San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Cuda battle one of AHL’s toughest Firebirds tonight in Coachella

The San Jose Barracuda’s Will Riedell (90) reaches in the net with his stick against the Texas Stars at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Sat Apr 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

On San Jose Barracuda podcast:

#1 The Texas Stars (36-18-9) scored four special team goals in the first period as they cruised to a 7-2 route of the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

#2 San Jose’s playoff hopes suffered a big blow as they sit six points behind the Tucson Roadrunners for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division with just six games left in the regular season.

#3 San Jose (28-33-1-4-61 points) scored a power play goal of their own late in the opening frame. Martin Kaut set up Tristen Robins who beat Stars goalie Remi Poirier top shelf with a wrist shot for his 17th goal of the season at the 16:29 mark. Robins has scored in a back-to-back games for the ‘Cuda.

#4 Adam Raska closed out the scoring in the third period with his fourth goal of the season at the 8:41 mark. Will Riedell and Anthony Vincent, who picked up his first point in a ‘Cuda uniform, recorded assists on Raska’s goal.

#5 San Jose continues their four-game road trip when they take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds (45-14-4) on Monday 4/3 at 7:00pm at Acrisure Arena.

Join Marko Ukalovic for San Jose Barracuda podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda drop third game out of last four to Condors

The San Jose Barracuda forward Ozzie Wiesblatt (89) and forward Jeff Viel (63) with the Bakersfield Condors forward Yanni Kaldis (8) are on the chase at Tech CU in San Jose on Sun Mar 26, 2023 (photo by San Jose Barracuda)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The game did start slow between the San Jose Barracuda (27-33-1-4) but the visiting Bakersfield Condors (31-28-1-1) got things going and when it was over the Condors got a three goal win over the Barracuda 4-1.

#2 The first period the Barracuda scored a back handed goal Thomas Bordeleau (22) on a pass from Jeffery Viel at 16:41 for a 1-0 lead. The Condors came back with a goal from Greg McGregg (6) to tie up the game 1-1.

#3 The Condors nor Cuda scored in the second period. In the third period the Condors scored on a Dylan Holloway (2) on power play goal to go up 2-1. The Condors picked up two more goals from McGregg (7) and Justin Bailey (18) for a 4-1 final.

#4 San Jose goaltender Aaron Dell faced 22 shots, saved 18 and allowed four was this a game where Dell just couldn’t stop Bakersfield’s shots or was it a matter of not getting help from his defensemen up front?

#5 The Barracuda will play a crucial four game trip that opens up on Fri 31st in Texas against the Texas Stars a 5pm PST start.

Join Marko for the SJ Barracuda podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Tight checking game favors Condors as Barracuda lose 4-1

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Shakir Mukhamadullin fights off a Condors player.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- On the second of home back-to-backs against the Condors the Barracuda could not get much going and lost by a final of 4-1.

In the goal once again Aaron Dell got the start with a (13-14-2-2) record and 3.15 GAA and a SV% of .899

This time for the Condors Olivier Rodrigue got the nod having a (11-13-1-0) record a GAA of 2.99 and SV% .905

The first similar to yesterdays game got off to a sloppy start for San Jose with turnover after turnover occurring in their own end.

Despite that though on a great drop pass from Jeffrey Viel the recipient Thomas Bordeleau took the puck and went top shelf on the backhand making it 1-0.

Late in the first Luke Esposito found a streaking Greg McKegg backdoor who tipped home his pass one handed and tied the game up at one.

At the end of the second the shots favored Bakersfield 12-6.

The second period ended up being a pretty quiet period with neither team getting a ton of chances.

Both teams had power plays in the period but nobody could score on their special team chances.

In total in the second period there was nine shots with the Condors still leading at the end of the period 16-11.

Heading into the final period of play things once again got off to a slow start but picked when an early 4-on-4 occurred.

On the 4-on-4 the Condors hit the post then hit it once again this time Dylan Holloway was the culprit.

After the 4-on-4 was over though Bakersfield capitalized on the opportunity as Holloway off a fortunate bounce scored his second goal of the season.

Late in the game San Jose pulled Dell twice but the Condors scored on both empty net opportunities with Greg McKegg and Justin Bailey getting the goal.

The shots at the end of the game favored Bakersfield at 22-20.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Dylan Holloway 2nd: Thomas Bordeleau 3rd: Greg McKegg

“I didn’t think we had that extra gear to take the game over and I think it was probably a pretty winnable game,” head coach John McCarthy said after the game.

San Jose’s next game will be against the Stars on the road on Friday at 5 p.m.

Barracuda get convincing home win over Condors 5-1

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Nathan Burke battles with a Condors player for positioning.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Barracuda kicked off a home-and-home against the Condors and won with a strong third period effort by a final of 5-1.

San Jose after the win now has a 27-31-1 record and sits just three points outside of a playoff spot behind the Roadrunners.

In between the pipes for San Jose was Aaron Dell sporting a (12-14-2-2) record with a GAA of 3.22 and SV% of 0.898.

While on the other side Calvin Pickard got the start with a (19-9-2-2) record and a GAA of 2.73 and SV% of 0.912.

San Jose struck first in this one with Tristen Robins scoring his 15th goal of the season and getting two goals in as many games. Patrick Sieloff and Nathan Burke were credited with the assists on the goal.

In the second period Nathan Burke on a one-timer in the slot scored the first goal of his AHL career making it 2-0. Both Adam Raska and Tristen Robins got the assists.

Despite the early goal in the period from San Jose the Condors dominated the rest of the period controlling most of the possession and leading in zone time.

All the pressure finally lead to a goal as also on a one-timer Noah Philp scored his 16th goal of the season making it 2-1. Raphael Lavoie and Jason Demers got assists on the play.

In the third though San Jose turned it around as Burke got a breakaway and scored high glove on Pickard getting his second goal of the night. Adam Raska got the lone assist on the goal as he pushed the puck forward while falling to a streaking Burke.

A little after the goal Raska delivered a big hit resulting in him dropping the gloves with Philp and getting the crowd on their feet.

On a holding penalty against Bakersfield Thomas Boredleau one-timed home a pass from Derrick Pouliot scoring his 21st goal of the season. Kyle Criscuolo was also credited with an assist on the goal.

Putting the nail in the coffin Brandon Coe scored on a quick shot in the slot getting his fifth goal of the season. Tristen Robins and Ozzy Wiesblatt assisted on the goal.

The shots finished in favor of San Jose at 31-20.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Nathan Burke 2nd: Tristen Robins 3rd: Adam Raska

“Robo (Robins) and Rasky (Raska) all night they were just working and the puck happened to find me but I mean credit to those guys,” Burke said after the game commenting on his first goal.

San Jose’s next game will be tomorrow against the Condors once again at home this time at 3 p.m.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda come off win going into Colorado Tuesday

The San Jose Barracuda and Dallas Stars battled to a one goal Barracuda win in overtime at Tech CU Arena in San Jose on Sat Mar 18, 2023 (photo by the San Jose Barracuda)

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 In what was a fun game for the fans at Tech CU Arena the Barracuda took on the Stars once again and beat them this time by a final of 5-4 in overtime.

#2 Scoring in this game did not take long to get to as on a turnover on a breakout San Jose pounced on a loose puck and Brandon Coe finished beautifully making it 1-0. On the goal Kyle Criscuolo was awarded an assist which was the 200th point of his AHL career.

#3 The play started with Texas trying to get out of their zone and the puck being kept in by San Jose. On the keep in left wing Jacob Peterson picked up the puck and dished it to Patrick Sieloff in the slot who sniped it home sending Tech CU Arena into chaos.

#4 San Jose’s next game will be on the road against the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m.

#5 Marko, before we let you go the talk and chatter ran hot and heavy even after the San Jose Sharks loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday when Sharks goaltender James Reimer who did not play in Saturday’s game said that he would not skate with a pride sweater on during pre game warm ups. Reimer is the second noted NHL player refusing to wear the pride jersey the first being the Philadelphia Flyers Ivan Provorov who also refused to wear the pride sweater during pre game warm ups back on Jan 18th. That said how will Reimer’s refusal to wear the pride sweater go over as his contract runs out this year in his seeking work in the NHL?

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

Back-and-forth game ends in overtime with Barracuda on top 5-4

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. The Barracuda celebrate a goal against the Stars at Tech CU Arena.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- In what was a fun game for the fans at Tech CU Arena the Barracuda took on the Stars once again and beat them this time by a final of 5-4 in overtime.

Aaron Dell this time was between the pipes for San Jose while Dylan Wells got the start for Texas.

Scoring in this game did not take long to get to as on a turnover on a breakout San Jose pounced on a loose puck and Brandon Coe finished beautifully making it 1-0. On the goal Kyle Criscuolo was awarded an assist which was the 200th point of his AHL career.

After a successful penalty kills on both sides the Stars made a miscue defensively and Danil Gushchin grabbed the puck and sniped it home making it 2-0. Surprisingly enough Aaron Dell was given an assist on the goal along with Andrew Agozzino.

While on the power play San Jose made a mistake themselves leading to a goal for the Stars as Nicholas Caamano scored shorthanded.

That ended up being all the scoring in the first period with the shots finishing in favor of Texas at 11-9.

The second period saw San Jose’s offense get off to a quick start once again as just 1:34 in Tristen Robins scored his 12th goal of the season. That goal was enough to get Wells pulled as Remi Poirier was called on once again against the Barracuda.

That goalie pull seemed to light a fire under the Stars as just a little after the goal Riley Barber scored to make it a 3-2 game.

Texas continued their offensive momentum as Rhett Gardner scored getting his eight goal of the season and tying the game up at three.

The end of the second period saw tensions rise as a total of 27 penalty minutes was given out after a scrum broke out between the two teams. The scrum saw Ben Gleason and Patrick Holway drop the gloves while Jeffrey Viel was given a ten minute unsportsmanlike conduct.

At the end of the second period the shots favored the Stars 25-15.

The second period set up an exciting third period and it did not disappoint.

Kicking off the scoring on yet another defensive miscue San Jose was gifted yet another goal with this time Jacob Peterson scoring. It was his first goal with the Barracuda and was also against his former team.

The Stars did not call it quits and less than five minutes after the goal Barber scored his second goal of the game and tied the game back up at four.

After the goal once again the Stars and Barracuda got into it as 10:35 into the third as this time a total of 26 penalty minutes were given out.

That goal from Barber did end up being the last goal of regulation and that meant overtime between the two foes.

The shots at the end of regulation was tied between the two teams at 30-30.

Sometimes overtime can bring out the most unlikeliest heroes and this game did just that.

The play started with Texas trying to get out of their zone and the puck being kept in by San Jose. On the keep in Peterson picked up the puck and dished it to Patrick Sieloff in the slot who sniped it home sending Tech CU Arena into chaos.

That goal was Sieloff’s first of the season and couldn’t have come at a better time.

The three stars of the game were 1st: Patrick Sieloff 2nd: Jacob Peterson 3rd: Kyle Criscuolo

San Jose’s next game will be on the road against the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m.

The luck of the Irish not on the side of the Barracuda as they lose at home 6-2

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Thomas Bordeleau skates in to the Stars end.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- Saint Patrick’s day was not kind to the Barracuda at home as they lost to the Texas Stars by a final of 6-2.

For San Jose Strauss Mann got the nod to start while Remi Poirier was in-between the pipes for Texas.

The Stars in this one quickly found themselves down a man as Riley Barber was called for a slash just 4:04 into the game.

San Jose’s penalty kill was up to the task and did not give up a special teams goal.

Two more penalties were called in the first period one against each team but, all were killed off.

The first goal of this hockey game took a while to come but 19:42 into the period Curtis McKenzie scored his 17th goal of the season giving the Stars the lead.

That ended up being the only goal of the first with the shots at the end of the period favoring Texas 13-12.

In the second the teams continued to exchange penalties with Adam Raska taking a penalty and Rhett Gardner taking the other.

While the Stars could not score on their power play the Barracuda did as Danil Gushchin tipped home a shot from Martin Kaut tying the game up at one.

Not long after the goal the Stars responded as less than three minutes later Riley Tufte scored his 13th goal of the season to take the lead right back.

Late in the period though with less than a minute left Jeffrey Viel battling out front found the loose puck and shoveled it home tying the game at two.

The shots at the end of the second favored Texas 31-20.

Despite the late goal in the second the Barracuda did not come out looking great as just 45 seconds in Riley Damiani scored for Texas making it a 3-2 game.

The quick goal seemed to rattle San Jose as less than five minutes later Riley Tufte scored extending Texas’s lead to 4-2.

The scoring slowed for a bit on both sides but 15:19 into the third Matej Blumel scored his 19th goal on the year pretty much putting the game away.

San Jose did pull their goalie but Curtis McKenzie put away any hope of a comeback by scoring on the empty net to finalize the score at 6-2.

The shots at the end of the game favored Texas 47-34.

The three stars of the game were 1st: Riley Tufte 2nd: Artemi Kniazev 3rd: Danil Gushchin

San Jose’s next game will be tomorrow at home against these same Stars at 6 p.m.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: San Jose and Henderson battle Wed night at Tech CU Arena

San Jose Barracuda forward Tyler Bird (96) battles past the Bakersfield Condors defense at Mechanics Bank Arena on Sat Mar 11, 2023 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Bakersfield Condors blitzed the San Jose Barracuda with five unanswered goals including a hat trick from Seth Griffith in a 6-2 crushing victory on Saturday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

#2 The Condors Seth Griffith picked up a hat trick against the Barracuda and Barracuda head coach John McCarthy had to try to set up a plan to stop him on defense.

#3 San Jose had its two-game winning streak snapped. Bakersfield went back up five points on San Jose for seventh place and the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

#4 San Jose had its two-game winning streak snapped. Bakersfield went back up five points on San Jose for seventh place and the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

#5 San Jose returns home to host the Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday at 10:30am at Tech CU Arena.

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

Viel’s first career hat trick powers Barracuda in 4-0 shutout win over Condors

San Jose goalie Aaron had an easy night between the pipes in his team’s 4-0 win over the Bakersfield Condors on Friday MAR 10, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

Jeffery Viel picked a great time to record his first ever career hat trick.

Viel’s three goals, a natural hat trick, helped the San Jose Barracuda dominate the Bakersfield Condors in a 4-0 shutout victory on Friday night at Mechanics Bank Arena.

With the win, San Jose inched closer to Bakersfield for the seventh place and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division to just three points with its third win in four games. Bakersfield had its two-game winning streak snapped.

San Jose (24-27-1-4-53 points) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. Jacob Peterson sent a cross rink pass over to Artemi Kniazev who buried the puck into an open net for his fourth goal of the season at the 5:49 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead on the power play in the second half of the opening frame. Peterson picked up his second assist of the game when he found Viel in front of the crease with another rink wide pass that Viel tapped home into an open net for his 12th goal of the season at the 12:12 mark.

Viel has scored in three consecutive games and has an eight-game scoring streak.

San Jose had the iced tilted in its favor for the majority of the first period as they outshot Bakersfield 14-2.

Bakersfield (26-26-2-2-56 points) went to the sin bin three times, including Dino Kambeitz’s four-minute minor for high sticking, in the opening 20 minutes.

Viel scored his second goal of the game when he finished off a pretty tic-tac-toe play set up by Ozzy Wiesblatt and Patrick Sieloff inside the Condor’s zone. Viel beat Condor’s goalie Olivier Rodrigue with a wrist shot for his 13th goal of the season, a single career best, at the 7:05 mark of the second period.

Viel finished off the hat trick just over four minutes later with the ‘Cuda on the man advantage. Brandon Coe found Viel with a backdoor pass as Viel tapped home the puck into the open net and 14th goal of the season at the 11:15 mark.

‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell (10-11-2) stopped all 23 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season, his 10th of his career, and third straight win. Rodrigue (10-12-1) made 21 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-6 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-3.

San Jose shutout Bakersfield on the road for the first time in franchise history.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Viel 2) Peterson 3) Kniazev

UP NEXT: San Jose and Bakersfield conclude their two-game series on Saturday 3/11 at 7:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Cuda try to rebound from loses against Reign Wed night

San Jose Barracuda lost another tough contest to the Coachella Valley Firebirds

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 On their second of back-to-backs San Jose Barracuda (22-27-1-4) dropped the game late in the third against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (35-10-4-2) by a final of 5-4.

#2 Similar to their last game the Barracuda found themselves down early as Kyle Criscuolo got a penalty for hooking just 1:47 in. San Jose’s PK unit came up big and killed it off keeping the Firebirds off the scoreboard.

#3 Coachella Valley continued their momentum as Alexander True scored getting his ninth goal of the season and making it 3-2. At the end of the first the shots favored San Jose 16-13.

#4 Late in the period the Firebirds pushed for a goal and got one as Tye Kartye scored his 17th goal of the season to break the tie. San Jose pulled their goalie but could not find a response as the Firebirds held on to win 5-4.

#5 San Jose’s next game will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Ontario Reign on the road.

Join Marko for the San Jose Barracuda podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com