Tag: AHL

Barracuda rebound from previous loss, down the Stars 3-1

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Photo credit: @TheAHL

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Playing the back end of a back-to-back against the team with the most points in the Pacific Division is not an easy task. However, the San Jose Barracuda (13-11-0-2) rebounded from a tough shootout loss last night on the road and ended up downing the Texas Stars (17-11-1-1) 3-1 at SAP Center on Friday night.

Cuda captain John McCarthy got the Cuda on the board with his fifth goal of the season on the power play at 9:12 of the first period. The power play goal set off a flurry of stuffed teddy bears being thrown from the rafters on to the ice with it being Teddy Bear Toss Night at the Tank.

Forward Danny O’Reagan, who was reassigned back down yesterday, threw a shot at the net that hit off Stars goalie Landon Bow (11-6-1) and rebounded to McCarthy. He was able to knock in his second attempt past Bow for a 1-0 lead.

San Jose’s Brandon Bollig didn’t need to wait for Santa on the 25th, as the Stars gave him an early Christmas present in the second period when defenseman Dillon Heatherington skated out in front of his own net and tripped over his teammate Brian Flynn’s skate leaving the puck all alone for Bollig to tap it past Bow for an unassisted goal, his sixth of the season.

“What’s the old saying? The harder you work, the luckier you are,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “I thought we deserved the game. We’re winning ugly, but we’re still winning.”

The Stars were lifeless in the second period without having a shot on net more than half way through the period, thanks to the Cuda maintaining puck possession. They came on strong late in the period when Brian Flynn scored his eighth goal of the season, thanks to a pretty pass from Curtis McKenzie behind the Cuda net that found a wide open Flynn at the top of the slot who buried the shot past Antoine Bibeau (8-6-0) at the 17:55 mark. Texas ended up outshooting San Jose 13-9 in the second period.

The Stars carried that momentum into the third period as Bibeau made two nice saves in the first two minutes of the third period. Texas controlled the play of the game for the first 10 minutes until San Jose clamped back down on defense not allowing another goal.

The Stars were also victims of some bad luck as they hit two posts in the third period. Denis Gurianov hit the post after 2-on-1 opportunity created by McKenzie five minutes left in the game. Flynn hit the crossbar earlier in the period that beat Bibeau.

The Barracuda has chances to put the game away twice when Brandon Masinter had a golden opportunity to score at the 11-minute mark when he drove to the net, made a deke on Bow, but his backhander attempt was stoned by Bow as he sprawled out reaching back behind him to grab the puck. Rudolfs Balcers’ breakaway attempt was stopped by Bow with four minutes remaining in the game

Brandon Mashinter finally iced the game with an empty net goal, his sixth of the season, at 19:07 when Manny Wiederer found him all alone at the Stars’ blue line and Mashinter was able to skate all the way in before depositing it into the net.

Bibeau, who played strong from the beginning to the end, finished the night with 29 saves on 30 shots for his eighth win of the season. Bow took the loss on 26 saves on 28 shots.

“Beebs (Bibeau) bailed us out,” said McCarthy. “He’s come in and played hard and he’s playing well. He won the game for us tonight I would say.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1-for-2 on the power play while Texas was 0-for-3. There were no penalties in the third period. The game drew 4,158 in attendance on the third annual Teddy Bear Toss Night.

UP NEXT: The Christmas break is upon for the Barracuda. They don’t return to action until next Thursday 12/28 when they host the Stockton Heat at 1:15pm at the SAP Center.

Barracuda get late goal to tie game, but lose to Condors 4-3 in a shootout

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda (12-11-0-2) showed a flare for the dramatics when Joakim Ryan tied the game with just eight seconds left in the 3rd period. While the Barracuda earned a point, it wasn’t enough as the Bakersfield Condors (11-12-3-0) won the game in the shootout 4-3 at Rabobank Arena Thursday night.

Ryan’s late heroics allowed San Jose to overcome Josh Currie’s first hat trick of the season. Currie, who can be officially called the “Cuda Killer,” gave the Condors a 3-2 lead with his third goal of the contest on the power play with 2:37 left in the third period. In 25 games against San Jose, Currie now has scored 10 goals vs. the Cuda.

Rudolfs Balcers continued his hot streak when he scored on a 5-on-3 power play goal with 1:06 left in the 1st period. Balcers was able to jam home a rebound past Condors goalie Nick Ellis (7-6-1) after an initial save off of Ryan’s shot from the point. Calvan Fitzgerald got the secondary assist. San Jose didn’t allow a shot on goal in the first period as they outshot Bakersfield 12-0.

In the second period, the Condors were able to get momentum off their 5-on-3 penalty kill that resulted in a shorthanded chance only to be turned away by Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick. It was the second consecutive start for the goaltender after returning from an injury.

Currie got the Condors on the board when his first goal of the night came early in the second period when he beat Grosenick (4-4-2) after getting the rebound off a Iiro Pakarinen shot and his backhander was able to sneak just past on the short side of the left post at the 2:06 mark.

Bakersfield’s Dillion Simpson was denied by Grosenick twice on consecutive shots, with the second one a sprawling save on a point blank chance rebound with five minutes left in the second period, keeping the score tied heading into the second intermission. The Condors outshot the Barracuda 17-4.

This would be the third time in four games this season the teams would entered the third period deadlocked. However it didn’t take Currie long to give the Condors the lead as he scored his second goal of the night after a bad turnover by Grosenick in his own zone led to Joey LeLeggia feeding a pass to Currie, who buried it past the Cuda goaltender.

San Jose evened the score when Alexander True scored his fifth goal of the season at the 7:18 mark by snapping a wrist shot past Ellis that was a result of a tic-tac-toe, bang-bang play from Manny Wiederer and Brandon Mashinter. Mashinter’s big hit along the board was the catalyst that created the scoring chance.

Currie completed the hat trick on the power play for his eighth goal of the season after San Jose was in the sin bin for delay of game. Grayson Downing and Caleb Jones assisted on what the Condors thought was the game winning goal with just under three minutes left.

The Cuda had a chance to end the game in overtime when they had a power play opportunity with 1:31 left in overtime, but were unable to cash in. Ty Rattie and LeLeggia scored in the shootout and Ellis stoned the two Cuda shots to earn the 4-3 victory. Both Ellis and Grosenick finished the night with 25 saves on 28 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1 for 5 on the power play while Baskersfield was 1 for 3. Adam Helewka got his 10th assist on the season on Ryan’s tying game at the end of the third period.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home Friday night to host Texas Stars at SAP Center at 7 pm. It will be the Cuda’s last game before the Christmas break.

Barracuda hold on late to pick up 3-2 win over Condors and split weekend series

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Barracuda (12-11-0-1) were almost haunted for a second straight game by a late rally from the Bakersfield Condors (10-12-3-0), but held on in the final seconds of the game for a 3-2 victory and earned a split in their back-to-back series at SAP Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Cuda got off to a strong start with an aggressive attack in the 1st period. Adam Helewka buried a penalty shot on Bakersfield goalie Nick Ellis (6-6-1) for his fourth goal of the season at the 8:24 mark. San Jose outshot Bakersfield 9-5 in the period. Their penalty kill was able to stymie three power play chances by Bakersfield keeping the Condors scoreless heading into the second period.

Rudolfs Balcers made the most of his opportunities in the second period when he scored the next two goals in a span of four minutes for San Jose. The first one, and fourth of the season, came when he was able to tip in a shot from Brandon Bolig at 3:23. His fifth goal of the season was scored when he able to cut back in the slot and snapped a shot past Ellis, going top shelf at 7:26. It was his team-leading 19th point of the season.

However the Cuda seemed to have relaxed on their 3-0 lead when 14 seconds later Condors right-winger Ty Rattie got his team on the board scoring his 10th goal of the season cutting the lead to 3-1.

In the third period, San Jose went into protect mode as they only had four shots on goal. Bakersfield continue to push back with 11 shots and provided some late game drama as they cut the lead to 3-2 with just eight seconds left in the game when left-winger Joey LaLeggia scored his fifth goal of the season. The Condors had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Josh Currie couldn’t find the back of the net with a final shot coming off a pass from Rattie, and the Barracuda survived to split the weekend set.

Barracuda goalie Troy Grosenick (4-4-1) earned the victory making 32 saves on 34 shots, while Ellis took the loss, making 22 saves on 25 shots.
NOTES: Barracuda captain John McCarthy had assists on both Balcers’ goals. Both teams were scoreless on the power play with San Jose going 0/3 and Bakersfield going 0/5. Attendance was 3,102.
UP NEXT: San Jose travels down to Bakersfield on Thursday night to take on the Condors at 6:30 pm PT.

Barracuda capture Roadrunners and overthrow them with a 5-2 win

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Photo: sanjosebarracuda.com

By Alexandra Evans

One win over the Tucson Roadrunners this week was clearly not enough for the San Jose Barracuda as they chased them down Wile E. Coyote style, earning a 5-2 victory at the Tuscon Convention Center.

San Jose put up two goals in the first period less than one minute apart. Julius Bergman sniped the first one on the power play at 12:45, and John McCarthy, who assisted Bergman’s goal, collected Paul Martin’s rebound off of Tucson goalie Hunter Miska and shot the puck, backhanded, past him. The Cuda ended the first period with a 2-0 lead; each team had eight shots on goal.

The scoring action translated into the second period as Brandon Mashinter received a pass from Jacob Middleton, putting the puck in the net just before the four minute mark. Emerson Clark notched his first goal with the Cuda at the five minute mark when he circled around Miska and located the low slot. Down 4-0, the Roadrunners tried to retaliate later in the period as Michael Bunting got a helper from Mario Kempe and sniped the puck past Cuda goalie Parker Gahagen at 9:10. Three minutes later, Trevor cheek scored one unassisted (and shorthanded) on a breakaway. The Cuda’s lead was cut in half, 4-2, at the end of the second.

Gahagen, who earned his first professional win tonight in the desert, and San Jose’s defense did not allow any additional goals in the third period. Brandon Bollig earned the team a 5-2 victory with an empty netter two minutes before the match ended.

The Cuda, now 11-10, return to action at home this weekend for a double header against the Bakersfield Condors: Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:15 p.m.

Barracuda chase down Roadrunners 3-2

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Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

Another great comeback for the San Jose Barracuda tonight! The team traveled to the desert to face the Tucson Roadrunners, who previously defeated them 3-1 on Friday night in San Jose.

Tucson, who is ranked #1 in the Pacific Division of the AHL, netted a goal less than three minutes in (at 2:13), courtesy of Jens Looke. San Jose earned a five-on-three power play opportunity, but failed to take advantage of it. However, not long after, Tim Clifton scored his first professional goal–a rebound off of Tucson’s goalie, Hunter Miska–tying the score 1-1 with just over four minutes remaining in the first 20 minutes. San Jose exceeded Tucson in shots on goal 13-9.

Jon Martin wanted in on the scoring action and scored two and a half minutes into the second period to double San Jose’s score. Emerson Clark assisted the goal, and also had his first fight as a member of the Barracuda 12 and a half minutes in. It was at this point that Clark and Tucson’s Tye McGinn were sent to the penalty box for fighting (McGinn was also penalized for slashing), making the game a four-on-four play. Almost a minute later (at 11:39), Mario Kempe scored for Tucson and tied the score again, which remained 2-2 until the third period.

Very quickly into the final interval, Jeremy Roy located Alex True passed him the puck from the blue line, allowing True to give San Jose a 3-2 lead. San Jose’s defense (and starting goalie Antoine Bibeau) remained sound throughout the final 20 minutes, and they took home the 3-2 victory.

Bibeau blocked 23 shots out of 25, not allowing a single goal in the final period. Bibeau defeated Miska, who stopped 24 shots out of 27.

San Jose will face Tucson again in the desert on Wednesday night before returning home this weekend for a doubleheader against the Bakersfield Condors.

Roster update: Sharks defenseman Paul Martin has been assigned to the Barracuda for conditioning purposes as he recently returned to the ice after a two-month recovery from an ankle injury.

Additionally, Danny O’Regan has been called up to the Sharks again as they prepare to face the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames in Canada later this week.

Heat scorch the SJ Barracuda with a 6-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE–The third time was definitely a charm for the Stockton Heat as they crushed the San Jose Barracuda in a 6-0 shutout victory at SAP Center on Wednesday night.

Led by Spencer Foo’s first hat trick of the season, the Heat came into the game having a 0-2 record against the Barracuda this season. They made the most of their shots early on in the game as they scored three goals on just eight shots, proving quality over quantity.

Hunter Shinkaruk started off the scoring for the Heat just 5:11 into the first period when he skated in alone off a odd man rush and snuck in a shot passed Antoine Bibeau (6-4) on the short side of the goal.

The Barracuda couldn’t capitalize on separate 2-on-1 opportunities by Jon Martin and captain John McCarthy in the first period as both player’s shots missed the net.

Stockton goalie Jon Gillies (7-5-1) recorded his second shutout of the season on 25 saves. The highlight of his game came with 11 minutes left in the third period when stopped three point blank chances by the Barracuda. Adam Helewka’s back-hander on a breakaway and two subsequent rebound chances were stoned away by Gillies to preserve the shutout.

The Barracuda were guilty of standing around watching the puck when Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon was wide open in the right slot and scored his third goal of the season beating Bibeau top self for a 2-0 lead. Ramus Andersson assisted on the Heat’s first two goals.

Foo scored the first goal of his hat trick at 9:07 of the 2nd period on tip in from a shot from Oliver Kylington along the left side of the boards as the puck redirected right between the five-hole of Bibeau. Head Coach Roy Sommer had seen enough and pulled Bibeau immediately after and replaced him with backup Parker Gahagen to try shake up his team’s lackadaisical play.

“We had some breakdowns defensively,” head coach Rommer said after the game. “It didn’t feel like a game where we didn’t have any emotion to me. I mean they were the ones who carried all the emotion, not us.”

Foo then tallied his second goal of the game at 15:40 of the third period on a power play goal skated in alone after receiving the puck and put a back-hander past Gahagen. The Heat had four goals on their first 12 shots.

Marek Hrivik continued the barrage when he scored his seventh goal of the season after the Cuda turned the puck over in their own zone and Hrvik was all alone in front of Gahagen putting the puck past the five-hole for a 5-0 lead

Foo would complete his hat trick and the scoring for the Heat when he was able to bury home a rebound shot from Oliver Kylington that beat Gahagen into the net. After a video review the goal was deemed good.

NOTES: The loss for Bibeau snapped his five-game winning streak. Gahagen finished his night with 12 saves on 15 shots. San Jose out shot Stockton 25-23. San Jose was 0/4 on the power play while Stockton cashed in, going 2/4. Stockton improved to 13-6-0-2 and with 28 points are in second place in the Pacific Division while San Jose currently sits sixth with 19 points at 9-9-0-1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners on Friday 12/8 at SAP Center at 7 pm.

Barracuda defeats Condors 2-1 for Coach Roy Sommer’s 700th career AHL win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Alexandra Evans

BAKERSFIELD–First things first, the San Jose Barracuda’s win over the Bakersfield Condors tonight marked their coach Roy Sommer’s 700th career win, the most wins of any coach in AHL history.

Roster update: Marcus Sorensen was called up to the Sharks yesterday. He exceeds all Barracuda players in points with 14, and ranks T-2nd in goals (5) and assists (9). Manuel Wiederer has also returned to the ice following a concussion. Also, defenseman Michael Brodzinski was moved to the forward position, playing right wing for the evening.

Both teams excelled defensively in the first period, though the Cuda could not manage to make it past the Condors’ defense and were, at one point, outshot 9-0. Forward Iiro Pakarinen, who was recently reassigned to the Condors from the Edmonton Oilers (their NHL affiliate), made a wrist shot over Cuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau’s to give the Condors a 1-0 lead on the power play at the 12:42. Defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald tied the score at 16:51 with a wrist shot from the blue line, assisted by Jeremy Roy and Rudolfs Balcers. The score remained tied 1-1 at the end of the first period.

Each team held one another scoreless in the second period, at the end of which the Condors had 19 shots compared to the Cuda’s nine. Wiederer handed the Cuda a 2-1 victory when he notched a goal, his second of the season, at 8:42, assisted by John McCarthy and Jacob Middleton.

Bibeau made 30 saves on 31 shots for his fifth straight win this season, defeating Condors goaltender Eddie Pasquale who made 18 saves on 20 shots.

The Cuda will face the Condors, who beat them 6-0 in the preseason, another nine times this season. They are back at home on Wednesday, December 6 to face the Stockton Heat.

Gulls fly over San Jose, but Barracuda blows them out of the park with a 5-3 comeback

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Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda players, their families, staff, crowd members, and press were surrounded by canines as the Barracuda (8-8) took on the San Diego Gulls (7-10) this afternoon at SAP Center. Tonight’s crowd, which consisted of both humans and pooches, was the largest the Cuda has had since the season commenced.

Roster update: Forward Spencer Asuchuk was recalled from the Allen Americans and made his first 2017-18 appearance with the Cuda this afternoon. Asuchuk played with the Cuda in last year’s Calder Cup playoffs run. Marc-Olivier “Marco” Roy made his second appearance with the Cuda along with his first win.

After a 4-1 loss the day after Thanksgiving, the Cuda were determined to make a comeback. Since the start of the season, they have shown strength in doing so, coming back to beat the Ontario Reign, Texas Stars, San Antonio Rampage, Cleveland Monsters, and Manitoba Moose in matches following losses.

Offense and defense were strong on both ends in the first 20 minutes. The Cuda outshot the Gulls 10-5, with John McCarthy scoring the first goal just before the 12-minute mark, courtesy of Marcus Sorensen and Rudolfs Balcers. San Jose held San Diego scoreless for the remainder of the period.

Antoine Bibeau stepped in the net for Troy Grosenick at the start of the second period. San Diego amped up their offense. Despite the fact that San Jose exceeded them in shots on goal, San Diego notched three goals within the first five minutes. Julius Nattinen nailed the first one 51 seconds in, followed by Austin Ortega at 3:47 and then Giovanni Fiore at 4:11. The Cuda prevented the Gulls from scoring additional goals, ending the period on a power play, trailing 3-1. 

And then the momentum arose. The Cuda made two comeback goals in under 30 seconds to tie the score 3-3. Rudolfs Balcers notched a power-play goal at 3:57 and Adam Helewka, with his stellar hand-eye coordination, joined in on the action to score his second goal of the season at 4:20. Helewka sniped another one past Gulls goaltender Reto Berra at 10:38, breaking the tie and providing his team and the crowd with some relief. Two minutes later, Olivier Archambault posted an unassisted, game-winning goal. The final score was 5-3.

Bibeau made 14 saves on 17 shots to get the big win, while San Diego netminder Reto Berra had 34 saves on 39 shots.

Both Balcers and Helewka have been known to put up numbers–specifically scoring goals–throughout their careers, but tonight was the first time both of them scored since the season opener.

“I can’t take all the credit,” Helewka, glowing with satisfaction, said of his goals. “[My linemates, Spencer Asuchuk, Jon Martin, and I] had chemistry almost right away. [Instant chemistry] is rare, especially how hard it is to play nowadays, creating offense.”

Balcers proved himself to be a numbers guy last season with the Kamloops Blazers with 40 goals and 37 assists for a total of 67 points. So why did it take 15 games for him to find the back of the net?

“It’s about being patient,” Balcers, who leads the Cuda in assists with 11, contended in a post-game scrum. “I knew goals were going to come, but I didn’t know when… I haven’t had those barriers in my career, where you are right there [beside the net], but the puck doesn’t go in, but you can’t really do anything. Just work hard and be patient.”

One could attribute his goal-scoring hiatus to growing pains, which was discussed amongst Cuda staff and media profusely at the start of the season. Balcers, a rookie, has been improving with each game, and now that he has the monkey off his back, his scoring game should pick up as the season progresses.

Archambault inked a Player Tryout Agreement (PTO) with the Cuda on October 20. He said that he earned his second goal of the season tonight by just sticking and working in tandem with his line-mates, Marc-Olivier Roy and Brandon Bollig.

The Cuda head to Bakersfield for their next match on December 3 to face the Condors, affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.

Also, Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic made an appearance with his pups tonight, and had the honor of making the first puck drop.

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California AHL rivals, Reign and Barracuda, face each other for the 4th time this month, Reign takes home the crown with a 3-0 win

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Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The San Jose Barracuda followed Thanksgiving with another match against their cross-state rival, the Ontario Reign, whom they have now faced four times this month. Tonight, the Reign refused to give up their crown and defeated the Cuda 3-0 over the course of seven minutes (all in the final period).

Roster update: This afternoon, the Cuda welcomed forward Marc-Olivier Roy who closed a professional tryout agreement with the club. Roy, originally selected 56th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2013, was acquired from the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL and currently has 16 points (five goals and 11 assists).

The first period remained utterly silent, with the exception of strong defensive plays from both teams. Neither team took a penalty, and the board remained numberless. The Cuda picked up a man-advantage (the only one of the match) just over two minutes into the second period when Reign forward Paul LaDue was benched for tripping. Cuda defenseman Jeremy Roy took a shot off the far post which would have been his third goal of the season. The Cuda fired two more shots which were deflected off the post, keeping the game scoreless. At 18:13, both Jon Martin (San Jose) and Stepan Falkovsky (Ontario) were sent to the penalty box for roughing. This resulted in a two-minute four-on-four play, on which neither team gained an advantage offensively.

The Reign turned things around in the third period (which began with the remaining 13 seconds of the four-on-four play) when Stepan Falkovsky appeared from left point and scored at 1:57, giving the Reign the lead. Less than three minutes later, at 4:25, Brett Sutter fired the puck from the slot to make the score 2-0. Wanting in on the action, Justin Auger took a pass from Mike Amadio and found the back of the net (and his way past Cuda goaltender Parker Gahagen) at the seven-minute mark. The Cuda remained scoreless through the remaining 13 minutes of play, taking their third loss to Ontario this month.

Gahagen made his professional debut tonight and, even though he allowed three goals on 27 shots, he fought hard and his determination never wore thin. Ontario’s Cal Petersen, the No. 2 AHL goaltender, stopped all of the San Jose’s 23 shots, got his second career shutout and a second consecutive win over the Cuda.

San Jose, now 7-8, will host Pucks and Paws Night on Sunday afternoon (3pm) as they take on the San Diego Gulls.

In case you were wondering how the Cuda celebrated Turkey Day, check out the photo below from their team dinner in Ontario on Thursday night:

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Credit: @sjbarracuda

SJ Barracuda cash in on the power play to upend the Rampage 5-3

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic & Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Julius Bergman’s first goal of the season couldn’t have come at a better time as it proved to be the game winning goal in a 5-3 San Jose Barracuda rebound victory over the visiting San Antonio Rampage at SAP Center.

Special teams played a huge role in the game as the Barracuda took advantage of their power play opportunities throughout the game, while the Rampage were stymied by the Barracuda’s penalty kill.

Forward Rourke Chartier started the scoring off with his second goal of the season when he blasted a shot from the left point past Rampage goalie Sam Brittain for a power play goal just five minutes into the first period. The Barracuda coming into the game had a woeful power play as they were just 8-for-59 (13.6%) before Chartier’s goal. Calvan Fitzgerald and Jeremy Roy received the assists on the play.

“It’s always good getting on the board first,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “Our power play was effective I guess enough. We scored three goals. We haven’t done that in a while since the Texas game. We just got pucks to the net, kept it pretty simple and was effective.”

The Rampage would tie it up just 45 seconds into the second period when Brandon Ranford scored his seventh goal of the season after getting the rebound off a shot from Sam Blais that found his stick and put it past backup goalie Antoine Bibeau from the left slot.

The Barracuda would continue their success on the power play when Rampage defenseman Mason Geertsen threw a vicious elbow to the head of the Chartier that earned him a major penalty and a game misconduct ending his night just 1:49 into the second period. The hit also ended Chartier’s night as well as he went off the ice with an upper body injury and did not return to the game.

“It’s unfortunate cause he’s just coming back off an injury,” said John McCarthy on Chartier’s injury. “To see a hit like that, you never want to see that so we hope he gets back quickly.”

Defenseman Jeremy Roy made the Rampage pay when he scored his third goal on the season while the Barracuda had a 6-on-4 advantage during a delayed penalty at 3:16 of the second period. Marcus Sorensen picked up his seventh assist. McCarthy then tipped in a Fitzgerald slap shot from up at the point seconds before the major penalty on Geertsen expired to increase the lead to 3-1. It was McCarthy’s 2nd goal on the year.

The Barracuda were able to kill off a 5-on-3 power play opportunity the Rampage had midway through the second period when Michael Brodzinki and Brandon Bolig went to the sin bin 90 seconds apart. McCarthy was stopped on a shorthanded breakaway during the 5-on-3 kill.

The Ramapage didn’t go away into that gentle Thanksgiving Eve night as they scored the next two goals. Forward AJ Greer cut the lead to 3-2 when he scored on a pretty backhander with less than four minutes remaining in the second period after taking a cross-ice pass from Andrew Agozzino and was able to put a deke on Bibeau scoring into an empty net. The Barracuda turned the puck over at the blue line that led to the 3-on-2 rush that produced Greer’s fourth goal on the season. Nicholas Meloche tied the score with his first goal on the season at 6:54 of the third period after taking a pass from Blais and wristing a shot top-shelf past Bibeau from the right slot.

Bergman’s heroics came late in the third period when he rifled in a shot from the right point that beat Brittain through the five-hole to give the Barracuda the lead with 8:50 reaming. Brandon Mashinter gathered the puck from behind the net and slung a pass back up to Bergman setting up the defenseman’s first goal of the season.

Fliip Sandberg iced the game with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds left in the game to seal the deal for the Barracuda. It was his fifth goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Sorensen.

Bibeau stopped 27 out of 30 shots to earn his fourth victory of the season. While Brittain, who made his first start of the season, received the loss with 25 saves on 29 shots.

NOTES: The Barracuda were 3-7 on the PP, the Rampage were 0-4. The Barracuda improved their record to .500 at 7-7-0-1. They now have 15 points and are tied with the San Diego Gulls for fifth place in the Pacific Division.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda head down to Southern California to take on the Ontario Reign on Friday evening at 7 pm.