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Mann earns first career shutout in 3-0 Barracuda win over Eagles

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Jeffery Viel celebrates with Strauss Mann after the San Jose Barracuda’s 3-0 win over the Colorado Eagles at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday NOV 16, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Strauss Mann is making the most of his opportunities.

The San Jose Barracuda goalie made 21 saves to record his first AHL career shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Colrado Eagles on Wednesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has won three out its past four games. San Diego has lost five of its past five six games and only have one win in the month of November.

A week after getting his first AHL win, Strauss didn’t need to do much to earn his first career shutout as San Diego weren’t able to generate many good scoring chances during the game. San Jose had the ice tilted in its favor the majority of the 60 minutes.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Barracuda broke through the deadlock just past the halfway mark of the second period. Montana Onyebuchi’s pass off the board landed on the foot of Jasper Weatherby and the former 2018 fourth round draft pick roofed a backhander past Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal for his second goal of the season at the 11:02 mark.

San Diego (5-9-0-0) were only able to generate five shots in the middle frame as San Jose’s defense played one of its best periods of the season.

San Jose (7-5-0-1) put the game away with two goals in third period, one early and one late to seal the Gulls fate.

William Eklund sprung an odd man rush for the ‘Cuda with a pass out to the neutral zone. Thomas Bordeleau skated into the Gulls zone on a two-on-one break with Scott Reedy. Bordeleau centered a pass over to Reedy who beat Dostal with a one-timer for his third goal of the season at the 5:00 mark.

San Jose scored its third unanswered goal when Andrew Agozzino snapped a 10-game goaless draught. Reedy carried a turnover at the neutral zone into and centered a backhand pass over to the ‘Cuda captain who rifled home a wrist shot past Dostal for his second goal of the season at the 17:43 mark.

Dostal had a busy night as he made 39 saves on 42 shots in the losing effort.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Mann 2) Weatherby 3) Reedy

UP NEXT: San Jose begin a five-game road trip with a two-game weekend series against the Tuscon Roadrunners starting on Saturday 11/19 at 6:00pm at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.

Warriors Lose Eighth Road Game To Phoenix 130-119

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Warriors Lose Eighth Road Game To Phoenix 130-119

The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right) is guarded by the Phoenix Suns Damian Lee (left) in first half action at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Wed Nov 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday evening the Golden State Warriors (6-9) traveled to the Valley of the Sun taking on the Phoenix Suns (9-5). Back on the road again the Warriors attempted to win their first road game of the season but stay winless on the road with a loss to the Suns 130-119. Golden State has lost eight games this season, seven of them on the road. They are solid at home but on the road it is a quandary.

The Warriors took an early lead in the first quarter of this game. Mid-way through the quarter the tables turned in favor of the Suns and the Warriors would not see another lead for the remainder of the quarter. The Suns led 36-33 after the first twelve minutes.

The second quarter was more of the same for the Warriors. They could not regain the lead. They needed to slow down the Suns and it just wasn’t happening. Second chance points for the Suns were hurting the Warriors despite guard Stephen Curry coming out on fire. Curry was keeping his team in the game but so far it wasn’t enough to get on top of Phoenix. The Suns kept the pressure on and led at the half 72-65.

Curry was phenomenal shooting 31 points in the first half. Kevon Looney had ten points but they would need Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole to step up in the second half. Defensively the Warriors fell short in the first half. 14 second chance shots for the Suns had been the downfall for Golden State in the first half. The rebounding for the Warriors was a glaring insufficiency and had to turn around in the second half if their first road win of the season was in their future.

The Suns wasted no time in creating a double digit lead less than three minutes into the third quarter 78-65. The Warriors continued to hang around and the good news for Golden State; Wiggins and Thompson were heating up climbing into double digits. With 3:44 left in the third Curry committed a technical and two Phoenix free throws followed. The Suns held onto the double digit lead going into the fourth quarter 103-89 their largest lead of the game.

Despite Curry finishing with 50 points the Suns were just the better team winning 130-119. So the search for the elusive road win continues. Thompson and Wiggins both shot for 14 points. Poole struggled playing for 26 minutes and coming up with two rebounds and two points.

All five starters for Phoenix shot in double digits with Cameron Payne the leader with 29 points. Devon Booker finished with 27.

The Warriors will travel home to take on the Knicks Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Eagles take down Barracuda in 3-1 win

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San Jose Barracuda forward Thomas Bordeleau chases the puck against the Colorado Eagles at the Teach CU Arena on Sunday NOV 13, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Colorado Eagles scored three unanswered goals en route to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Sunday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose had its two-game winning streak snapped. Colorado has won four of its past five games.

Ben Tardif drew first blood for Colorado (7-5-1-0) late in the first period. He scored his first goal of the season at the 14:30 mark. Justin Scott and Ryan Wagner assisted on the goal.

After a scoreless second period, the Eagles put the game away with two goals in the third period.

Charles Hudson scored his team leading seventh goal of the season on the power play at the 8:16 mark. Brad Hunt and Alex Galchenyuk recorded assists on Hudson’s goal.

Anton Blidh put the game away with an empty net goal with 2:32 remaining after ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy pulled goalie Eetu Makiniemi for an extra attacker. It was Blidh’s fourth goal of the season.

San Jose (6-5-0-1) spoiled Jonas Johansson’s bid for a shutout with a power play goal from Tristian Robins with 35 seconds left in the game. Derrick Pouliot and captain Andrew Agozzino were credited with assists.

Johansson stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faces to earn the victory. Makiniemimade 34 saves on 36 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-4 on the power play. Colorado also went 1-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Tardif 2) Makiniemi 3) Johansson

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to the desert to take on the Tuscon Roadrunners on Saturday 11/19 at 6:00pm at Tuscon Convention Center Arena.

49ers defense cracked the Herbert code in second half for 22-16 comeback win

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Talanoa Hufanga and Deommodore Lenoir celebrate an interception to clinch the win for San Francisco at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday NOV 13, 2022. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It was a tail of two halves for the San Francisco 49ers.

Their defense shutout the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half as the offense did enough for a 22-16 comeback win on Sunday evening at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco has won two games in a row, both against the two Los Angeles teams, and are 3-3 coming off the bye week under head coach Kyle Shanahan’s reign. Los Angeles has lost two of its past three games, all against NFC opponents.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had a very efficient first half as he was 14 of 21 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Herbert opened the game with a seven play 75-yard drive that resulted in a 32-yard receiving touchdown to wide receiver DeAndre Carter.

Los Angeles (5-4) were without both of its star receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams; each have missed the past two games with injuries.

It was the first time all season long San Francisco’s offense had all of its players healthy on the field as Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell returned from their respective injuries. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a full arsenal and spread the ball around efficiently and effectively.

“It was a fun win, it was fun to comeback out there with the boys,” said wide receiver Jauan Jennings on how excited the team was to have everybody back on the offensive side of the ball. “It’s just like, hey it’s a party man! It was a party except it was on the football field dog. So, I just had fun, I had a great time.”

San Francisco (5-4) went on a long 14 play drive in the first quarter that went 67 yards that ate up over seven minutes of possession. However, they had to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Robbie Gould.

Garoppolo then led a nine play 75-yard drive on San Francisco’s fifth offensive possession late in the second quarter where he completed the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

“I think it showed last week against the Rams, guys stepping up in different roles. It just showed again today, guys don’t care if they get 10 targets or one target, if we get a ‘W’, a ‘W’ is a ‘W’ and that is what we’re here for,” Garoppolo said.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who made his return after missing three weeks after being injured in the game against Kansas City, was ejected from the contest with 30 seconds left in the second quarter when he landed a controversial helmet to helmet on Herbert that was reviewed by the league before the officials dismissed him from the game for the unsportsmanlike play.

The 49ers defense bent but did not break in the first half as they held the Chargers to three Cameron Dicker field goals, including one when time expired in the second quarter to give Los Angeles a 16-10 lead into halftime.

“The second half, just like two weeks ago in our last game, defense hunkered down, they didn’t seem to make any mistakes, especially at the end with their (Los Angeles’) last two drives there, it was great,” Shanahan said.

San Francisco started the third quarter with another long drive, this time they went 12 plays and 67 yards with the same result as their long drive in the first a half, a Gould field goal from 26 yards.

Led by Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, San Francisco finally got pressure on Herbert in the second half and made him uncomfortable for the majority of the second half. They sacked Herbert three times in the second half.

“We just didn’t execute. We need to be better on third down and continuing to push the ball forward and getting first down but unfortunately, we didn’t do that today,” Herbert said.

San Francisco controlled the time possession 37 minutes to 23 as they ran for a season high 41 times accumulating 157 yards on the ground as they averaged 3.8 yards per carry.

The 49ers final long drive of the game gave them its first lead in the fourth quarter. San Francisco marched down the field on a 14 play 77-yard drive with a balance of rushing and passing plays. Brandon Aiyuk’s 24-yard reception set up Christian McCaffery’s two-yard rushing touchdown. Gould missed the extra point as San Francisco led 19-16 with 6:59 remaining in the game.

The 49ers defense did the rest and never allowed the Chargers to score another point. Safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Herbert on LA’s final drive to seal the deal as San Francisco sits a half game out of first place in the NFC West Division.

“We just went in and made some adjustments at half time, just continued to be physical and switched some things up. We just wanted to get after them up front and plat a little bit looser coverage on the back end and continue to force them to check the ball down and just rally to it,” Hufanga said.

Garoppolo finished 19 of 28 for 240 yards with only the one rushing touchdown but no interceptions. Mitchell led San Francisco in rushing in his first game back since the season opener with 89 yards on 18 carries. McCaffery chipped in with 38 yards on 14 carries to go along with his four receptions for 39 yards. Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving with six catches for 84 yards.

Herbert ended up 21 of 35 for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Star running back Austin Eckler was held to just 24 yards on just six carries. Carter led the Chargers in receiving with four catches for 64 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 9-for-17 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 6-for-16.

San Francisco snapped its five-game losing streak to Los Angeles and tied the overall series record at 8-8. The 49ers are 4-3 against the Chargers at home.

UP NEXT: San Francisco heads south of the border to host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football on 11/21 at 5:15pm at Azteca Stadium.

Cal limited to 156 yards in offense in dismal 38-10 loss at Oregon State

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By Morris Phillips

The last time the Cal Bears approached the Big Game on a point this low they found the silver lining.

Can a wholely satisfying win over Stanford rescue this season like it did in 2019?

The Bears hope so.

A 38-10 loss at Oregon State on Saturday was the team’s sixth in a row dating back to September 24 when the Bears improved to 3-1 by blowing out Arizona. The five losses that followed were competitive at some point during the four quarters. That wasn’t the case against the Beavers on a cold, misty night in Corvallis.

Cal trailed at the half 21-7 after their offense hit a new low with just 53 yards of total offense before the break. The visitors fell in a deeper hole when Oregon State scored on their first two possessions in the third quarter to lead 31-7.

“We haven’t played up to the standard that we’ve set as a team,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We haven’t coached well enough, we haven’t played well enough. It is totally unacceptable.”

Cal failed to score an offensive touchdown in the contest. They were limited to a 36-yard field goal by freshman Michael Luckhurst with 12:30 remaining in the game. Cal’s lone touchdown came with 2:33 remaining before halftime when cornerback Jeremiah Earby recovered Ben Gulbranson’s fumble and raced 33 yards for the score.

Gulbranson paced OSU with 15 of 23 passing for 137 yards and two touchdown passes. Cal’s Jack Plummer was limited to 60 yards passing in the first half, and finished with 147 yards through the air on 22 of 35 attempts.

Cal’s one offensive play of note was a 40-yard completion to J. Michael Sturdivant before halftime.

The losing streak ends any hopes the Bears (3-7, 1-6) will gain bowl eligibility. Instead the Bears will end the season with the 125th Big Game this Saturday followed by a Friday after Thanksgiving contest against UCLA. Both games will be at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

In 2019, Cal defeated Stanford 24-20 for the first time following nine, consecutive losses in the lengthy series between the two schools. The Bears were unlikely winners in that one after they dropped four of their previous five, but got a huge boost from the return of quarterback Chase Garbers for the 122nd Big Game.

Cal Caught in the K Zone: K-State, Keyontae knock the Bears for a loop in 63-54 loss

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BERKELEY, CA–Keyontae Johnson’s rebirth rolled through Haas Pavilion Friday afternoon, and it was nothing less than inspiring regardless of the architect’s humility.

“I just thank the team for having confidence in me to let me showcase what I’m capable of,” Johnson said after his double-double led Kansas State past Cal, 63-54. “Without them, those plays would have never happened.”

Johnson is the highly-regarded NBA prospect who saw his career at Florida end nearly two years ago when he collapsed during a game at Florida State. A medically-induced coma lasting three days spoke to the anxious moments Johnson and his family endured.

Johnson recovered, but his basketball career was put on hiatus until this week. Now at rebuilding Kansas State, Johnson is back on the court and the focal point of his new team. Nine of Johnson’s team-best 16 points came in the first half as the Wildcats gave Cal fits, while building a 36-21 lead at the break.

The Bears committed 15 turnovers, made just seven baskets on four assists in a nightmare-like, first 20 minutes. The hosts recovery was dramatic as they drew within 47-46 on Sam Alajiki’s lay-in with 5:37 remaining. But K-State’s Jay Nowell scored the next six points and the Wildcats survived to move to 2-0 on the season.

“We dug too big of a hole in the first half,” coach Mark Fox said. “We’re playing a lot of young guys and they made some errors – and they’re going to make some errors – but I was proud of how we competed. I’m disappointed that we didn’t find that competitive nature earlier.”

Squandering a 42-22 lead they held with 15:31 remaining caused the visitors some anxious moments. But the defensive effort they displayed in the first half returned down the stretch.

“We (tried) to get as many stops as possible within five minutes,” Nowell said of the final minutes. “We just came together and talked it out and figured out the way that we needed to do to win.”

The Bears fell to 0-2 with the loss and diversifying their offense likely will be their focus heading into Tuesday’s trip to UC San Diego for their meeting with the Tritons of the Big West Conference. Cal has averaged just 59 points in their first two contests.

The Bears are currently without the trio of Jalen Celestine, Jarred Hyder and DeJuan Clayton due to injuries and none appear ready to return as soon as next week.

“We found a little grit to us in the second half, and that’s important for us because until we get healthy we’re going to have to win some gritty games,” Fox said.

33-1: Cal’s first-ever loss to UC Davis, 75-65, comes in the season opener

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–When the moment of decision presented itself Monday night, the UC Davis Aggies seized it.

And with that the unprecedented happenings within the Cal basketball program multiplied.

Cal’s 75-65 loss to UC Davis in the season opener for both teams was their first in the 34-game series that dates back to 1917.

The Bears lost their season opener at home for the second, consecutive year on the heels of their 80-67 loss to UC San Diego last year.

And most significantly, the Bears, picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 coach’s pre-season poll might not exceed expectations and suffer an unprecedented, sixth consecutive losing season, and their fourth under coach Mark Fox.

After trailing the Aggies for 26 minutes, including halftime, the Bears gained a 54-53 lead with 11:32 remaining with Devin Askew and center Lars Thiemann leading the way. Kuany Kuany’s 3-pointer and Grant Newell’s layin following a Thiemann offensive rebound gave Cal its biggest advantage at 60-54.

Then as quickly as Cal was engaged and whole, they splintered.

The Aggies put together a 17-1 run over the next seven minutes that muted the host’s crowd and decided the contest. Robbie Beasley Jr., Ty Johnson and leading, returning scorer Elijah Pepper combined for 15 of the 17 points, and UC Davis was in command leading 71-61 with 2:53 remaining.

“When we came back and took the lead, we just had a couple awful possessions that led to baskets for them, and we never recovered,” Fox said.

“We got sped up and didn’t take the right shots,” Thiemann said.

While playing at a quicker pace, and attacking the basket aggressively, the Aggies had success from the opening tip, building a 27-21 lead while shooting 68 percent from the field through the first 10 minutes. Cal steadied at that point as Thiemann and Askew kept them within reach, down 41-35 at the break.

Both of Cal’s leaders would go on to record career bests with Askew scoring 19, and Thiemann 17. The Cal center also contributed eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Christian Anigwe, younger brother of record-breaking Kristine Anigwe from the Cal’s women’s program, led UC Davis with 21 points.

All of the Pac-12 teams hosted non-conference opponents on opening night, and only Cal and USC suffered losses. The Trojans fell 74-61 to Florida Gulf Coast. With the loss, Mark Fox has a 35-59 record at Cal in his three plus seasons at the helm.

The Bears host Kansas State on Friday at 4pm.

Dynamic Davion: Mitchell leads Kings’ comeback in 115-108 win over the Hornets

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By Morris Phillips

Apparently Coach Mike Brown knows what he has in Davion Mitchell.

The NCAA champion from Baylor hadn’t scored in double figures in any game this season, and hadn’t seen more than 16 minutes of floor time in any of last four games.

That all changed Monday night in Charlotte.

Mitchell started fast and came up big down the stretch in the Kings’ 115-108 come-from-behind win over the Hornets.

“He brings an understanding of what his role is and embraces his role,” Brown said of Mitchell. “He’s a guy that I know anytime we call his number he is going to be ready to play.”

In reality, Mitchell may embrace his role, but it’s not quite clear what exactly that role is seven games into the new season. The 6’0″ guard wasn’t particularly effective in the season-opening loss to the Blazers and he was summarily dismissed. Not his fault, but when a team’s top two scorers are starting in front of you, and playing for a new coach, your floor time can get bypassed.

But Mitchell’s hard to miss: he finished his rookie season by scoring in double figures 14 times in the season’s final 16 games, and he made at least nine field goals in six of those 16 games. He’s a presence.

On Monday, Mitchell was front and center.

The Kings started their road trip with an ineffective first quarter as they fell behind 34-24 with the five starters combining to miss 11 of their first 14 shots.

The second quarter wasn’t much better as the Kings fell behind by 15, and De’Aaron Fox was lost for the evening after he bumped knees with another player and was removed for precautionary reasons. The Hornets shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half and appeared to be locked in as a follow up to their impressive, overtime win over the Warriors on Saturday.

The Kings seized momentum and the lead in the third as Kevin Huerter scored 12 of his team-high 26 points. Matthew Dellavedova hit a three that gave the Kings their first lead, 79-77 with 3:43 remaining, and that set the stage for the visitors’ big push in the fourth.

Mitchell hit his first three shots of the game in the first quarter to keep the Kings attached. In the fourth, Mitchell had a pair of big baskets late to help the Kings maintain a small lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting, and in Fox’s absence, he and Huerter combined to make 10 threes.

“We are a team that don’t quit,” Mitchell said. “We try to play 48 minutes.”

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points as one of six double-figure scorers for the hosts. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points, and Dennis Smith Jr. added 15.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Cody Martin, all due to injuries. The Hornets committed 31 fouls which lead to an impressive 24 of 28 night at the foul line for the Kings.

“We turn the ball over 21 times and foul like that, we’re not gong to win,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Every drive, we fouled.”

The Kings have a pair of wins after starting the season 0-4. They visit Miami on Wednesday in an immediate rematch of their home win over the Heat on Saturday.

The Christian McCaffery show continues 49ers ownage over Rams in 31-14 win

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Christian McCaffery spikes the football after scoring one of his three touchdowns at SoFi Stadium on Sunday OCT 30, 2022. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

Chistian McCaffery has made history in just nine days with his new team.

McCaffery scored a touchdown every which but loose as he led the San Francisco 49ers to a convincing 31-14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium. In just his second game in a Niners uniform, he became the first running back in franchise history to throw, receive and run for a touchdown in the same game.

San Francisco evened their record to 4-4 as they rebounded from a blowout loss to Kansas City last week. Los Angeles followed their bye week with a loss as they fell to 3-4 on the season. The 49ers extended its regular season win streak to eight games against the Rams having swept the season series four years in a row.

It was a tale of two halves as Los Angeles had an answer on third down and San Francisco wasn’t able to get into a rhythm during the first half.

Los Angeles’ offense was on the field for the majority of the first quarter. They went on a long 17 play 88-yard drive that chewed up 9:21 off the clock. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished off epic drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown where he dived into the right corner of the end zone. Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson each had three catches on the drive as Stafford was able to spread the ball around during the drive.

San Francisco were without wide receiver standout Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The silver lining was that head coach Kyle Shanahan was able to utilize McCaffery in the offensive scheme.

San Francisco responded on their next drive with a six play 71-yard drive that resulted in McCaffery taking a pitch from quarterback Jimmy Garopollo and then throwing a pass to wide open Brandon Aiyuk for a 34-yard touchdown completion in just under three minutes.

“I think everyone knows how good of a player he is,” said Shanahan regarding McCaffery’s play. “I just like consistent he is. Under control of what he does. He’s a very much player. Even though he makes a lot of plays and stuff, the consistency of how he plays is I think a great guy to have for us.”

Stafford answered back as the Rams marched down the field with a nine play 75-yard drive when he connected with all-pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown completion.

Los Angeles was able to convent six of its first eight third down conversions as San Francisco’s defensive front was not able to get pressure on Stafford and allowed the Rams offense to pick up first down and keep drives alive.

The second half both the offense and defense came alive for San Francisco as McCaffery took over on the offensive side of the ball and Fred Warner took over on the defensive side.

The 49ers exercised a long drive of their own in third quarter when they went on a 11 play 88-yard drive to gain its first lead of the game. On a third and three, Garopollo threw a high ball down the right sideline where McCaffery jumped up to haul in a nine-yard touchdown reception to put San Francisco up 17-14 with 1:51 left in the third quarter.

McCaffery had 183 all-purpose yards with 94 on the ground on 18 carries, 55 receiving on eight catches and 34 through the air as he showed why the 49ers traded for him to add to their offensive arsenal.

“I think the biggest thing is coming out with a win and playing a second half like that too,” said McCaffery who downplayed his accomplishment. “I think the thing I’m most happy about is this whole team welcoming me with open arms. Especially the running back room, they just helped me all week and learn everything. I’m just proud to be a 49er and glad we got the win today.”

San Francisco’s defense dominated the fourth quarter not as they did not allow Los Angeles to score a point in the second half. They forced three 3-and-outs in the second half and never let Stafford establish the rhythm he had in the first half. Warner and Nick Bosa each sacked Stafford that resulted in punts.

“We made some adjustments coverage wise. I think just getting kind of more in third and more favorable down and distances, to be able to tee up and (get) more pressures on third down, I think that’s what made Stafford uncomfortable,” Warner said.

The 49ers went up 24-14 early in the fourth quarter on a six play 58-yard drive. McCaffery set up his third touchdown of the game, a one yard rushing touchdown) when he rushed up the middle for 24 yards to highlight the drive.

San Francisco sealed the deal when Garoppolo connected with tight end George Kittle with on a seven-yard touchdown reception with 6:41 left in the fourth quarter. The drive was set up with a Ross Dwelley 56-yard reception to the Rams 14-yard line.

Garopollo finished the afternoon with one of his most efficient games going 21 of 25 for 235 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 132.5. Aiyuk led the San Francisco in receiving six catches for 81 yards and one touchdown. Kittle chipped in three catches for 39 yards and one touchdown.

“I think that’s when the game is won in the beginning of the third quarter. We had a chance to come out and take advantage of that and guys did. We calmed down. We settled into our game plan. Guys just stuck with it and I think the results speak for themselves,” Garoppolo said.

Stafford went 22 of 33 for 187 yards with one touchdown no interceptions and a rating of 91.4. Kupp, who left the field with an undisclosed injury late in the game, led Los Angeles in receiving with eight catches for 79 yards and one touchdown. Allen Robinson chipped in with five catches for 55 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco went 5-for-9 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 8-for-13.

San Francisco held Los Angeles to 56 yards rushing.

Shanahan reported the 49ers didn’t suffer any injuries during the game.

UP NEXT: The 49ers have the bye next week and return to action on Sunday 11/13 when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium.

Roadrunners second period outburst buries Barracuda 5-1

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Scott Reedy gets into it with Ronald Knot on the ice at Tech CU Arena on Friday OCT 28, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The Tucson Roadrunners scored three goals in the second period en route to a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has two in a row after starting out 4-0 to begin the season. Tucson has won three in a row and four of its first five games.

The Barracuda (4-2-0-0) drew first blood on the power play more than halfway through the first period. Ryan Merkley set up Tristian Robins who beat Roadrunners goalie Ivan Prosvetov for his third goal of the season at the 12:46 mark.

San Jose had the ice tilted in their favor in the opening 20 minutes as the outshot Tucson 12-7.

Tucson (4-1-0-0) began their comeback early in the second period. Micheal Carcone threw a shot on net that Cameron Crotty redirected past ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell for his first goal of the season at the 2:38 mark.

The Roadrunners gained the lead at the 12:06 mark with a power play tally. Cam Dineen found Carcone at the right faceoff circle and ripped a one-timer past Dell for his second goal of the season.

San Jose gift wrapped Tucson’s third unanswered goal late in the middle frame. Derrick Pouliot gave away the puck inside his own zone right to Milos Kelemen who skated in all alone and beat Dell with a wrist shot top shelf for his second goal of the season at the 18:26 mark.

Tucscon put the game away with two goals late in the third period. Former Bakersfield Condor Adam Cracknell scored his second goal of the season at the 14:06 mark. Bokondji Imama completed the scoring with an empty goal, his first of the season, at the 16:23 mark.

Prosvetov finished with 38 saves on 39 shots to earn the victory. Dell had 19 saves on 23 shots in the losing effort.

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

San Jose had its perfect penalty kill streak to start the season at end 25 with Carcone’s goal in the second period.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Carcone 2) Prosvetov 3) Robins

UP NEXT: San Jose and Tucson conclude their two-game series on Saturday 10/29 at 4:30pm at Tech CU Arena.