Category: San Jose Barracuda

Reign Took Their Crown Back, Beat Barracuda 4-1

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The Barracuda faced the Reign again for the second match of this week’s doubleheader. After receiving a shutout defeat yesterday, the Reign took their crown back and overthrew the Barracuda 4-1 this afternoon.

The Reign accelerated offensively after failing to score yesterday. Matt Luff notched the first goal just over two minutes into the match, but the Barracuda tied up the score five minutes later when Jon Martin sniped the puck directly past Reign goaltender Cal Petersen’s left side, his first goal of the season (assisted by Nick DeSimone). The Reign failed to take advantage of their two power play opportunities, leaving the score tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. San Jose had 14 shots while Ontario had 13.

The Barracuda outshot the Reign in the second period as well, but they were unable to score, even on the man-advantage. That being said, their defensive strength translated from the previous day and they managed to hold the Reign scoreless through the second period.

The Reign kicked things into overdrive in the final 20 minutes, though the Barracuda kept their momentum through the third period. The Reign simply managed to succeed on every chance they took. Michael Mersch notched a power play goal just under two minutes in, this time on the power play. Luff scored his second of the game at the 12:10 mark. The Barracuda had a power play opportunity beginning at 13:42, but were still held scoreless. Troy Grosenick was pulled from the Barracuda’s net, and Andrew Crescenzi put up the Reign’s fourth goal at 17:30.

Overconfidence was not the issue (given the Barracuda’s 40 shots on goal compared to the Reign’s 28), nor was a lack of effort or mistakes being made. The Barracuda’s effort remained strong as ever; the Reign just located the back of the net and put forth more momentum than the previous day.

“It was a tiring game. I don’t think we deserved the outcome that happened, but it’s just how it goes,” noted Martin (who also noted it felt good to “get the first goal [of the season] out of the way”).

Roy Sommer concurred, insisting that all the Cuda needed was “more fate.”

On a separate note, one could argue that center Rourke Chartier, who is returning from a six-month hiatus due to injury, has some shoes to fill as Danny O’Regan was called up to the Sharks yesterday.

“Whoever takes Danny’s spot needs to produce,” Sommer said. “They are going to see a lot of minutes, as Danny was our number one minute guy as far as power plays and penalty kills.

“Rourke is going to get even better [as the season progresses]; tonight was only his fourth game, but he’s got some good practice underneath him, his conditioning is good. He should be able to handle [stepping in].”

The Cuda are back at home on Wednesday, November 22 to face the San Antonio Rampage.

Roy Scores First Pro Goal To Help Cuda Steal Crown From Reign, Beating Ontario 1-0

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—It’s rivalry weekend! The Barracuda had their first match of a weekend-long doubleheader against the Ontario Reign on Saturday afternoon. In hopes of a retaliation against the Reign’s 4-2 win on November 1, the Cuda stole their crown and shut them out 1-0.

Roster updates: Danny O’Regan was called up to the Sharks this morning from the Cuda, and Johnny Brodzinski, brother of Cuda defenseman Michael Brodzinski who scored a hat trick against the Cuda, was called up to the Kings from the Reign yesterday.

Both the Reign and Cuda defense were strong in the first period, and the Cuda appeared to be good on offense as a number of their shots were aimed directly between the posts of the net (in contrast with the Reign, most of whose shots ended up hitting the wall), though Jack Campbell managed to shut them all out. At the end, the Cuda outshot the Reign 11-9 and the score was 0-0, neither team having taken advantage of the power play.

Offense picked up in the second period as defenseman Jeremy Roy scored just after the 2:00 mark with an assist from Tim Clifton. This was Roy’s first goal of the season, as well as his first professional one. The Cuda held the Reign scoreless throughout the second, who outshot them by one. However, the Cuda were not able to succeed on the man advantage yet again. The Cuda kept a 1-0 lead through the third period.

“Jeremy is getting better and better every game,” Coach Roy Sommer said after the match. “This is why [the Sharks] drafted him… his thing is producing points. He did that in juniors, that’s why he was such a high pick (31st overall in 2015). He’s not only defensive. He gets out of trouble, but he’s also got some offense to his game.”

Cuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau recorded his second shutout of the season (side note: I asked Bibeau, in French, how he feels after a shutout. He responded that it provides him with feelings of great satisfaction and contentment); Bibeau blocked all of the Reign’s 31 shots, whereas Reign goaltender Jack Campbell stopped 30 shots out of 31 (which still exemplifies strong netminding).

The Cuda, who are now 6-6, are back on tomorrow against the Reign at 3:00 p.m.

Barracuda Captain John McCarthy – Profile

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—“When you play hockey for a living, obviously you need to treat it professionally, but also have fun with it, too,” John McCarthy, Captain of the San Jose Barracuda, remarked at practice on Tuesday morning.

McCarthy, 31, hails from just outside Boston. His father played hockey for College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and his older brother played up until high school. The siblings grew up playing hockey together, though John was the only one who went on to play at the college level (for Boston University) and, now, the professional leagues.

McCarthy grew up a Bruins fan, and he particularly looked up to Cam Neely, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. McCarthy did not know it at the time, but in his early 20s, he would be playing alongside a familiar face from watching television and live games at TD Garden: Joe Thornton.

“He was the guy when I was growing up with the Bruins,” McCarthy recalled, also noting that when he was first called up to the NHL eight years ago (2009-2010 season), he roomed with Thornton on his first road trip with the Sharks.

McCarthy attributes his professionalism in the AHL and NHL to his veteran teammates with whom he played his first few seasons in the big league (beginning in 2009-2010).

“[My older teammates] taught me how to approach the game. Come to the rink every day ready to work, get better every day,” he said.

Now, as the Barracuda captain and one of the team’s oldest players, McCarthy has become an influence for his younger teammates, guiding them as they work toward an NHL career.

“[Establishing an NHL career] is about not being overbearing… if [my younger teammates] want my insight on something, they can feel free to ask me. There’s plenty of situations where [questions] come up,” he stated. “In order for us to succeed, we have to outwork the other team. Our team has a completely different landscape than last year.”

McCarthy then referred to Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, Tim Heed, and Joakim Ryan, all of whom were called up to the Sharks as regulars this season. Their call-ups impacted the Cuda as, McCarthy noted, they were all key players.

“Our game is more of a working game, more of a forechecking game, more of a ‘playing on the inside’ game. We can’t depend on the power play to get us wins like last year.”

Keeping this mentality through every game, McCarthy said, is one of the keys to success for both the Barracuda as a team and for each of the up-and-coming players individually.

Entering his third year as a Bay Area resident (during the season), McCarthy appreciates the snowless, seldom rainy Northern California weather, the cities surrounding San Jose (San Francisco, Santa Cruz, to name a few), and the staunch, passionate Sharks fans all around.

Barracuda Claim Territory, Overthrow Moose 4-1

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The Barracuda retaliated against the Manitoba Moose big time this afternoon, overthrowing them 4-1 after a 5-2 loss the previous day.

The Cuda’s defensive game went up from yesterday in the first period. The Cuda took a few slick shots, but each was a “close but no cigar” type of situation; they just could not make it past Moose goaltender Eric Comrie, who is said to be an NHL starter for Winnipeg in the near future. In other words, the Cuda were strong on defense, not so much on offense despite two power play opportunities. The total of nine shots were comprised of two from Radim Simek, two from Adam Helewka, and one each from Rudolfs Balcers, Brandon Bollig, Danny O’Regan, Jacob Middleton, and Alexander True.

The second period started off strong defensively, and the Cuda took a 1-0 lead after O’Regan scored at the 4:10 mark with helpers from Middleton and John McCarthy. San Jose held on until 16:33, when Manitoba’s Patrice Cormier notched a power play goal to tie the score 1-1 after 40 minutes of play.

“[Comrie] is really good, I think I was just able to get through the defensive zone there have get a point-blank shot, and those are tough [for goalies] to stop,” O’Regan said of his goal.

The third period was the game-maker. The Cuda amped up their offensive game big time and scored three goals in these 20 minutes, despite a no-goal call for O’Regan, who made a shot attempt close to the two minute mark. Marcus Sorensen made a wrist shot at 1:53 after receiving a pass from Balcers (who would put up three assists before the 60 minute mark hit). Rourke Chartier, who was out six months due to injury, notched his first goal of the season “Logan Couture-style,” Coach Roy Sommer described, referring to the Sharks forward who currently leads the team in points with 14. Chartier’s goal was assisted by Balcers and Brandon Mashinter. Balcers also assisted Radim Simek’s empty-net goal at 17:22, as did Sorensen.

“He’s good,” Sorensen said of Balcers. “When he skates hard, he’s creating a lot of space for other people [to score]. It is fun to see him play.”

Balcers, who has one goal and 10 assists this season, added, “I didn’t expect that I was going to struggle with scoring goals this season, but I’m happy that assists come and that the other guys score.” Sommer noted that Balcers, in the past, has been more adept at putting up goals rather than assists.

Tonight’s starting goaltender, Antoine Bibeau, earned his second win with the Cuda. He only gave up one shot in the entire 60 minutes (he had 17 saves on 18 shots, and has above a .925 save percentage overall).

“[Tonight] was probably the best game I’ve played defensively, especially going into the third period,” Bibeau shared following the match. “It felt to me like a playoff game, how we were playing. We played hard, played everything right… We didn’t show up just to be here [today], we showed up to win a game.”

Forwards Kevin Labanc and Brandon Bollig were spot on about the fact that the key to success is playing with a two-way mindset, having confidence both offensively and defensively, though not so much confidence that effort subsides. Bollig added that attitude impacts the game significantly, which few could argue against. The momentum from yesterday’s third period translated well into today’s match, overall.

“We were a lot tighter,” Sommer said after the match. “We took time and space away [from the Moose], which made us play a lot better than last night.”

How can the Cuda carry on this kind of energy, cultivating wins, without becoming overly confident? I asked Adam Helewka, and he answered, “We just have to keep our game simple, not too pretty, and keep making the plays we made tonight, but at the same time, we just want to get pucks and bodies to the net.”

By “pretty,” Helewka suggested that making too many passes, and playing or shooting from the outside of the opposing team’s defense, would convey a “showy” type of game rather than competitive.

 

Moose Cross Barracuda Territory, Leave Their Mark 5-2

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The Barracuda commenced their weekend with the first game of a double header against the Manitoba Moose (affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets), who certainly left their mark after scoring five goals over the first and second periods, during which the Cuda were scoreless. The Moose took a 5-2 victory.

The first 20 minutes started off rather smooth; defense was strong on both ends, both goalies effectively protected their nets. But then, just before the 13-minute mark, the Moose began scoring over a course of five minutes; the scoring frenzy ended just before the 18 minute mark. The Cuda were down 3-0 at the end of the first despite outshooting the Moose 13-9. Jack Roslovic, Mike Sgarbossa, and JP Lipon scored the three goals, respectively.

The Cuda remained quiet throughout the second period, even with two power play opportunities (up from one opportunity in the first). The Moose proceeded to score two more goals, courtesy of Roslovic (one of the Jets’ top prospects) and Jansen Harkins.

San Jose did not score until the third period. Determined as ever since being reassigned to the Cuda from the Sharks last week, Kevin Labanc notched San Jose’s first goal of the game (and his first of the season with the Cuda) just before the six-minute mark. Brandon Bollig chimed in with just about a minute left in the game, scoring his second goal of the season. The momentum picked up substantially in the third period, and both Labanc and Bollig, in a post-game scrum, noted that heavy momentum is what the team needs to play a sound game, amp up their competition, and ultimately play better.

“I don’t think we deserved to give up five goals,” Bollig said. “We played a good game, it just came down to capitalizing on Manitoba’s chances. This was not a lack of effort.”

“I think we were overly confident,” Labanc added. “They’re a good team, you’ve got to tip your hat, but we’ve got to come prepared tomorrow and fix our mistakes… we need to not turn the puck over, and just be a little harder and heavier in the defensive zone. It’s a two-way game, we need to come with a two-way mentality.”

Troy Grosenick, San Jose’s starting goalie, only made 11 saves on 16 shots, while Eric Comrie stopped 36 shots out of 38.

Not to fear, the Cuda have a second chance to claim their territory over the Moose tomorrow. The line pairings are likely to change, especially since Rudolfs Balcers, Alexander True, and Filip Sandberg, as a group, did not meet Coach Roy Sommer’s expectations, he said following the match.

On a happier note, Rourke Chartier returned to the ice this afternoon after a six-month absence due to injury. On a separate note, Grosenick and his wife, Maggie, welcomed their first child, a son named Beckett, on November 7.

Barracuda Center Danny O’Regan – Profile

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—Born in Berlin, Germany, Danny O’Regan, his older brother, Tommy, and their parents moved to Boston when O’Regan was four years old. His father, Tom, had played for Boston University and, the BSC Preussen in Berlin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tommy played for Harvard University. O’Regan’s mother was also a figure skating coach, so one could argue that he was destined to end up on the ice; he as been skating for as far back as his memory dates

O’Regan, 23, played hockey for his father’s alma mater while pursuing a degree in advertising. His junior year, the Terriers won the Beanpot, an experience which O’Regan deems his greatest accomplishment to date. He exceeded the Terriers in points as a freshman, was the recipient of the Hockey East Second Team honors as a junior (in which BU also won the Hockey East championship), and served as an assistant captain as a senior. He was also the first BU hockey player to exceed 150 points (O’Regan had 154 comprised of 66 goals and 88 assists) since 1998.

A 90’s baby, one of several players O’Regan followed growing up was Sharks alternate captain Joe Thornton when he played for the Boston Bruins. Since signing a two year deal with San Jose in early 2016, O’Regan has played alongside his childhood idol both in training camp and games. He made his NHL debut on November 21, 2016 and described his overall experience with the Sharks as a dream come true.

O’Regan, a center, and Adam Helewka, a left winger, have played very much in harmony this season thus far. With stellar hand-eye coordination and speedy (but wise) decision making, multiple times have the pair managed to notch goals and assists, respectively, between one another.

Fun and random facts: O’Regan’s favorite movie is Remember the Titans; he has watched the entire series of The Office “over 50 times” (he believes); he is currently on a 400+ day Snapchat streak with his girlfriend, his longest yet! He also remains a loyal Patriots and Red Sox fan, and his next stop in San Francisco will likely (he hopes) be Alcatraz Island.

Barracuda Defenseman Michael Brodzinski – Profile

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SAN JOSE—“Those first few steps [on the ice] are huge in moving on to different levels [of hockey], and just seeing yourself getting better every day is a huge accomplishment,” defenseman Michael Brodzinski said of his earliest days on skates.

Born in Ham Lake, Minnesota to a family of hockey stars, Brodzinski, 22, was placed on the ice as soon as he could walk. His father, a lifelong hockey player, played for both the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University, the latter for which all three of his brothers previously played or have committed to.

Originally selected by the Sharks in 2013 (141st overall), Brodzinski first played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and then took the college route, playing for Minnesota while studying Business Marketing. In 2015-2016, he made his AHL debut with the Barracuda, appearing in six games total that season. The following season, he played in nine games with the Cuda and 37 with the Allen Americans of the ECHL.

Brodzinski scored his first AHL goal this season, and it was the most impressive of any player thus far. During their second away game against the Cleveland Monsters (who had beat them the day before), the match remained entirely scoreless. With one second left in the overtime interval, Brodzinski got the monkey off his back (as he described the moment) and scored on Matiss Kivlenieks, Cleveland’s goalie.

Since relocating to San Jose, in addition to the weather, Brodzinski has been enjoying the Northern California beaches, a far cry from Lake Superior, the closest landmark Minnesota has to a beach.

Fun fact: Brodzinski’s older brother, Jonny, 24, plays for the Ontario Reign and notched the hat trick in their 4-2 win over the Cuda on November 1 (one of the goals went off of Michael himself). Jonny was selected 148th overall by the LA Kings in 2013. The two brothers last played alongside one another at Blaine High School in their home state.

San Jose Barracuda Podcast with Ana Kieu: Cuda set for this weekend back to back games with Manitoba starting Saturday

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San Jose Barracuda photo: defenceman Julius Bergman (63) left, defenceman Cavan Fitzgerald (67) center, and forward Filip Sandberg (43) gather round in Nov 5th game versus Texas at SAP Center

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Ana:

1. The Barracuda finished a five game road trip with a game against the Reign in Ontario. A look at an in-depth breakdown of the game.

2. Ana predicted the Barracuda were going to defeat the Reign 3-2 in overtime. What went wrong for the Barracuda in this rivalry matchup?

3. Barracuda broadcaster Nick Nollenberger answered some fan-submitted questions on his broadcast blog last Thursday. 1 of those questions was “What was your best Christmas party ever?” He responded with the Christmas party he had in Odessa, Texas. Now, what was your favorite Christmas party ever?

4. The Barracuda reassigned goaltender Stephon Williams to the Americans last Friday. Tell me more about Williams.

5. The Barracuda play seven games for the month of November. They’re offering $10 parking all month long and free parking for parties of four or more. Do you think this is going to increase the overall attendance at the games?

6. The Barracuda returned home for an opener against the Texas Stars to kick off a five game homestand. What were your three takeaways from this tilt?

7. The Barracuda host the Moose twice this weekend. What are your three keys for San Jose for the back-to-back set?

8. As a whole, what’s your prediction on this upcoming homestand?

Ana Kieu does the San Jose Barracuda Podcasts each week and Alexandra Evans and Marko Ukalovic have the Barracuda game recaps home and away at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda Right Winger Filip Sandberg – Profile

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Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE — “It’s been hockey since I grew up,” Barracuda right winger Filip Sandberg said after practice at Solar4America Ice on Friday, November 2.

Beginning in his early youth, Sandberg watched his older brother, AIK veteran Christian Sandberg, on the ice and picked up the sport, practically, in no time.

At age 15, Sandberg relocated from Stockholm to Jonkoping, where he played for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League from 2012 to 2017. Last season, Sandberg was listed at sixth on the team in points, third in assists, fifth in hits (a total of 44), and third among team forwards with 24 blocked shots.

Sandberg completed the 2016-17 playoffs with 14 points, ranking T-3rd in the league. These points were comprised of six goals and eight assists, for which he ranked T-5th (in goals) and T-6th (in assists). He led his team in postseason points and assists, and to a gold medal win.

In 204 SHL career games, Sandberg has attained 25 goals and 46 assists for a total of 71 points, along with a plus-eight rating. In 2013, he was appointed “Best Forward” in the U20 league.

Sandberg’s strength has translated well from the SHL to the AHL. One of the first things he noted was that the ice rinks in America are much smaller than those in Sweden, so one must think faster when moving the puck and attempting to score. The five-foot-eight, 190 pound left winger has scored four goals so far this season and is very well-coordinated, strong on skates, and getting faster game by game–a goal he set for himself when he first came to play in North America.

“You play against such great players. You don’t have time to think, ‘Where should I go now?’ You need to prepare all the time, then you take some feedback from the coaches and stuff like that. I think it is going to work out,” Sandberg said of the “smaller” ice in North America.

Sandberg is thrilled to be playing in San Jose. He described his contract signing as a dream come true. It will be exciting to watch him grow and progress this season. The NHL just might be in his foreseeable future.

Barracuda Left Winger Rudolfs Balcers – Profile

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By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—Would you believe that Rudolfs Balcers, who is remarkably slick and speedy on the ice, once hated hockey? This answer camer as a shocker.

A first-generation hockey player (on both sides of his family), the 20 year-old Liepaja, Latvia native commenced his career at age 3 ½. It was at this age that Balcers, whose then-teammates were older, dreaded lacing up his skates and stepping on the ice.

“If I didn’t see my mom or dad in the stands, I would cry,” Balcers shared. Thankfully, it was only a few days later that he acclimated to the hockey surroundings and began picking things up.

Balcers went on to play in Norway for the Stavanger Oilers, where he was the youngest player. In 38 career games with the team, he put up 22 points (eight goals and 14 assists) and a plus-15 rating, and also helped lead them to a championship win two years in a row.

The 5 foot 11 inch, 175 pound left winger kicked things into overdrive when he joined the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL in 2016-17. In a single season, he appeared in 66 games and put up 77 points (37 goals and 40 assists) and a plus-26 rating.

The speedy and well-coordinated (in regards to hand-eye movement) Balcers was drafted 142nd overall in 2015 by San Jose, the fourth Latvian player in history to be selected by the franchise, one of whom, Karlis Custke, was selected 130th overall the same year. Balcers signed an entry-level deal with the Sharks in July.

Balcers wasn’t an avid supporter of any single hockey team growing up, though he followed the Sharks as, when he was growing up, the first two Latvian players to be drafted by San Jose’s franchise were active on the ice (Sandis Ozolinsh was drafted in 1991, Victor Ignatje in 1992).

“Being here [in San Jose] and representing Latvia is a big deal,” Balcers responded when I asked him what it means to be a member of San Jose’s franchise. He spent a majority of the preseason training with the Sharks players, which seemed to have benefitted him.

“That was a fun time, getting to see what they do. I learned some stuff, got sent down here [to the Barracuda]. My goal was to make the team here, just try to do my best to stay with the Barracuda, and show them that I can play,” Balcers remarked.

Off the ice, Balcers has enjoyed exploring the South Bay and San Francisco, while relishing the idyllic, snow-free California weather.