with the Barracuda this season, Grosenick ranked second in the league with 30 wins, 2.04 third in goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. He is the fifth goaltender in AHL history to reach 10 shutouts in a single season. He also put together a scoreless stretch of more than 248 minutes from November 19 to December 18.

Ryan Carpenter scored a pair of goals in the Barracuda’s 4-0 shutout victory over the Heat on Friday. He has seven points, four penalty minutes and a plus-seven rating in nine Calder Cup playoff games in his three-year career. He recorded four points, four penalty minutes and a plus-five rating in 11 games with the Sharks this season.

Tim Heed opened up the scoring for the Barracuda in what turned out to be the game-winning goal in a 4-0 win over the Heat on Friday. He wasn’t selected to the AHL All-Star Game in Lehigh Valley in January, but he was was voted to the second AHL All-Star Team at the end of the regular season. He finished in fourth place in the AHL with 56 points, 42 assists, 14 goals, eight power-play goals, four game-winning goals and ranks 15th overall in the league in points.

Up Next
The Barracuda will head to Stockton Arena to face the Heat on Friday night. You can catch all the Game 3 action on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.