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San Jose Barracuda’s Danil Guschin celebrates his first of two goals with his teammates at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday FEB 15, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Danil Gushchin scored the game winning goal at the 2:52 mark of overtime to give the San Jose Barracuda a 4-3 win over the Ontario Reign on Wednesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose snapped its five-game losing streak to conclude its five-game homestand. Ontario had its three-game winning streak end with the overtime loss but have picked up points in its last four games.

Third time was the charm for Gushchin in the overtime session as he had his first attempt stoned away by Reign goalie Cal Petersen and his second attempt clang off the post. Guschin was able to get his own rebound before depositing a backhander to the left corner of the net for his second goal of the game and his and 11th of the season at the 2:52 mark.

San Jose (19-25-0-4) drew first blood past the halfway mark of the first period. William Eklund sent a rink wide pass over to Gushchin who shot the puck between his legs to the far left post for a highlight reel goal, his first of the game and 10th of the season at the 12:58 mark.

Gushchin snapped a 11-game goalless draught.

The Barracuda doubled its lead with a power play goal less than two minutes later. A shot from the point by Thomas Bordeleau was redirected by Kyle Criscuolo for his 10th of the season and fifth with the ‘Cuda at the 14:13 mark.

Ontario (26-17-2-1) cut San Jose lead in half early in the second period. Jacob Moverare used Darren Brady as screen to snap home a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Strauss Mann for his third goal of the season at the 7:06 mark.

The Reign scored the equalizer three minutes later in the middle frame. Samuel Helenius fooled Mann with a wrist shot from the left point that beat the rookie goalie through the five-hole for his first goal in 48 games this season at the 10:48 mark.

Ontario gained its first lead of the game with its third unanswered goal early in the third period. Tobias Bjornfot led an odd man rush into the ‘Cuda zone. Bjornfot found Lias Andersson on the left wing and Andersson wired a wrist shot past Mann to the far side for his team leading 21st goal of the season at the 7:31 mark.

San Jose scored the equalizer just under five minutes later. Ozzy Weisblatt centered a pass from behind the net out to C.J. Suess who beat Petersen with a quick one-timer for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:24 mark.

Mann (4-4) finished the night stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced to earn the victory. Petersen (11-8-2) had a busy night as he made 37 saves on 41 shots in the losing effort and is 0-1-1 against San Jose this season.

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

San Jose improved to 3-0 on the season in overtime games.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Gushchin 2) Suess 3) Petersen

UP NEXT: San Jose began a four-game road trip against the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday 2/18 at 7:00pm at Abbotsford Centre.

San Jose’s Jeffery Viel fights for a rebound against Calgary’s Daniil Chechelev at Tech CU Arena on Saturday FEB 11, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Matthew Phillips scored the winning goal in the shootout to give the Calgary Wrangles a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost five games in a row. Calgary has won three games in a row and swept the two-game series with San Jose.

Calgary (33-11-2-0) drew first blood late in the first period. Emilio Pettersen point blank chance was initially saved by ‘Cuda goalie Eetu Makiniemi but the rebound was tucked home by Kevin Rooney for his third goal of the season at the 18:49 mark.

Both teams had two power play opportunities, but neither were able to capitalize on their chances with the man advantage.

San Jose (18-25-0-4) answered back with a power play goal midway through the second period. Martin Kaut’s shot from the left wing was initially saved by Daniil Chechelev but Andrew Agozzino tapped home the rebound for his 16th goal of the season at the 10:42.

It was the first power play goal San Jose has scored against Calgary this season.

The Wranglers regained their lead late in the middle frame. Walker Duehr centered a pass to the crease where unmarked Clark Bishop chipped the puck over the shoulder of Makiniemi for his fifth goal of the season at the 16:11 mark.

Calgary went up 3-1 two minutes later with a power play goal. Duehr centered a pass from the behind the net to Adam Klapka who one-timed the puck past Makiniemi for his fourth goal of the season at the 18:22 mark.

San Jose responded right out of the gate to start the 3rd period. Artemi Kniazev sent a back door pass over to an unmarked William Eklund who buried the puck into an empty net for his 13th goal of the season at the :33 mark.

The Barracuda evened the game five minutes later with an even strength goal. Mark Veronneau centered a pass from the right boards over to Tristen Robins who beat Chechelev with a backhander for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:42 mark.

Calgary regained the lead less the two minutes later with an even strength goal. Josh Brook found Pettersen in the middle of the point. Pettersen skated in unchecked before firing a shot over the right shoulder of Makiniemi for his 12th goal of the season at the 7:58 mark.

The Barracuda scored the equalizer with its second power play goal 61 seconds later. Thomas Bordeleau found Eklund at center ice. The rookie forward skated in between two Calgary defenders before snapping home a wrist shot to the far side for his second goal of the game and 14th goal of the season at the 8:59 mark.

Calgary had a power play in the overtime session but failed to take advantage of their opportunity as San Jose forced the game into the shootout.

Chechelev finished the evening with 29 saves on 33 shots to earn the victory. Makiniemi made 27 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-4 on the power play. Calgary was 1-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Phillips 2) Eklund 3) Bordeleau

UP NEXT: San Jose host the Ontario Reign on Wednesday at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

The Calgary Wranglers celebrated one of their four goals on the evening at Tech CU Arena on Friday FEB 10, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The Calgary Wranglers dominated the San Jose Barracuda in 4-1 victory on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost four games in a row in its first game since the All-Star break. Calgary has won two games in a row and regained first place in the Pacific Division with Coachella Valley’s loss to San Diego.

Calgary (32-11-2-0) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell made a save on Ben Jones’ breakaway attempt, but Matthew Phillips tapped home the rebound into an open net for his league-leading 25th goal of the season at the 5:37 mark.

San Jose (18-25-0-3), despite having two power plays in the opening frame, weren’t able to figure out Wranglers’ goalie Dustin Wolf, who stopped all 17 shots he faced.

The Wranglers doubled its lead near the halfway mark of the second period. Phillips won a battle behind the net where the puck found its way onto the stick of Jones who blasted a one-timer past Dell for his 11th goal of the season at the 8:02 mark.

Calgary scored its third unanswered goal late in the middle frame. A great individual effort by Jeremie Poirier where he skated in from right to left, regained his own rebound and wired a wrist shot past Dell for his fifth goal of the season at the 15:22 mark. Kevin Rooney and Colton Poolman were credited with helpers on the goal.

Radim Zohorna made it 4-0 Wranglers early in the third period. Phillips skated into the ‘Cuda zone and fed a pass over to Zohorna who one-timed a point blank shot past Dell for his eighth goal of the season at the 2:01 mark.

Thomas Bordeleau spoiled Wolf’s shutout bid when he scored his team leading 19th goal of the season with 2:20 remaining in the game. Daniel Gushchin set up Bordeleau, who snapped a five-game goal-less skid, along the right slot and the rookie sniper buried a one-timer past Wolf to the short side.

Gilroy native, Wolf stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced to earn his league leading 27th victory of the season. Dell (7-11-1) made 26 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort, his third straight loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-5 on the power play. Calgary went 0-for-4.

Calgary has outscored San Jose 16-3 in their three wins this season against the ‘Cuda.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolf 2) Jones 3) Phillips

UP NEXT: San Jose and Calgary conclude its two-game series on Saturday at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

The Abbottsford Canucks celebrate a goal against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Saturday FEB 4, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Abbotsford Canucks scored three goals in the second period as the defeated the San Jose Barracuda 3-2 to sweep the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose heads into the All-Star break with having lost three of its past four games. Abbotsford has won three games in a row.

San Jose (18-24-0-3) drew first blood on the power play early in the first period. Danil Gushchin fed a pass back to the point over to Derrick Pouliot who skated in a wired a wrist shot past Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs for his second goal of the season at the 7:23 mark.

Abbotsford (25-15-2-2) evened the score 30 seconds into the second period. A shot from the point pinballed off traffic in the middle over to Tristen Nielsen who deposited the puck into an open net for his ninth goal of the season.

The Barracuda regained the lead exactly five minutes later with an even strength goal. Kyle Criscuolo cleaned up the rebound on a shot by Max Veronneau, who earned his first point in a ‘Cuda uniform, for his ninth goal of the season at the 5:30 mark.

The Canucks scored the equalizer less than three minutes later. Chase Wouters made a wraparound move from behind the net and a trailing Linus Karlsson banged home the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Strauss Mann for his 15th goal of the season at the 8:05 mark.

Abbotsford gained its first lead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, late in the middle frame. Matt Alfaro centered a pass through the crease where Vincent Arseneau scored his fourth goal of the season from point blank range.

There was no scoring in the final frame despite the ‘Cuda pulling Mann for an extra attacker late in the game.

Silovs stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced to earn the victory. Mann made 30 saves on 33 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-6 on the power play. Abbotsford went 0-for-5.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Arseneau 2) Pouliot 3) Karlsson

Abbotsford is 5-1 against San Jose this season.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Calgary Wranglers for a two-game series starting on Friday 2/10 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose’s Kyle Criscuolo fires a shot on Abbotsford’s Jake Kupsky at Tech CU Arena on Friday FEB 3, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Abbotsford Canucks scored two goals in the third period for a 3-2 comeback victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has won two out of its past three games/have lost three out of its last four games. Abbotsford has lost four out of its last five games/have won two in a row after losing three games a in a row.

San Jose (18-22-0-3) drew first blood early in the first period with an even strength goal. Martin Kaut sent a rink wide pass from along the left boards over to an unmarked Andrew Agozzino who one-timed the puck past Canuck’s goalie Jake Kupsky for his 15th goal of the season at the 6:24 mark.

Kaut, who was acquired by the San Jose Sharks back on January 25th from the Colorado Avalanche, has three points in his three games with the ‘Cuda.

The former 2018 first round draft pick said he is glad to have a fresh start with a clean slate in San Jose after five tumultuous years in the Rocky Mountains.

“Honestly it’s been my dream to play for the Sharks. “I have to play every game good, play hard. Hopefully the chance will come soon, if not..I believe it will come if I play the way I am able to,” Kaut said.

Abbotsford (24-15-2-2) answered back with an even strength goal just under three minutes later. Nils Hoglander found a trailing Christian Wolanin who deposited the puck into an open net for his fifth goal of the season at the 9:18 mark.

Wolanin has scored in back-to-back games after not scoring in 24 consecutive games.

It didn’t take long for the Barracuda to regain the lead thanks to its fourth line. Jeffery Viel led a rush up the ice and found Adam Raska on the left wing. Raska beat Kupsky with a wrist shot to the far side for his third goal of the season at the 11:03 mark. ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell received the secondary assist, his first point of the season.

Raska has three goals in his last two games. However, Raska did not finish the game as he left due to an illness.

Kupsky suffered an apparent lower body injury at the 6:07 mark of the second period when he awkwardly fell inside his crease and injured himself. He was replaced by Arturs Silovs. Kupsky finished with 17 saves on 19 shots.

Abbotsford dominated the rest of the game from the halfway point of the middle frame till the end as they capitalized on San Jose’s mistakes.

“We gave it away, we gave it away,” said ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy on how disappointed he was with his team’s performance. “Turnovers. I didn’t like our start. They (Abbotsford) took it to us probably the first six or seven minutes (of the game). In the second, I think we generated some momentum, played pretty well. Then it in the third, (it was the) same old story. Penalties, not hard enough on loose pucks. We gave two points away.”

Abbotsford scored the equalizer early in the third period. Nils Aman received a pass up in the neutral zone from Noah Juulsen. Aman skated in a roofed a backhander over the shoulder of Dell and off the crossbar for his fourth goal of the season at the 5:15 mark.

The Canucks earned its first lead with a power play goal late in the third period. With Luke Johnson in the sinbin for tripping, Hoglander redirected a shot from the point by Wolanin past Dell for his sixth goal of the season at the 14:24 mark.

Silovs was a perfect 12-for-12 coming in relief to earn the victory. Dell made 22 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Abbotsford went 1-for-3.

The Canucks are 4-1 vs Cuda this season. They scored a power play goal in every game against San Jose this season.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolanin 2) Hoglander 3) Agozzino

UP NEXT: San Jose and Abbotsford conclude their two-game series on Saturday 2/4 at 2:00pm at Tech CU Arena.