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Fagemo’s OT winner spoils Barracuda’s comeback bid in 5-4 win

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Ontario Reign’s TJ Tynan (#17) and Sameul Fagemo (#11) celebrate the game winning goal against the San Jose Barracuda at Toyota Arena on Saturday JAN 6, 2024. (Ontario Reign)

by Marko Ukalovic

Sameul Fagemo recorded a hat trick, including the game winning goal in overtime to give the Ontario Reign a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Toyota Arena.

San Jose has lost two in a row as they dropped both games of the weekend series. Ontario, with the sweep, has won three of its past four games.

T.J. Tynan set up Fagemo’s heroics with a drop pass in the right wing. Fagemo utilized a screen in front of ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona as he deposited a wrist shot to the short side at the 2:17 mark of the extra session to complete his hat trick and team leading 16th goal of the season to send the crowd of 8,329 home happy.

Ontario drew first blood with Fagemo’ first goal of the goal game 42 seconds into the first period. Charles Hudon sent a rink wide pass over to Fagemo along the right wing and the Reign winger sent a quick shot past Chrona for his 14th goal of the season.

The Reign doubled its lead late in the opening frame with an even strength goal. Wyatte Wylie set up Samuel Helenius up at the point and the Reign defenseman beat Chrona with a wrist shot through a sea of traffic in front of him for his fourth goal of the season at the 15:54 mark.

Akil Thomas scored Ontario’s third unanswered goal of the game on the power play near the halfway mark of the second period. Thomas cleaned up the rebound off of a Fagemo one-timer from the left wing for his 10th goal of the season at the 8:29 mark. Thomas has scored in back-to-back games against the ‘Cuda.

San Jose started their comeback early in what would be a four-goal third period with a goal on the man advantage. Jacob Peterson found Radim Simek up at the point. Simek held the puck before firing a seeing-eyed shot past Reign goalie Jaocb Ingham for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:47 mark.

Ontario regained its three-goal lead just past the halfway mark of the period. Fagemo scored his second goal of the contest when he redirected a Cody Haiskanen shot from the point past Chrona for his 15th goal of the season at the 11:20 mark.

The Barracuda answered back just over a minute and half later. Ethan Frisch skated down the right wing before centering a pass through the crease where Shakir Mukhamadullin tapped home the puck past Ingham for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:36 mark.

Scott Sabourin brought the ‘Cuda to within one goal with a power play goal three minutes later. Nathan Todd’s low shot from the point was tipped in by Sabourin, who was camped out in front of the crease, for his eighth goal of the season at the 15:54 mark.

Sabourin scored the equalizer, his second of the game with 2:05 remaining in the period with an even strength goal. Cole Cassels centered the puck over to Sabourin unmarked in front of the crease and the ‘Cuda winger banged home the puck into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Ingham (2-0-0) finished with 21 saves on 25 shots in winning his second start of the season. Chrona (4-7-3-0) made 22 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-3 on the power play. Ontario was 1-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Fagemo 2) Sabourin 3) Hudon.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host Ontario on Tuesday 1/9 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Sharks close out home stand with tough loss to Toronto 4-1; Loss streak continues for SJ at 11 straight

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks. Mario Ferraro getting warmed up against the Toronto Maple Leafs (taken on January 6th, 2023). 

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- On a rainy Saturday evening the San Jose Sharks (9-28-3) and Toronto Maple Leafs (20-10-7) took to the ice for the first of back-to-back home at home matchups between the two teams. The Leafs won their third game in row defeating the Sharks 4-1 at SAP Center. It was San Jose’s 11th consecutive loss.

A familiar face was in between the pipes for Toronto as former Sharks goaltender Martin Jones got the start. Who surprisingly heading into this one has been playing stellar hockey with 10 wins and a 2.20 GAA and .930 SV%.

Getting his second start in a row was Mackenzie Blackwood who played great in his last start a loss against Winnipeg making 28 saves.

The first period started out slow but quickly fell into Toronto’s control which was helped by a five-on-three after Thomas Hertl and Mikael Grandlund were both called for penalties. The Maple Leafs power play made quick work of the Sharks penalty killing unit as Mitchell Marner scored his 15th goal of the season making it 1-0.

Realistically though the score could’ve been much worse as the Maple Leafs hit the post three times and Blackwood had to make some stellar saves. This being especially highlighted by the fact that at the end of the first the shots favored Toronto 18-3.

The middle frame got off to a pretty sleepy start as the Maple Leafs looked to be playing on cruise control. On the other side of the rink the Sharks through the first ten minutes only managed to add two more shots to their total. 

It continued to be an unremarkable period until in the dying moments when with less than a minute left Calle Jarnkrok spun around in the slot and fired one home. The goal was Jarnkrok’s 10th goal of the season and got a decent response from the large amount of Leafs fans in attendance. 

Team Teal started the third with a little more jump as Jones had to make a couple of solid saves. 

The true dagger came when William Nylander rushed down the right wing and sniped one past Blackwood making it 3-0. The goal caused some “Go Leafs go” chants to rain down from the crowd that was becoming increasingly more filled with Toronto fans. 

There was a glimmer of hope as Fabian Zetterlund made a beautiful pass that he hooked over to a wide open Granlund who tapped it home. The goal brought some life back into the stadium and was his fifth of the campaign. 

Not long after that Nylander truly iced the game as he snuck home his own rebound after a great save by Blackwood making it 4-1. 

With the loss the Sharks record now stands at 9-28-3 while the Leafs improve to 20-10-7. 

The shots in this one ended at 34-24 in favor of the Maple Leafs with Blackwood making 29 saves while Jones made 23. 

The three stars of the game: 1st: William Nylander 2nd: Mikael Granlund 3rd: Auston Matthews 

With the three game home stand now behind them the Sharks will go on a five game roundtrip. Starting with these same Leafs as they’ll do battle on Tuesday at 4 p.m. 

Kings Defeat Raptors 135-130; Sabonis unstoppable scores second triple double for Sac two games in a row

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By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night after taking on the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Kings expended a lot of energy in the game on Wednesday as it went to double overtime. The Kings ultimately won the game by the final of 138-135.

On Friday, the Kings were set to welcome in the Toronto Raptors. It was an exciting matchup for the Kings, with all the trade speculation swirling of a trade between the Kings and the Raptors. Prior to tip-off, it appeared the talks between the teams had cooled, and nothing appeared to be possible.

Time would tell if the two teams could get a deal done. The tip-off against the Raptors was set for 7 PM PST on Friday. The Kings defeated the Raptors 135-130 on Friday night at Golden One Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out playing well. The Kings shots were falling on the offensive end, and the defense was paying well on the other end of the floor. The Kings outscored the Raptors 36-27 in the first quarter to build a quick lead.

In the second quarter, the Kings did more of the same to expand the lead going into halftime. The Kings outscored the Raptors in the second quarter 41-30 to go up big going into halftime. The Kings would lead 57-77 going into halftime as they built a sizable lead. Domantas Sabonis and Harrison Barnes led the Kings in the first half with 12 points. RJ Barrett and Dennis Schroder each had 11 in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Kings took a regression in the game. The Kings defense faltered in the quarter as they allowed the Raptors to score 40 points. It was a defensive meltdown for the Kings, who would look to tighten things up in the final quarter to maintain the lead. The Kings scored 30 points in the third quarter to go into the fourth with a 10-point 107-97 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the game would turn into a dogfight. The Kings were trying their best to maintain the lead. However, some of the Kings found themselves in foul trouble. Sabonis would foul out of the game with just over a minute to go.

The Kings went to Chris Duarte in place of Javale McGee. The Kings would get outscored in the final quarter 33-28. However, the Kings would still hold on for the win 135-130. It was a tough-fought win for the Kings, who once had a 20-point lead.

The Raptors best performances came from Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, who both scored 20 points. The Kings best performance came from Sabonis, who had a 24-point, 15 rebound, and 10 assist game.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at 3 PM PST in Sacramento.

Reign use special teams to beat Barracuda in 2-0 shutout win

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Ontario Reign forward Andre Lee (#26) crashes the crease in a sea of San Jose Barracuda players including goalie Eetu Makiniemi (#32) in the second period at Toyota Arena on Friday JAN 5, 2024. (Ontario Reign)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Ontario Reign scored two special teams’ goals in the second period to upend the San Jose Barracuda in a 2-0 shutout victory on Friday evening at Toyota Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last five games. Ontario has won two of its last three games is undefeated against the Barracuda in three games this season.

Ontario had the ice tilted in their favor in the scoreless first period as they outshot San Jose 11-6 in the opening frame. The Reign had the only power play opportunity but failed to capitalize on it.

The Reign (17-10-3-1) drew first blood late in the second period with a power play goal. TJ Tynan’s attempted pass was knocked out of the air by Shakir Mukhamadullin. The puck pinballed around in front of the net before Akil Thomas poked home the puck for his ninth goal of the season at the 13:19 mark.

Ontario doubled its lead with a short-handed goal late in the middle frame. Thomas battled Tristen Robins for a loose puck in the neutral zone. Taylor Ward, who trailed the play, picked up the puck and skated in a breakaway before depositing the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi for his third goal of the season with 19 seconds remaining.

Ward’s goal snapped a five-game goal-less draught.

San Jose (11-15-4-0) weren’t able to generate any offense despite having three power play opportunities throughout the contest. The ‘Cuda pulled Makiniemi for an extra attacker with 2:37 remaining in the game to no avail as Ontario held down the fort in the final two and a half minutes.

Reign goalie Erik Portillo (9-4-1-1) stopped all 25 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season to snap a four-game winless streak. Makiniemi (4-4-0-1) made 25 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Ontario was 1-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Porillo 2) Thomas 3) Ward.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Ontario conclude their two-games series on Saturday 1/6 at 6:00pm at Toyota Arena.

Nuggets come back to beat Warriors with Jokic buzzer beater in devastating loss 130-127

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The Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokioc (15) hits a three point game winning shot over the Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney (5) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Jan 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024

Chase Center, San Francisco, California

Denver Nuggets 130 (25-11)

Golden State Warriors 127 (16-18)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Denver Nuggets came back late to beat the Warriors on a buzzer beater by Nikola Jokic, who led the way with 34 points, as Golden State fell, 130-127, to suffer their fourth loss in their last five games.

The Warriors snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over the Orlando Magic in San Francisco on Tuesday night, and they were looking to build off of that tonight. The Nuggets, meanwhile, had come in winning 10 of their last 12 games. It was a rematch of a neck-and-neck matchup between the two teams on Christmas in Denver that saw the Nuggets beat the Warriors, 120-114.

The Warriors got off to a quick start in Thursday night’s match, as they won the opening tip, and got on the board on a dunk by Jonathan Kuminga. The Nuggets quickly responded with a jumper by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to get on the board, but the Warriors pounced, and eventually opened up a 21-11 lead just under five minutes into the game.

The Warriors led it 27-18 with 5:33 to go in the first quarter, but Jokic made a pair of layups to cut the score to cut the Warriors’ lead to 27-22, and that was the start of 16-6 run for the Nuggets, which took them to a 34-33 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Nuggets kept that momentum into the second quarter, as they held a small lead over the first four minutes. Klay Thompson hit a three-ball to put the Warriors back ahead at 44-42, but the Nuggets responded with a three by Michael Porter Jr., as the teams seesawed their way through the next several minutes. The Nuggets then pulled away a bit, and went into the half with a 70-63 lead.

Jokic started the third quarter with a three-ball to extend Denver’s lead to 73-63, but the Warriors slowly chipped away at that lead, as they tied it at 84-84 with six minutes to go in the third quarter, as Kuminga hit a jumper, and hit the free throw after being fouled on the play.

The Nuggets quickly retook the lead on a pair of free throws by Jokic, but the Warriors continued their onslaught, as they outscored the Nuggets in the third quarter, 44-24, to go into the fourth quarter up 107-94.

Andrew Wiggins hit a three to start the fourth, and put Golden State up 110-94. The Warriors would maintain that steady lead throughout the first half of the fourth quarter, as they led it 123-105 with just 6:51 remaining, following a jumper by Wiggins.

However, the Nuggets suddenly started coming back. Jokic hit a hook shot, and Gordan hit a pair of free throws, as well as a three ball to cut the deficit to 123-112 with 5:14 to go. Gordon then tipped one, and made a pair of free throws, followed by a pair of free throws by Jokic to suddenly make it 123-118 with 3:23 to go.

Stephen Curry was fouled, and made two from the line to give the Warriors a brief reprieve, as they extended their lead to 125-118. Gordon then hit another pair of free throws for the Nuggets, and the Golden State responded with a layup by Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Peyton Watson hit a three Jokic alley-ooped to Gordan, who dunked it, and the Nuggets had remarkably made it just a two-point game at 127-125 with just 1:08 remaining. Jokic then hit a jumper to tie it with 26 seconds to go.

Curry had the ball for the Warriors, and he slow-walked it, as he wanted to run the clock down to prevent the Nuggets from winning it in regulation. However, a pass from Curry was stolen by Jamal Murray with four seconds remaining. 

Timeout was called, and then when the ball was passed in to Jokic, he shot one from almost halfcourt that he certainly didn’t expect to go in, but it hit off the backboard and in to deal the Warriors a devastating 130-127 loss right at the buzzer.

Jokic was mobbed by his teammates, as well as his head coach, Michael Malone. The camera then panned to Stephen Curry, who chewed away at his mouthguard in utter astonishment. Curry scored 30 points tonight, and even with that performance the Warriors still could not hold on.

The Warriors have now lost four of their last five, as they fall to 16-18, and they have also fallen a half-game back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the 10th seed in the Western Conference.

Golden State will be right back at it Friday night, as they will welcome the Detroit Pistons to Chase Center for a 7 p.m. tip.

Gushchin and Barracuda power play take down Roadrunners 6-4

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San Jose Barracuda forward Cole Cassles battles for the puck with Tucson Roadrunners forward Milos Kelemen at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday JAN 3, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Danil Gushchin scored his second goal late in the third period on the power play as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 6-4 in a wild high scoring game on Wednesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

Cole Cassels set up Gushchin’s heroics with a pass out to Russian forward on the right wing who fired home a one-timer with 2:42 remaining in the third period for his team leading 11th goal of the season to break a 4-4 deadlock.

San Jose has won two of its pasts three games. Tucson had its five-game winning streak snapped.

San Jose (11-14-4-0) drew first blood with an even strength goal early in the first period. Nathan Todd led an odd man rush up the ice. Todd centered a pass over to Kyle Rau whose shot was initially saved by Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta, but a trailing Gushchin cleaned up the rebound for first goal of the game, his tenth at the time, at the 4:10 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead just past the halfway mark of the opening frame. Leon Gawanke’s wrist shot from the right slot hit off the post and landed in front of the crease. Todd punched the puck in with a backhander for his seventh goal of the season at the 12:18 mark.

“To get a win tonight against those guys (Tucscon) was huge,” said Todd on his team beating the Roadrunners for the first time this season. “We battled hard there. Chrones (Chrona) made some big saves there at the end. We owed them one, so it was nice.”

Tucson (19-9-1-1) cut the ‘Cuda lead in half with a power play goal late in the period. Max Szuber’s shot from the point was redirected past ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona by Austin Poganski for his fourth goal of the season at the 17:44 mark.

San Jose regained its two-goal lead with 48 seconds remaining in the first period. A centering pass from Oskar Lindblom went to Cassels who controlled it first with his skate before depositing the puck into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

However, Tucson answered back on its next shift. A defensive breakdown led to a two-on-one down low for the Roadrunners. Jan Jenik centered a pass over to Josh Doan who was all alone and beat Chrona with a wrist shot for his team leading 13th goal of the season 11 seconds later at the 19:23 mark.

The Roadrunners scored the equalizer with an even strength goal late in the second period. Ben McCartney set up Cameron Crotty at the right point and Crotty blasted a slapshot past Chrona for his first goal of the season at the 18:15 mark.

San Jose regained the lead on the power play to start the third period. Shakir Mukhamadullin’s wrist shot from the point was redirected underneath Villalta by Scott Sabourin for his seventh goal of the season at the 1:00 mark.

Sabourin’s power play goal snapped a four-game power play draught for the ‘Cuda.

Yeah it was huge, it won the game for us (tonight),” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy on their success with the man advantage. “We spent some time (practicing) on it over the week with some different things. Good to see them go in for us tonight. Guys start feeling good about it. Sometimes it’s very streaky, so hopefully we can ride that a little bit.”

Tucson scored the equalizer near the halfway mark of the third period. Victor Soderstrom skated into the ‘Cuda zone and from the left boards beat Chrona with a wrist shot through the five-hole for his seventh goal of the season at the 9:20 mark.

Artem Guryev completed the scoring with an empty net goal, his first of the season with 43 seconds remaining to seal the deal for the ‘Cuda.

Chrona (4-7-2) finished the game stopping 31 of the 35 shots he faced to earn his fourth victory of the season. Villalta made 32 saves on 37 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-4 on the power play. Tucson was 1-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gushchin 2) Todd 3) Sabourin.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels down to Ontario to take on the Reign in a two-game weekend series on Friday 1/5 at 7:00pm at Toyota Arena.

49ers rebound with 27-10 route of Commanders clinch #1 seed in NFC with Eagles loss

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (#11) celebrates his touchdown in the fourth quarter with his teammates against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday DEC 31, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

The road to the Super Bowl will go through Santa Clara.

The San Francisco 49ers regained their swagger in a 27-10 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field.

Along with the Arizona Cardinals upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco clinched the number one seed in the NFC and will home field advantage for the entire playoffs. Washington has lost seven in a row as their dismal season has one week left.

It was a big rebound for the 49ers after losing six days earlier to the Baltimore Ravens. It was also a nice rebound for quarterback Brock Purdy who came off his worst game of his career by going 20 of 26 for 230 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Purdy finished with a QB rating of 124.7.

“For us to be able to lock up that (number) one seed and get guys healthy going into (the) playoffs is huge for us,” said Purdy about what it means for his team to have a bye week for the playoffs. “So we’re excited about that. Obviously to have two games in the playoffs (at home) before the big one is huge.”

San Francisco (12-4) opened the game with a 12 play 55-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Jake Moody. The 49ers defense recorded a three and out on Washington’s first posssession.

The 49ers scored its first touchdown on its next offensive possession. Purdy completed a nine play 63-yard drive with a two-yard shovel pass to Deebo Samuel who ran around the left side for his sixth receiving touchdown on the season.

After a 47-yard field goal from Joey Slye, Washington (4-12) marched down the field late in the first half to score its only touchdown of the game. Quarterback Sam Howell connected with Terry McLaurin on 42-yard reception during the drive. It set up McLaurin’s three-yard touchdown reception from Howell with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

San Francisco closed out the first half with a Moody 22-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining to complete a 10 play 71-yard drive that ate 4:14 off the clock.

The 49ers opened up their first possession of the second half with 12 play 83-yard touchdown drive to go up 20-10. Running back Christian McCaffery began the series with 10-yard reception for a first down, but after a rush for no yards he aggravated a lower body injury. Elijah Mitchell took over for McCaffery and finished off the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown.

McCaffery finished with 64 yards on 14 carries and had four receptions for 27 yards.

San Francisco’s defense took over the game as they ended the next two Washington’s drives with interceptions off of Howell. Charvarius Ward recorded his fourth interception of the season with 14:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“We still gotta continue to get better. It’s not about completely removing ourself or just rest of everybody (next week)…We gotta make sure we’re at our best when our best is needed, for when our moment comes,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said.

The 49ers took advantage of the turnover when Purdy threw for his second touchdown of the game, a 17-yarder to Brandon Aiyuk to put the game out of reach. Purdy pressured out of the pocket, scrambled to the right before finding Aiyuk all alone in the endzone.

Deommodore Lenoir recorded his second interception with 8:57 left in the game to end any chance of a comeback by the Commanders.

Aiyuk led all receivers in receiving with seven catches for 114 yards to go along with his touchdown. Mitchell led all rushers in rushing with 80 yards on 17 carries. Samuel chipped in five catches for 37 yards.

Howell went 17 of 28 for 169 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. McLaurin led Washington in receiving with four catches 61 yards. Brian Robinson chipped in 44 yards on nine carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 4-for-9 on third down conversions. Washington was 3-for-9.

Purdy became the 49ers single season all-time passing leader in yardage with 4,280. He surpassed Jeff Garcia who has the previous record of 4,278 who set the mark in 2000.

UP NEXT: San Francisco closes out the regular season hosting the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday 1/7 at 1:25pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Condors 2-goal third period the difference in 4-2 win over the Barracuda

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San Jose Barracuda forward Thomas Bordeleau battles for the puck against Bakersfield Condor’s center Greg McKegg at Tech CU Arena on Saturday DEC 30, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Bakersfield Condors scored two goals in the third period en route to a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last five game. Bakersfield split the series with the win and has points in six consecutive games.

Bakersfield (12-10-1-2) drew first blood early in the first period on an even strength goal. Brad Malone found Carter Savoie on an odd man rush and Savoie beat ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona with a wrist shot to the short side for his second goal of the season at the 1:52 mark.

San Jose (10-14-4-0) answered back with an even strength goal at the 8:10 mark. Shakir Mukhamadullin found Leon Gawanke down in the right slot. Gawanke skated in before beating Condor’s goalie Jack Campbell with a wrist shot through the five-hole for his seventh goal of the season. The rookie defenseman has scored a goal in back-to-back games.

“That’s what we’re looking for out of him,” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy regarding Gawanke’s recent offensive outburst. “He’s (Gawanke) got the big shot. So, we’re looking for him to get that off and get it through. He’s had some success the last couple of games.”

The Barracuda gained its first lead late in the opening frame after Tristen Robins won a faceoff inside the Condor’s zone. Nikolai Knyzhov’s shot from the point sneaked its way through a sea of traffic for his first goal of the season at the 15:19 mark. Danil Gushchin recorded the primary assist on Knyzhov’s first goal since 2020.

The Condors scored the equalizer late in the second period. A slapshot from the left point by Drake Caggiula was redirected past Chrona by Cameron Wright for his sixth goal of the season at the 16:04 mark on what was the Condors fourth shot of the period.

“I liked our first two periods. At the end of the second (period) they kind of got back in the game. In the third (period) they came out with a little push and got us on our heels and never were able to reestablish our game,” McCarthy said.

Bakersfield regained the lead at the 6:20 mark of the third period. Ben Gleason rifled a slapshot from the right point that screamed past a screened Chrona top shelf for his third goal of the season.

Gleason iced the game for Bakersfield with an empty net goal with 44 seconds remaining in the game, his second of the game and fourth of the season.

Campbell (5-6-0-1) finished the game stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced to earn his fifth victory of the season. Chrona (3-7-2-0) made 24 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gleason 2) Knyzhov 3) Gawanke.

UP NEXT: San Jose starts the New Year off hosting the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday 1/3 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Barracuda erase two-goal hole in 3rd period to defeat Condors 5-4 in shootout win

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Bakersfield Condors forward Raphael Lavoie (#50) makes a move away from San Jose Barracuda center Jacob Peterson at Mechanics Bank Arena on Friday DEC 29, 2023. (Bakersfield Condors)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda scored three goals in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit and went on to defeat the Bakersfield Condors 5-4 in a shootout victory on Friday evening at the Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose has won two of its past three games in its first shootout of the season. Bakersfield had its two-game winning streak snapped but have points in its past five game (3-0-1-1).

Danil Gushchin and Tristen Robins scored in the shootout for the ‘Cuda and goalie Eetu Makiniemi stopped Mayev Petrov’s attempt to clinch the win as San Jose.

The ‘Cuda welcomed back Oscar Lindblom who hadn’t played in an AHL game since November 5th. due to an injury. Also, Jacob Peterson was back in the lineup after missing the past six games with an undisclosed injury.

Bakersfield (11-10-1-2) drew first blood early in the first period on the man advantage. A shot from the point by Alex Peters hit off the stick of Makiniemi then off the post before finding the back of the net for the second goal of the season at the 4:57 mark. Greg McKegg, who received the secondary assist on Peters’ goal, provided a screen on the play.

San Jose (10-13-4-0) even the scored less than two minutes later with an even strength goal. Shakir Mukhamadullin found Leon Gawanke at the left point. The rookie defenseman blasted a slapshot top self to the far corner past Condors’ goalie Olivier Rodrigue for his sixth goal of the season at the 6:50 mark. Cole Cassels received the secondary assist for his team leading 17th of the season.

Bakersfield regained the lead near the halfway mark off the second on a fluky goal. Xavier Bourgault sent from the left boards hit off the skate of Ty Tullio and the puck sneaked underneath the pads of Makiniemi for his third goal of the season at the 8:33 mark.

The Condors took advantage of a double-minor penalty by Gushchin for high sticking. Former Barracuda forward Lane Peterson cleaned up the rebound off a Raphael Lavoie by tucking the puck inside the left post for his sixth goal of the season for a power play goal at the 9:19 mark.

San Jose cut the deficit to a one goal game on a delayed goal early in the third period. Gushchin intercepted a pass off of Xavier Bernard at center ice. Gushchin skated into the Condors zone before ripping a wrist shot top shelf past Rodrigue. However, the officials waved it off initially as play went on for another minute and half. After review, Gushchin was awarded the goal, his co-leading ninth goal of the season officially at the 2:28 mark.

Scott Sabourin scored the equalizer just under three minutes later. Sabourin used his skate to pick the puck away from Pederson just in front of the crease. Sabourin made one move to the right before beating Rodrigue top shelf to the far side for his sixth goal of the season at the 5:03 mark.

As it did earlier in the game, Bakersfield took advantage of the ‘Cuda’s misconduct to regain the lead. Lavoie scored a 5-on-3 power play goal when he lasered in a wrist shot top shelf for the Condors third power play goal of the game at the 9:29 mark. Lavoie’s 10th goal of the season was also his team-leading fifth power play goal.

The Barracuda scored the equalizer with Makiniemi pulled for an extra attacker with 1:24 remaining in the period. Kyle Rau found Cassels with a rink wide pass along the right flank. Cassles buried a wrist shot past Rodrigue to the far side for his third goal of the season.

San Jose had a chance to end the game in overtime when they had a power play when Max Wanner went into the sin bin with 2:32 left in the extra session. However, the ‘Cuda didn’t register a shot on the power play as the game went to the shootout.

Makiniemi (4-3-0-1) stopped 33 of the 37 shots he faced and two of the three shots in the shootout to earn his fourth victory. Rodrigue (5-2-2-1) made 24 saves on 28 shots and was 1-2 in the shootout in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield went 3-for-7.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Cassels 2) Gawanke 3) Peters.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Bakersfield conclude their home and home series on Saturday 12/30 at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Ravens defense dominates 49ers in 33-19 route in battle of best record teams

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San Francisco 49ers defenders Fred Warner (#54) and Nick Bosa (#97) pursue Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (#8) at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday DEC 25, 2023. (Kym Fortino-San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

The battle of the Clash of the Titans was a one-sided affair.

The Baltimore Ravens defense recorded five interceptions and four sacks and Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns in a 33-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a game that featured the two teams with the best records in the NFL on Sunday evening at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco had its six-game winning streak snapped but still control its own destiny in clinching the number seed in the NFC as long as they win their final two games of the regular season. Baltimore has won five games in a row and are on track to clinch the number seed in the AFC.

Baltimore’s defense made life hell for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who suffered his worst game of his professional career. Purdy, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a stinger, was intercepted four times with no touchdowns on 18 of 32 for 255 yards.

Purdy threw the first of his four interceptions on San Francisco’s opening drive when his read to Deebo Samuel was thrown too late as Kyle Hamilton picked off Purdy for the first of his two interceptions of the game.

San Francisco’s (11-4) defense jumped out to a good start as they forced Jackson into an intentional grounding penalty in his own end zone that resulted in a safety. After a 45-yard Jake Moody field goal, the 49ers had a 5-0 lead with 5:58 left in the first quarter.

Baltimore (12-3) received a Justin Tucker 28-yard field goal on its next possession which began a string of seven straight possession where they scored points.

Hamilton made his second interception on a pass intended for tight end George Kittle that deflected off a Ravens defender. Jackson made the 49ers pay as he commanded a 11 play 53-yard drive that was finished off with a Gus Edwards one-yard rushing touchdown to give Baltimore its first lead of the game.

The 49ers scored on its final possession of the first half when running back Christian McCaffery was the catalyst of the drive as he touched the ball on all six plays. His 39-yard run set up his nine-yard rushing touchdown on the very next play.

The Ravens closed out the first half with another 28-yard field goal from Tucker as time expired on the second quarter.

Baltimore dominated the second half on both sides of the ball. After forcing San Francisco on a three and out to start the third quarter, Jackson needed only three plays to get the Ravens back in the end zone. Edwards short pass for 39 yards set up Nelson Agholor’s six-yard touchdown reception along the left sidelines.

Purdy threw his fourth interception when he was hit before throwing the ball that was intended for McCaffery but found the hands of Patrick Queen as he returned it 21 yards to the 49ers nine-yard line.

“I think the NFL scriptwriters did a great job tonight. I’ve never seen Brock Purdy throw four interceptions before,” Kittle said after the game.

Jackson threw for his second touchdown on the next play when he connected with Zay Flowers over the middle for a nine-yard touchdown reception to give the Ravens a 30-12 lead with 11:49 remaining in the third quarter.

Purdy suffered his injury when the 49ers turned the ball over on down with 14:57 left in the fourth quarter. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan had seen enough and replaced Purdy the rest of the game with backup quarterback Sam Darnold.

“I have to look at myself in the mirror and ask why or how that happened,” Purdy said.

Darnold led the Niners down the field on its next possession with a 12 play 90-yard drive that cumulated with a 12-yard touchdown reception to Ronnie Bell on a post route. It was the rookie wide receiver’s first career touchdown.

San Francisco had one last ditch effort to cut the deficit to a one-score game on its final possession, but Darnold was picked off by Marcus Williams in the end zone on a 4th and goal from the Ravens 17-yard line with 1:09 remaining to seal the deal for Baltimore.

The 49ers lost more than the game as all-pro left tackle Trent Williams left the game in third quarter with a groin injury and did not return as Shanahan was forced to go with a makeshift offensive line during the second half which allowed the Ravens to continue to keep pressure on both Purdy and Darnold.

Jackson finished the game going 23 of 35 for 252 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led Baltimore in rushing with 45 yards on seven carries including a 30-yarder on a 3rd and 16 that led to Tucker’s field goal before halftime. Flowers led the Ravens in receiving with nine catches for 72 yards and his one touchdown.

“We gotta get back to work, right back to work,” said Warner on his team’s worst loss of the season. “We can’t let this affect our confidence as a team. We know who we are. We gotta comeback on a short week and go on the road, in a big game. And find a way to win one game.”

Darnold was 8 of 14 for 81 yards with one touchdown and one interception in mop up duty. McCaffery led all rushers with 103 yards on 14 carries. Kittle led the 49ers in receiving with seven catches for 126 yards. Brandon Aiyuk chipped in six catches for 113 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-14 on third down conversions. Baltimore was 4-for-11.

San Francisco allowed a team to score on seven straight possessions for the first time since 2005.

This was the first time the 49ers threw five interceptions in a game since 1980 when Steve DeBerg threw all five.

Jackson is now 20-1 against NFC teams in his career.

McCaffery’s rushing touchdown gave him 21 total touchdowns for the season, tying him with Miami Dolphins Raheem Mostert for the league lead.

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels out the nation’s capital for its final road game of the regular season to take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday 12/31 at 10:00am at FedEx Field.