Category: AHL

By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Tony Grosenick defends the net against the San Diego Gulls on Friday night at Valley Casino Center in San Diego

The San Jose Barracuda (5-3-0-2) allowed a late game-tying goal in regulation and eventually fell 3-2 in a shootout to the San Diego Gulls (5-5-1-0) on Friday night on the road.

Ahead by a goal in the final minutes of the third, goaltender Troy Grosenick fended off a barrage of shots from the Gulls. Finally, Ondrej Case snuck in and beat Gosenick from in close to even the score at 2-2.

An eventful but scoreless overtime period resulted in a shootout, where Stefan Noesen delivered the winner of San Diego in the fourth round. Gulls goaltender Dustin Tokarski then denied Ryan Carpenter, who had the Barracuda’s final chance, for the win in an intense affair.

“It was one of those tight-checking games,” said Gulls Head Coach Dallas Eakins. “I think the rivalries in this league are growing. That’s the great thing about this division. As these guys develop the rivalries will only get stronger.”

San Jose jumped ahead with the lone first period goal. Timo Meier grabbed the puck off an offensive zone face-off and fired it past Tokarski to give the Barracuda 1-0 lead.

But San Diego tied it midway through the second period when Joakim Ryan gave the puck away to the Gulls’ Stu Bickel, who beat Grosenick through the five-hole.

Carpenter untied the score at 13:15 of the third period, deflecting a shot from the point by Tim Heed to give the Barracuda 2-1 lead. It wouldn’t hold up, though, despite a 35-save effort from Grosenick.

The Barracuda continue their six-game road trip with another tilt against the Gulls on Saturday.

by Ana Kieu photo by sjbarracuda.com: The San Jose Barracuda and San Antonio Rampage dueled it out for a second match in the two game series in AHL action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sunday afternoon SAN JOSE–After a narrow, nail-biting loss on Saturday, the San Jose Barracuda were looking to rebound against the San Antonio Rampage. In the Sunday afternoon thriller at SAP Center the Barracuda got a two goal win over the San Antonio Rampage 3-1. Yesterday, the Barracuda (3-2-1) was dominant in the second period, but the Rampage (4-7) found its groove on the power play, going 2-for-4 and scoring another goal in the first just one second after a penalty to Mirco Mueller expired. They reverted back to their white jerseys in the second game of the weekend series. Also, Jonathon Martin and Harrison Ruopp were back in the lineup, which was a plus because the Barracuda received some much-needed size. Head coach Roy Sommer has emphasized a team approach towards capitalizing on the man advantage, which occurred in the first period. However, there was an interesting turn in events. The Barracuda killed off a Timo Meier penalty then went back on the power play after Alex Bezile took a slashing penalty at 11:46. Kevin Labanc scored a power-play goal, giving San Jose a 1-0 lead midway through the first. Things have definitely settled down today. The Barracuda went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. They held a 9-6 edge in shots on goal. The lead was doubled by Rourke Chartier, who got the fans on their feet with a snap shot to the stick side. The Barracuda was up 2-0 at 11:56. In the process, Nikolay Goldobin picked up his second assist, bringing his season total to 10 points (two goals, eight assists). The kid line of Goldobin, Chartier and Labanc showed signs that would justify what a young, budding offense looked like. They combined for four points (two goals, two assists). Shots were even at 12 apiece, but the Barracuda had a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Just 10 seconds into the Tim Heed slashing penalty, the Rampage ruined Armalis’ shutout bid. Mike Sislo scored a quick 5-on-3 goal to cut the Barracuda lead in half at 12:58. Armalis made it clear that he wasn’t too upset by Sislo. “It’s not a pleasant sensation,” Armalis said with a chuckle. “Obviously, you want to have a shutout every game, but you can’t get it. As long as you get the win, I’m satisfied.” Following the first Rampage goal of the game, Sommer juggled the defensive pairings a bit. Daniel O’Regan added an empty-net goal to extend the Barracuda lead to 3-1 with 1:30 left in regulation. The Barracuda settled for a split this weekend against the Rampage with a 3-1 win at SAP Center. Mantas Armalis made 26 saves for the San Jose victory. Nathan Lieuwen made 13 saves in a losing effort for San Antonio. When asked after the game if the kid line has to make any changes before the upcoming road trip, Labanc said, “No, I don’t think so. I think our line has been really good. We’ve been working hard, we’ve been limiting our mistakes since our first game of the season. I just think we’ll stick to our directions and keep doing what we’re doing.” Sommer started off his press conference by recounting the tough loss yesterday. The 59-year-old went on to say that Goldobin was impressive with 10 points so far this season. Sommer would later confirm that the only defensive pairing change that he made was moving Jevpalovs up and moved Meier down with Carpenter and Goodrow. The Barracuda embark on a six-game road trip against Pacific Division teams starting with the Texas Stars at Cedar Park Center on Friday. Game time is set for 7:30 pm CST.

Barracuda drops 6-5 thriller to Rampage

sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda hosted the San Antonio Rampage at SAP Center on Saturday afternoon in the first of two games over the weekend

by Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE–Joe Whitey scored two goals, Spencer Martin made 41 saves, and the San Antonio Rampage beat the San Jose Barracuda 6-5 at SAP Center on Saturday.

The club hosted “Pink in the Rink” presented by Kaiser Permamente. Barracuda players wore custom-made pink jerseys to benefit Cancer CAREpoint and to support breast cancer awareness and research. The pink jerseys were auctioned off throughout the game through an online auction with proceeds to benefit Cancer CAREpoint.

Barclay Goodrow put home the rebound of a Julius Bergman shot attempt, putting the Barracuda up 1-0 just 56 seconds into the first period.

The Rampage tied the game 1-1 at 7:01. Joe Whitney picked up a shot from Mike Sislo and unleashed a wrist shot that beat Barracuda goalie Troy Grosenick.

Rocco Grimaldi took the puck from J.T. Compher and put it in the back of the net, putting the Rampage up 2-1 at 12:44.

The lead was short-lived, as Nikita Jevpalovs scored less than a minute later by carrying the puck up the ice and beating Rampage goalie Spencer Martin to tie the game 2-2.

Grosenick made a spectacular save to keep it a tie game. As the clock winded down, both teams were tied 2-2 after the first, but the shots (18-17) were in favor of the Rampage.

The Rampage took a 3-2 lead 1:02 into the second period after A.J. Greer scored his third goal of the season.

Nikolay Goldobin skated towards the blue paint and knocked in a loose puck that Rourke Chartier threw into the crease to tie the game 3-3 at 4:26.

Ryan Carpenter picked up a loose puck above the left circle and spun around before firing it top shelf, giving the Barracuda a 4-3 lead at 7:08.

J.T. Compher picked up a pass from Grimaldi and fred a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to beat Grosenick, tying the game 4-4 at 16:35.

Although the Barracuda outshot the Rampage, 36-24, the score was tied 4-4 after two periods.

Once again, the Barracuda suffered defensive breakdowns all over the ice, just like in their 4-3 shootout loss to the Bakersfield Condors last Saturday.

The Rampage scored two goals in a span of 22 seconds to take a 6-4 lead in the third period.
Whitney scored his second goal of the season to put San Antonio ahead 5-4 at 2:26. Troy Bourke hit a one-timer past Martin to score his first AHL goal and make it 6-4 at 2:48.

Timo Meier made a great pass to Daniel O’Regan, who shot the puck into the net for a power-play goal. The Barracuda pulled within one at 7:31.

The Barracuda had plenty of scoring opportunities, but were unable to cash in for additional goals. In addition, the San Jose offense was inconsistent.

The Rampage held on for a 6-5 win over the Barracuda.

Martin made 41 saves in a San Antonio victory. Grosenick made 26 saves in a losing effort for San Jose.

After the game, I asked Barracuda coach Roy Sommer if he had plans to shuffle the lineup prior to Sunday’s matinee.

“Yeah,” Sommer responded. “There will be a couple of guys coming in.”

The Barracuda and Rampage return to action tomorrow at 3:00 pm PST on AM 1220 KDOW.

Barracuda Fall To Condors In Shootout by Ana Kieu sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda right winger Kevin LeBanc (62) is pursued near the glass by the Bakersfield Condors defencemen David Musil (6) and Joey Laleggia (17) in AHL action Saturday at SAP Center SAN JOSE–After scoring four goals in a span of 10:23 last night, the San Jose Barracuda hosted the Bakersfield Condors again Saturday with a desire to go 2-0 against their Central California foes. However, the Barracuda were unable to carry their momentum into the Saturday matinee in a 4-3 loss in their second meeting in two days.Harrison Ruopp entered as Jason Fram exited, sparking a sudden change in the Barracuda lineup. Dillon Simpson opened the scoring at 6:37 of the first period, unleashing a slapshot from the point with massive traffic in front of Barracuda goalie Mantas Armalis. Mirco Mueller dropped at the blue line, no call was made, and the Barracuda defense broke down with him on the ice. Jujhar Khaira picked up the loose puck and sent it easily into the net to make it 2-0 Condors at 8:33. Alex Schoenborn received credit for tipping in Tim Heed’s point shot past Ellis. The Barracuda pulled within a goal at 9:15. Jordan Oesterle put the Condors up 3-1 at 17:42 by beating Armalis glove side with a slap shot. Two offsetting minors were given to Josh Currie (holding) and Joakim Ryan (diving) in the final minute of play. Both teams had tons of shots that hit the post, but the Condors maintained a 17-14 edge and led the Barracuda 3-1 after 20 minutes. Condors goalie Nick Ellis made a huge pad save on Marcus Sorenson early in the second period. Both teams dropped the gloves in a trivial brawl midway through the second. As a result, Braden Cristoffer went to the penalty box with a double-minor for roughing and cross checking. Kevin Labanc swayed on Joey LaLeggia, but the defender’s clearing attempt ended up knocking the puck over Ellis’ shoulder. Labanc’s third goal of the season pulled San Jose back within one with 2:11 left in the second. Despite having a mere 26-25 lead in shots, San Jose continued to trail 3-2 after 40 minutes. Rourke Chartier completed a gorgeous tic-tac-toe play to tie the score and remind the Barracuda that the game was not over yet. After ending in a 3-3 tie, the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in overtime, leaving the game to be decided in a shootout. Among all players, Scott Allen made the lone shot in the shootout, lifting the Condors to a 4-3 victory over the Barracuda. Nick Ellis (2-1) made 41 saves in the victory. Mantas Armalis (1-1) made 36 saves in his second start of the season. I asked Timo Meier if there were any Sharks players that inspired him to improve in strength and endurance. “Yeah,” Meier answered. “There’s guys like Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, like Pavelski trying to tip in the pucks. . .Just looking at the overall game, but I’m trying to be myself.” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer remained optimistic despite the tough loss. “We showed a lot of fire power with 44 shots,” Sommer said. “I thought we had some good looks on the 5-on-3, hit the post and tied the game up. . .we got a point and that’s all that matters.”

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda center Rourke Chartier (60) looks for the puck as the Bakersfield Condors goaltender Laurent Brossoit (31) who struggled all night looks to defend with defenceman Ben Betker (5) Saturday night at SAP Center

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The buzz heading into the San Jose Barracuda’s home opener Friday night was all about top prospect Timo Meier making his regular season debut. When all was said and done, Barracuda fans had plenty to be happy about, it just didn’t include Meier. 7 players had points for San Jose as the Barracuda downed the Bakersfield Condors 4-0 in a second period offensive explosion for their first regulation win of the season Troy Grosenick made 28 saves for the shutout win in game one of a two game weekend series against the Condors (1-3-0-0).

“He was the difference,” said Barracuda coach Roy Sommer of his netminder. “That was the Troy Grosenick I saw three years ago. I haven’t seen a game like that from him for a while. He was  the story.”

Meier finished the night with 0 points and two penalty minutes, firing two shots on goal. While the youngster didn’t have the breakout performance off the bat, a number of returning Barracuda did.

“I thought he was alright,” said Sommer. “He wasn’t one of our better players but he’s a big part of our future. It’s going to take a while. It’s not an easy league. He did some good things, he’s just out of whack.”

The reason he’s off his game is that the forward missed five weeks battling mononucleosis. He’s now trying to get back to being game-fit.

“I’m a guy that has high expectations for myself,” said Meier. “Going into a game like that I set the expectations high. I just have to be patient. If it’s going to take one game, two games, I just need to help the team win.”

While the youngster didn’t have the breakout performance off the bat, a number of returning and new Barracuda (2-1-0-0)  did, doing just what Meier hoped to do: Win.

First up was returning defenseman Joakim Ryan. Ryan opened the four-goal second on a toe drag snipe from just inside the faceoff circle 5:57 into the period. Ryan received a perfect cross-cage pass from another returnee Nikolay Goldobin for his 2^nd goal of the season, matching his total from all of last season.

Next up for San Jose was a strong single-handed effort on the penalty kill from rookie Kevin Labanc. Labanc attacked the puck carrier Kyle Platzer just outside of San Jose’s blueline. Labanc lifted Platzer’s stick, taking the puck the other way for a breakaway and ultimately a 2-0 Barracuda lead 8:22 into the second.

“In my 19 years coaching Labanc probably has the most accurate hard shot I’ve ever seen,” said Sommer. “I’ve had (Jonathan) Cheecho, a lot of other guys, but this guy can hammer a puck. You get him the puck in a good spot it’s either going in the net or a good chance.”

With an even strength and short-handed goal in hand, the Barracuda added a power play goal later in the period with rookie Rourke Chartier lighting the lamp for his first professional tally. Chartier sniped a shot past Condors keeper Laurent Brossoit with 7:03 left in the period. Linemates Labanc (1 g, 1a) and Goldobin (2a) picked up their second points of the game each on the man-advantage marker.

“That’s a fun line,” said Sommer. “They’re all kids and they’re all having fun. They like watching video, watching themselves. They’ve worked hard so it’s good to see them get rewarded. The sooner they start feeling confident the better off we’re going to be as a team.”

Though the game could be described as a complete performance as a team, San Jose’s fourth goal was due to a determined efforts from forward Colin Blackwell and John McCarthy with 3:40 left in the period. After Alex Schoenborn dumped the puck behind the Bakersfield net, Blackwell pursued the puck, beating Brossoit for the puck in the trapezoid behind the net.

Brossoit slid back into the crease as Blackwell chipped the puck to the mouth of the cage, but Barracuda Captain John McCarthy was waiting for the puck. The experience McCarthy took a stab at the puck, but Brossoit’s split pads stopped the first bid. McCarthy never gave up on the play though, sliding the second-chance shot five-hole for his first goal of the year.

The Barracuda didn’t light the lamp in the third, but they didn’t need to. Instead, they continued their strong special teams play by killing off two Condors power plays to finish the night 5 for 5. They also went 1 for 6 on the man-advantage.

After opening the season with two road games, the Barracuda continue a four-game homestand with a second contest against the Condors Saturday afternoon at the SAP Center. After that, the San Antonio Rampage come to town for a pair before a six-game, four-city road trip for San Jose. It’ll be trial by fire for the Barracuda and their more than a dozen rookie players who all seem to be converging upon a breakout season for the club.

“This is by far the youngest team in the AHL,” said Sommer. “We have 14 first-year guys. They didn’t all play tonight. The next closest is one team with 5. It’s been a while coming. The organization didn’t give away draft picks. They held onto them and now you’re seeing it come to fruition.”

 

By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: You gotta keep em separated–An AHL official steps in between players from the Stockton Heat (left) and San Jose Barracuda (right) during Saturday night’s game in Stockton

In a back-and-forth contest, the San Jose Barracuda dropped their season opener 3-2 to the Stockton Heat on the road to kick off the season.

With the game tied 2-2, Stockton’s Ryan Lomberg scored the game-winning goal with under five minutes left in regulation, stripping the puck from the stick of the Barracuda defenseman Tim Heed and beat Troy Gosenick with a chip shot up high.

It was the final straw of a string over giveaways that cost the Barracuda on Saturday. Nikolay Goldobin’s outlet pass in the first period was picked off by Matt Frattin, who scored to tie the game 1-1.

Stockton’s second goal came off a turnover by defenseman Mirco Mueller. Mueller was picked from behind by the Heat’s Garnet Hathaway, leading to a goal by Hunter Shinkaruk to give the Heat the lead.

The Barracuda, though, hung in the game despite the setbacks. They scored first on a strong individual effort by Danny O’Regan, who turned defense into offense, blocking a shot in his zone and taking it the other way for a goal.

Down 2-1, San Jose evened the score midway through the third courtesy of Barclay Goodrow on a goal off a face-off.

Grosenick made 30 saves on 33 shots as the Heat outshot the Barracuda by three. Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play.

The Barracuda’s next game is a week from Saturday when they face the Ontario Reign on the road.

by Ana Kieu

sanjosebarracuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Troy Grosenick faced 16 shots and allowed five goals to the Bakersfield Condors in exhibition play at Sharks Ice on Sunday night

SAN JOSE– Alex Schoenborn made his debut with the San Jose Barracuda, who hosted the Bakersfield Condors in an exhibition game in Sharks Ice on Sunday night. The Condors were quick out of the gate, netting their first goal 3:32 into the first period, courtesy of Jaedon Descheneau. San Jose goalie Troy Grosenick reacted late to a low shot from the left circle, allowing Bakersfield to take an early 1-0 lead.

Barracuda forward Alex Gallant was given a two minute penalty for roughing at 9:39. Joey Benik made it 2-0 Condors with a power play goal midway through the first.  Kyle Platzer looked assured in the game as he added another power play goal for the Condors for a 3-0 lead at 14:47. Barracuda defenseman Harrison Ruopp was initially called for tripping at 14:35.

The Barracuda outshot the Condors (16-10), however, Grosenick surrendered two goals on the first six shots on goal. San Jose trailed Bakersfield 3-0 after 20 minutes. Josh Brittain’s first goal of the preseason extended the Condors’ lead to 4-0 at 11:35 of the second period. Four minutes and three seconds later, Bakersfield was up 5-0, courtesy of Scott Allen.

Barracuda defenseman Tim Heed had a couple of clever reads and added pressure to the puck carrier. However, San Jose continued to trail the Condors 5-0 after 40 minutes. While Marcus Sorensen helped the Barracuda avoid a shutout with a last-minute goal with eight seconds left in regulation, San Jose fell 5-1 to Bakersfield in the final exhibition game.

Nothing is more depressing than a tough loss at home, but the lackluster game served as learning experience for the young Barracuda club.When I asked goalie Troy Grosenick if he was going to do anything differently in preparation for Saturday to make a comeback and pick up a win, he simply responded with: “No, I felt like I had a really positive camp and I don’t think this has been indicative of the way things have been going lately and we’re just going to go back to the drawing board on Tuesday.”

“It’s just the preseason,” head coach Roy Sommer said. “I thought we did a lot of good stuff. It wasn’t really a 5-0 game, but we had a lot of good looks. . .I thought our forechecking kept them in there for a while.” The Barracuda will head to Stockton Arena on Saturday to take on the Stockton Heat in their first game of the 2016-17 AHL regular season. In honor of Opening Night, magnetic schedules will be given to the first 1,500 fans in attendance.

 

 

By: Eric He

photo by the San Jose Barracuda: The Barracuda congratulate the Ontario Reign after loosing the first round of the playoffs three games to one

The San Jose Barracuda’s season came to an end on Friday night with a 4-1 loss to the Ontario Reign in Game 4 of the Pacific Division Semifinals, falling 3-1 in the best-of-five series.

Up 2-1 heading into the third period, the Reign scored twice in the final stanza to pull away and clinch the series.

Like in Game 3, the Barracuda felt behind early. Midway through the first period, Nic Dowd scored on a rebound to give the Reign a 1-0 lead.

But San Jose evened the score midway through the second period on a Jeremy Langlois deflection goal. The tie would be short-lived, though.

As Aaron Dell was screened, Justin Auger’s shot got through and in two minutes later to regain the lead for the Barracuda, and Ontario led 2-1 heading into the third.

Jordan Samuels-Thomas opened up a two-goal lead for the Reign five minutes into the third and Andrew Crescenzi put the game away with an empty-net goal as the Barracuda failed to muster much offense in the final period to keep their season alive.

The Barracuda were outshot 35-19 by the Reign and will now prepare for the 2016-2017 season.