Tag: Bakersfield Condors

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Barracuda Captain Andrew Agozzino skates up the ice.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- Despite coming back home to kick off a four game home stand San Jose came out flat losing to the visiting Condors 5-1.

The scoring took a minute to get going on either side but finally 14:26 into the the first Carter Savoie broke the ice scoring his fourth of the year on the power play. Raphael Lavoie and Yannis Kaldis both got assists on the goal.

Looking to capitalize on the momentum Seth Griffith scored his seventh of the season less than a minute later. Ty Tullio got the lone assist on the goal.

In the dying moments of the first with less than three seconds on the clock Michael Kesselring scored his ninth goal of the season. Both Noah Philip and Jason Demers assisted on the goal making it 3-0.

The shots at the end of the first favored Bakersfield 10-9.

Unlike the first the scoring in the second came much quicker as just 46 seconds in on the power play Thomas Bordeleau scored his 14th goal of the season. Artemi Kniazev and Andrew Agozzino assisted on the goal.

With their lead shrunk to just two goals the Condor’s responded as Seth Griffith scored his second of the game and ninth on the year. The lone assist on the goal went to Luke Esposito.

Then 13:25 into the second on the power play Bakersfield got another one as Raphael Lavoie scored his fourth goal of the season making it 5-1. Yanni Kaldis and Brad Malone got the assists on the goal.

The shots at the end of the second favored San Jose 22-18.

In the third period there was no scoring as the game finished 5-1 in favor of the Condors. There were plenty of penalties in the period as in total between the two teams 12 penalties were taken.

Both Graham McPhee on the Condors and Darren Brady on the Barracuda were given ten minute misconducts in the period.

On the night the Condors power play went 2/5 while the Barracuda’s power play went 1/6.

The shots in total favored San Jose at 37-28.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Olivier Rodrigue 2nd: Seth Griffith 3rd: Raphael Lavoie

San Jose’s next game will be at home on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The Abbottsford Canucks Will Lockwood (7) scores a second period goal against San Jose Barracuda defenseman Artemi Kniazev (25) in Abbottsford on Wed Dec 21, 2022 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda (13-15-0-1) had leads in the first period on Wednesday against the Abbottsford Canucks (16-9-1-1) in Abbottsford but the defense went soft and gave up four unanswered goals in the 6-3 loss.

#2 Andrew Agozzino would score the Barrcuda’s first first period goal in 14 games for the 1-0 lead. The Canucks Phil Di Giuseppe answered back with a goal to tie the game up at 1-1. The Cuda’s Max Vernoneau put San Jose back in the lead scoring on a rebound shot.

#3 In second period action: Justin Dowling’s goal at 14:42 in the second period gave San Jose a two goal lead 3-1. At 1:07 after Dowling’s goal the Canucks Will Lockwood scored on Barracuda goaltender Eteu Makiniemi to cut the lead to one 3-2.

#4 With the Barracuda up by two goals the Canucks would strike back scoring three third period goals by Jake Rathbone, Chase Wouters, and Linus Karlsson for the 6-3 win.

#5 The Barracuda return back to San Jose for a Tuesday match with Bakersfield Condors a 5pm face off at Tech CU Arena. After this past road trip how much will playing back at home matter facing the Condors Tuesday.

Join Marko Ukalovic for the Barracuda podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Photo Courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Eetu Makiniemi prepares himself before a game.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

In a low scoring game on the road the Barracuda found a way to pull off a win over the Condors by a final of 2-1.

Bakersfield got off to a great start at home as just 21 seconds in Luke Esposito scored getting his second goal of the season. Graham Mcphee and Olivier Rodrigue got the assists on the play.

Due to it being teddy bear toss night the goal lead to quite the delay as they had to clean the ice of teddy bears. Not only did they have to clean up the teddy bears but they also had to clean the ice as the fuzz messed up the ice.

Finally after the long delay they got back to play with the Condors already up.

Not long after the break Jeffrey Viel both got a penalty and dropped the gloves with a Condor player. The Barracuda were able to kill off the penalty.

Later in the period San Jose got an extra man opportunity of their own ending up in a five-on-three situation.

With the power play on fire the Barracuda extended their goal streak with Danil Gushchin sniping a shot from the point past the blocker of Rodrigue. The assists on the play went to both Thomas Bordeleau and Artemi Kniazev.

That would be all of the scoring in the period with the shots finishing heavily in favor of the Barracuda at 19-5.

The second period got kicked off with a penalty assessed to Andrew Agozzino for cross-checking giving Bakersfield another power play. San Jose killed this PP off as well keeping there penalty kill perfect on the night.

Overall it was a quiet period with no goals however the Barracuda did have four shots ring off the post.

The shots at the end of the second continued to favor San Jose at 36-17.

The third period was carefully played with each team trying not to make a mistake.

On the second night of back to backs San Jose towards the end of the third period began to look a little tired.

Despite the tiredness that may have begun to set in at the 1:53 mark C.J. Suess caught a wrist shot from the point dropped it in front of him and tucked it in past Rodrigue. On top of Suess snapping a long goal streak Jalen Smereck got an assist on the play in his debut with San Jose along with Kniazev getting an assist as well.

The Condors tried to make a comeback by pulling their goalie but it was not enough as San Jose held on for the win.

The three stars of the game were 1) Danil Gushchin 2) C.J. Suess 3) Olivier Rodrigue

San Jose’s next game will be at home against the Iowa Wild on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Photo credit to the San Jose Barracuda. Artemi Kniazev skates the puck up against the Condors.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

On a late night in Bakersfield the San Jose Barracuda took on the Bakersfield Condors and would end up losing 5-1.

The scoring would open early as Matt Bouldens for the Condors would open the scoring only 44 seconds into the game with an assist from Michael Kesselring.

However the Barracuda would find a way to respond in the first period with a goal from Brandon Coe assisted by Mitchell Russell and Danil Gushchin.

For the Barracuda that would be all of the offense they would be able to muster as heading into the second period the Condors took control. This would helped along by a goal from Filip Engaras on the Condors assisted by Alex Peters and Yanni Kaldis.

That would be the only goal of the second period though the shots would favor the Condors 12-9.

In the third period the Condors really hit their stride kicked off by a goal from Tye Felhaber and assisted by Greg Mckegg.

This would added on to on the powerplay by Dino Kambeitz assisted by McKegg and Seth Griffith.

Finally the Condors would put the cap on the night with and empty net short handed goal by Michael Kesserling.

The game would not end without a little extra fireworks though as multiple misconducts would be handed out to both teams in the third period.

The final shot count would end at 34-25 in favor of the Condors.

The Barracuda’s next game will be against the Condors on Oct. 8th at 4:00 p.m. on the Cuda’s home ice.

The Bakersfield Condors left winger Jimmy Hamblin (11) pushes the San Jose Barracuda’s defenseman Patrick Holway (97) up against the glass at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on Wed Apr 20, 2022 (photo from the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The number 13 wasn’t a lucky number for the men in teal.

The Bakersfield Condors scored two goals in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday night at Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose continued its franchise worse 13-game losing skid with only two games left in the season. They have lost 10 straight on the road to the Condors. Bakersfield has won three out its past four games and clinched fifth place in the Pacific Division with 78 points.

Bakersfield (34-20-5-5) drew first blood almost eight minutes into the first period on the power play. Adam Cracknell finished off a give and go with Seth Griffith when his wrist shot deflected off the skate of Adam Raska for his 19th goal of the season at the 7:50 mark.

The Condors doubled its lead less than five minutes later. Tim Schaller sprung Colton Sceviour on a breakaway with a pass off the boards. Sceviour skated in and lifted a backhander past ‘Cuda goalie Alex Stalock for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:03 mark.

San Jose (20-40-4-2) cut the Condor’s lead in half with a power play goal of their own 45 seconds later. Jake McGrew redirected Artemi Kniazev’s shot from the right point for his 12th goal of the season at the 12:48 mark.

McGrew snapped a 14-game goal less draught.

Bakersfield regained the momentum 64 seconds into the second period with an even strength goal. Dino Kambeitz centered a pass from behind the net and Tyler Benson beat Stalock with a wrist shot to the short side for his third goal of the season.

The Condors put the game away just past the halfway mark of the middle frame. Devin Brosseau finished off a two-on-one odd man rush when he snapped home a wrist shot off of a pass from Griffith for his 11th goal of the season at the 11:36 mark.

San Jose had two power play opportunities in the third period but weren’t able to capitalize on either chance as both teams finished the final frame scoreless.

Daniil Gushchin and Gannon Laroque made their debuts for the ‘Cuda. Gushchin finished tied for the team high with five shots on goal.

Condor’s goalie Stuart Skinner stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced to earn his 19th victory of the season. Stalock made 22 saves on 26 in suffering his ninth straight loss (0-7-2).

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-7 on the power play. Bakersfield was 1-for-2.

San Jose finished 3-6-1 against Bakersfield in the season series.

Skinner is 17-2 against the Barracuda in his career.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Brosseau 2) Benson 3) Sceviour

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to Henderson to close out the regular season with two games against the Silver Knights on Friday 4/22 at 7:00pm at Dollar Loan Center.

The San Jose Barracuda Thomas Bordeleau (23) battles against the Bakersfield Condors at SAP Center in San Jose on Wed Apr 13, 2022 in a three goal loss (image from the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Bakersfield Condors didn’t follow the script.

They scored three goals in the third period to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 6-3 on Wednesday evening at SAP Center.

This was the last game the ‘Cuda played at the Shark Tank, a place they have called home since 2015. Their final home game is slated to be played at Solar4America Ice on Friday. They will open the ’22-’23 season at the brand-new Tech CU Arena.

San Jose extended their franchise worst losing streak to 11 games with four games remaining. Bakersfield has won three of its past four games.

The Barracuda (20-39-3-2) drew first blood exactly a minute into the game. Lane Pederson cleaned up the rebound off of a Thomas Bordeleau shot for his seventh goal of the season. The primary assist for Bordeleau was the first point since being signed to an amateur tryout agreement by the ‘Cuda on Monday.

Bordeleau, who was drafted by the San Jose Sharks as the 38th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, finished his season with the University of Michigan with an appearance in the Frozen Four in just his sophomore season.

Bakersfield (33-19-5-5) answered back with two goals of their own in the first period.

Graham McPhee redirected a shot from the point by Darien Kielb that hit off ‘Cuda goalie Alex Stalock and trickled behind him into the back of the net for McPhee’s fifth goal of the season at the 6:13 mark.

Tyler Benson set up Dino Kambeitz in front of the crease and the rookie forward beat Stalock with a point-blank shot for his seventh goal of the season at the 18:27 mark.

San Jose tied it up early in the second period with a power play goal. Artemi Kniazev’s shot from redirected off the crossbar by Jasper Weatherby, who was able to clean up his own rebound for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:10 mark.

Bakersfield regained the lead 47 seconds later. A turnover by Stalock led to Kielb blasting a slapshot from the left slot for his first goal in his debut with the Condors at the 3:57 mark. Kielb finished with three points (1G, 2A).

The Barracuda scored the equalizer late in the middle frame. Bordeleau picked up his second assist of the game when he sent a rink wide pass off the boards where Patrick Holway rifled home a slapshot past Condor’s goalie Stuart Skinner for his fourth goal of the season.

Bordeleau finished with three assists in his professional debut.

Bakersfield scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the third period to take control of the game.

Veteran forward Adam Cracknell tipped home a shot from Seth Griffith for his 18th goal of the season at the 3:37 mark.

Then Cracknell returned the favor when he set up Griffith with a drop pass on an odd man rush. Griffith beat Stalock with a wrist shot on the right side of the crease for his 25th goal of the season.

Griffith sealed the deal with second goal of the game, an empty netter with 54 seconds left in the game to complete his four-point night (2G, 2A). Griffith with 72 points on the season has already set a Condors record for most points in a season.

Skinner (18-5-5) finished the game stopping 21 of the 24 shots he faced to earn the victory. Stalock (4-8-1) made 39 saves on 44 shots in the losing effort.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Bordeleau 2) Griffith 3) McPhee

UP NEXT: San Jose close out their home schedule on Friday 4/16 as they host the Abbotsford Canucks at 5:00pm at Solar4America Ice at San Jose.

The San Jose Barracuda Nick Merkely scores big in the third period to help the Barracuda defeat the Bakersfield Condors at Solar4America Ice at San Jose on Wed Mar 2, 2022 (nhl.com file photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE —Nick Merkely is getting hot right when his team needs him to.

The former first round draft pick scored with the game winning goal with 1:35 left in the third period to give the San Jose Barracuda a 5-3 victory over the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday evening at Solar4America Ice at San Jose.

San Jose has won two out of its last three games. Bakersfield has lost two games in a row.

Merkley, who is on a three-game goal streak after being goal less in his previous 13, skated out in front from behind the net, spun around and fired a wrist shot from close range past Condor’s goalie Stuart Skinner for his ninth goal of the season at the 18:25 mark. Santeri Hatakka and Patrick Holway recorded assists on the game winning goal.

San Jose (16-28-1-0) drew first blood on the power play in the first minute of the opening period. A nice give and go between John Leonard and Jake McGrew led to Leonard sneaking a shot through the five-hole of Skinner for his 12th goal of the season at the 1:15 mark.

Bakersfield (22-13-4-5) answered back when Yanni Kaldis’ shot from the point went off the skate of James Hamblin through a sea of traffic in front of ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Emond for Hamblin’s 13th goal of the season at the 7:28 mark.

The Condors gained their first lead a minute into the second period. Raphael Lavoie sent the puck up the point where Phillip Broberg’s wrist shot hit off the post and into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.

The Barracuda responded back with their second power play goal near the halfway mark of the middle frame. Artemi Kniazev found Joachim Blichfeld at the Condors blue line. Blichfeld skated in and beat Skinner with a wrist shot top shelf to the far side for his 16th goal of the season at the 10:14 mark. Emond was credited the secondary assist for his first AHL point.

Blichfeld is second on the ‘Cuda with seven power play goals.

San Jose regained the lead over three minutes later. A misplay by Skinner led to Mark Alt’s shot from the point being redirected by defenseman Nick Cicek for his third goal of the season at the 12:54 mark.

Cicek played in his first game back after missing the past 14 straight games with a lower body injury. He broke a 10-game goal less draught.

Bakersfield responded to even the game just 20 seconds later. A two-on-one rush inside the ‘Cuda zone led to Kaldis finding Hamblin for a second time. Hamblin’s quick one-timer beat Emond for his second goal of the game and 14th goal of the season.

Kniazev scored an empty net goal as time expired to seal the deal for San Jose.

Emond finished the evening stopping 23 of 26 shots to earn the victory. Skinner made 24 saves on 28 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-5 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-3.

This was San Jose’s first win in regulation since January 23 when they beat Bakersfield 5-2.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Merkley 2) Hamblin 3) Cicek

UP NEXT: San Jose faces their NorCal rival the Stockton Heat on Saturday 3/5 at 6:00pm at Stockton Arena.