Tag: Ontario Reign

Barracuda gain a point, but fall 5-4 to Reign in overtime

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Barracuda were looking to rain on the Ontario Reign’s parade at the Citizens Business Bank Arena on Sunday.

The Barracuda tweeted out their starting lineups in a fairly creative manner.

The Reign got off to a strong start as Philippe Maillet finished a wraparound to open the scoring for a 1-0 lead at the the 16:06 mark of the first period. A Reign player then fired a shot into the net, but Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau stopped the shot with a notable save.

The Barracuda went on their first power play of the game after the Reign committed a faceoff violation. However, Ontario made it a 2-0 game when Jonny Brodzinski (Mike Brodzinski’s older brother) buried a one-timer from the far side with a minute left in the first.

Shots were 7-6 in favor of the Reign, who led 2-0 after the first.

But the action was just getting started in the rivalry game. Both teams exchanged words with each other. This time around, they remained at even strength, which was a rare occurrence.

A Reign player was called for high-sticking and the Cuda returned on the power play. Not only that, San Jose scored just 10 seconds into that power play. Alex True collected a deflection from Nick DeSimone and fired the puck into the net to cut Ontario’s lead in half at the 13:12 mark of the second period.

After a Cuda power play that was sparked by a Reign tripping penalty, Julius Bergman helped his team erase a two-goal deficit with a full-strength goal to tie the game with 7:08 left in the second. San Jose then went on a 5-on-3 penalty kill as Adam Helewka and Brandon Mashinter went to the box for boarding.

The Cuda were short-handed and the Reign capitalized with the man advantage as Jonny Brodzinski scored a power-play goal–his second of the game–with 4:57 left in the second. With that goal, Brodzinski tallied his 1,000th AHL point.

The Cuda’s power play was most definitely good. Jacob Middleton tied the game at three apiece with 28 seconds left in the second. The officials reviewed Middleton’s goal and decided that it was still good.

Shots were 22-21 in favor of the Cuda, but the score was even at three apiece after the second.

Nobody predicted a wild start, but the Cuda took a 4-3 lead on a short-handed play by DeSimone early in the third period.

It was a first for both teams when San Jose’s Zach Fryes dropped the gloves with Ontario’s Jordan Subban (P.K. and Malcolm Subban’s youngest brother). Fryes experienced his first professional fight, while Subban and his team had their first fight against the Cuda since the 2015-16 AHL season.

Since the Cuda didn’t want to be left out of time in the box, the game headed into a 4-on-4 and the Reign tied the game at four apiece. After that, Ontario headed back on the power play for the remainder of the game, which went into a sudden death overtime.

There’s nothing like an extra dose of hockey, but the game was in favor of the Reign. Just 59 seconds into overtime, Reign captain Brett Sutter scored the overtime winner for a 5-4 win over the Cuda, who gained a point regardless of the final result.

Notes
Tonight’s Matchup: On Sunday, the Barracuda and Reign collided for the seventh of eight matchups on the season. The Barracuda are 2-4-0-0 against the Reign this year and are coming off a 2-1 shootout win against the Reign in the last meeting on March 4 at SAP Center.

Century Mark: The Cuda earned franchise victory #100 with a 4-0 win over the Monsters on March 10. The Barracuda joined the Reign, Gulls and *Texas Stars (*play 76 game schedule) as Pacific Division teams to reach 100 wins since 2015-16.

Killing It: The Cuda have killed 17 straight on the PK after going 2-for-2 on Friday and have not given up a power-play goal since March 23 at Bakersfield. San Jose ranks first in the Pacific on the kill and seventh in the AHL.

Oh Captain: Cuda captain John McCarthy collected six points (three goals, three assists) in two games against the Monsters last weekend, culminating in his first CCM/AHL Player of the Week nomination. McCarthy helped lead San Jose to a 6-2 win on Saturday as he collected his first pro hat-trick (sixth in Cuda history) and his first four-point night. The Olympian ranks first on the Cuda in plus/minus (+7), first in power-play goals (6), T-second in goals (10), and third in points (23). McCarthy is riding a three-game point streak (three goals, four assists).

Hey Rudy: Among first-year AHL players, Rudolfs Balcers ranks eighth in points (40), T-10th in assists (22), and T-13th in goals (17). The Liepaja, Latvia native leads the Cuda in points, assists, goals, and is T-first in game-winning goals (4). Balcers is currently on a three-game point streak after collecting a goal and an assist on Friday.

Goalie Time: In his fourth professional season, and first within the Sharks’ organization, AHL All-Star Antoine Bibeau is 18-12-2 in 32 games played with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. The Victoriaville, Quebec, native is T-fourth in the AHL in shutouts (4), fifth in goals-against average, T-seventh in save percentage, and T-10th in wins.

Coach Knows Best: Cuda head coach and Bay Area native Roy Sommer collected the 700th AHL win of his career on December 3 at Bakersfield. Sommer is the first coach in the 82-year history of the AHL to reach 700 coaching wins. In 2015-16, Sommer surpassed Fred “Bun” Cook as the AHL’s all-time leader in wins and collected his first A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL Coach of the Year in 2016-17. Sommer, who’s in his AHL record 20th season behind the bench for the top affiliate of the Sharks, coached his 1,500th game in the AHL on December 8 at SAP Center against Tucson.

Up Next
The Barracuda visit the Roadrunners for the first of a back-to-back set Tuesday night at 7:05 pm PST.

Barracuda win second in a row in a 2-1 shootout victory over Reign

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The shootout hasn’t been too kind to the San Jose Barracuda (24-22-3-3), but they were able to change their fortunes with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Ontario Reign (27-19-4-2) on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

Michael Brodzinski scored the only goal in the shootout and Antone Bibeau (16-11-2) stopped all three Reign attempts to preserve the Cuda’s second win in a row on their current four-game homestand.

Ontario would draw first blood at the 12:46 mark of the first period. Oscar Frantenberg fired a shot from the point that Bibeau saved off his blocker, creating a rebound in front of the crease. After a mad scramble in front of the net, Andrew Crescenzi was able to get a hold of the puck and shoot it past Bibeau for his 11th goal of the season. The goal came seconds after the Cuda killed off a penalty by Jacob Middleton.

The best scoring chance in the period for San Jose came at the eight-minute mark. Filip Sandberg’s tip-in attempt was stopped by Reign goalie Cal Petersen (16-9-1) as well as Rourke Chartier’s rebound chance immediately after.

The Cuda’s top line of John McCarthy, Rudolfs Balcers and Adam Helewka created sustained pressure five minutes into the second period, but were unable to put the pack in the back of the net, despite numerous shots on goal.

Bibeau made a nice save on Matt Roy’s shot that came on a 3-on-2 odd man with three and a half minutes left in the period.

“I saw the puck really well,” said Bibeau after the game. “The boys played hard and really well. On top of that the effort was there, which is one thing that has been lacking in the last few weeks was lacking. There’s 16 games left and we’re really looking forward to it.”

The Cuda tied the score late in the second period when Radim Simek was able to intercept a clearing attempt by Ontario and snapped a shot from just atop the left circle that snuck past Petersen to lower left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season at the 18:38 mark.

There was no scoring in the third period, however, McCarthy had two separate scoring chances on an abbreviated power play with five minutes left in the period as he whacked at the puck twice each time in front of the crease only to have Petersen send him away empty-handed. Ontario out shot the Cuda 10-8 in the period.

“It was kind of a broken play,” said McCarthy. “The puck squirted over to me and I had two pretty clear looks, tried to beat him and he saved them. As long as the chances keep coming, I think we’ll be going in the right direction.”

The overtime would also go scoreless. Bibeau made two critical saves in overtime. First on Alex Lintuniemi and then on Michael Mersch on a breakaway.

“He’s been solid for us all year,” said head coach Roy Sommer about his #1 goalie. “If he can stay to (only allowing) one goal per game we’ll get in (to the playoffs), let’s put it that way.”

Bibeau’s impressive day concluded with 38 saves on 39 shots for the victory, while Petersen suffered the defeat, making 28 saves on 29 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose’s power play–the worst in the AHL–was 0/2, while Ontario also went 0/2.

Cuda defenseman Calvan Firtzgerald suffered a lower body injury in the first period and did not return to the game. He is listed as day-to-day.

Things got chippy in the third period when there were to separate skirmishes on both sides of the net. Neither resulted in any penalties.

The announced attendance was 4,095.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda continue their four-game homestand with a weekend series against the Cleveland Monsters beginning on Friday night on March 9 at 7 pm PT.

Barracuda fail in comeback attempt in 5-2 loss to Reign

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Marko Ukalovic

The Ontario Reign (25-19-3-1) scored three goals in the first period and held on with two late insurance goals to defeat the San Jose Barracuda (22-21-3-3) 5-2 on Wednesday evening at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The loss is the third in a row and seven out of their last eight games for San Jose.

The Reign didn’t waste any time getting off to a fast start when Matt Moulson drew first blood after Brett Sutter won a clean faceoff. He was able to pass it back to the point where Sean Walker blasted a slap shot that Moulson tipped past Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick (6-9-4) at the 2:57 mark of the first period.

Sutter would give the Reign a 2-0 lead when he scored a short-handed goal 59 seconds into a Cuda power play when the puck ricocheted off of Matt Roy’s stick and found a wide open Sutter who skated in on a breakaway and slid the puck right through the five-hole of Grosenick for his 10th goal at the 6:36 mark.

The Reign received a gift from Jacob Middleton when he turned over the puck to Justin Auger who skated it in all alone on Grosenick and was able to sneak the puck past the five-hole for his seventh goal of the season. The unassisted goal gave Ontario a 3-0 lead at the 10:25 mark.

Ontario had the ice tilted in their favor throughout the entire first period as they out shot San Jose 19-6. The Cuda weren’t able to get any of the goals back, despite three power play opportunities.

Colby Mcauly was able to get the Cuda on the board when he scored the first goal of his AHL career when he was able to poke home a rebound of a shot from Radem Simek. Simek’s shot sailed over the goal where McCauly was able to collect the puck off the back wall and put it past Reign goalie Cal Petersen’s (14-9-0) top self at the 6:29 mark of the second period.

Alexander True brought the Cuda to within one goal when he scored a power play goal when his wrap around shot deflected off the left pad of Petersen and trickled into the back of the net. True’s eighth goal of the season came on an extended power play with the Reign’s Stepan Falkovski in the sin bin for a double-minor high sticking penalty that drew blood from Rudolfs Balcers at the 16:58 mark. Simek and Nick DeSimone received assists.

San Jose had two power play opportunities in the third period to tie the game, but weren’t able to convert.

Ontario wrapped up the game with a pair of goals scored with under two minutes left in the game. An even-strength goal by TJ Hensick for his sixth goal of the season at the 18:09 mark. Andrew Crencenzi added an empty netter with his 10th goal of the season with 1:02 left in the game to complete the scoring for the Reign and end any comeback attempt by San Jose.

Petersen made 19 saves on 21 shots to earn the victory. He is now 3-0 against San Jose. Grosenick had another busy night, making 31 saves on 35 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/8 on the power play, while Ontario–who has the sixth best-ranked power play in the AHL–went 0/4.

This was the first game of the season the Cuda didn’t have John McCarthy or Paul Martin on the penalty kill. Balcers was able to return to the game after being cut by the high stick from Falkovski. Simek was hit in the face by the puck after a shot caught him up high late in the 3rd period. Hensick’s goal was his fifth goal in 13 games against San Jose.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda conclude their four-game road trip traveling up Highway 99 to take on the Bakersfield Condors on Friday evening (February 23) at Rabobank Arena. Face off is scheduled at 7 pm PT.

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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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:

DPXZl-cUEAApgI6

Credit: @sjbarracuda

Reign Took Their Crown Back, Beat Barracuda 4-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The Barracuda faced the Reign again for the second match of this week’s doubleheader. After receiving a shutout defeat yesterday, the Reign took their crown back and overthrew the Barracuda 4-1 this afternoon.

The Reign accelerated offensively after failing to score yesterday. Matt Luff notched the first goal just over two minutes into the match, but the Barracuda tied up the score five minutes later when Jon Martin sniped the puck directly past Reign goaltender Cal Petersen’s left side, his first goal of the season (assisted by Nick DeSimone). The Reign failed to take advantage of their two power play opportunities, leaving the score tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. San Jose had 14 shots while Ontario had 13.

The Barracuda outshot the Reign in the second period as well, but they were unable to score, even on the man-advantage. That being said, their defensive strength translated from the previous day and they managed to hold the Reign scoreless through the second period.

The Reign kicked things into overdrive in the final 20 minutes, though the Barracuda kept their momentum through the third period. The Reign simply managed to succeed on every chance they took. Michael Mersch notched a power play goal just under two minutes in, this time on the power play. Luff scored his second of the game at the 12:10 mark. The Barracuda had a power play opportunity beginning at 13:42, but were still held scoreless. Troy Grosenick was pulled from the Barracuda’s net, and Andrew Crescenzi put up the Reign’s fourth goal at 17:30.

Overconfidence was not the issue (given the Barracuda’s 40 shots on goal compared to the Reign’s 28), nor was a lack of effort or mistakes being made. The Barracuda’s effort remained strong as ever; the Reign just located the back of the net and put forth more momentum than the previous day.

“It was a tiring game. I don’t think we deserved the outcome that happened, but it’s just how it goes,” noted Martin (who also noted it felt good to “get the first goal [of the season] out of the way”).

Roy Sommer concurred, insisting that all the Cuda needed was “more fate.”

On a separate note, one could argue that center Rourke Chartier, who is returning from a six-month hiatus due to injury, has some shoes to fill as Danny O’Regan was called up to the Sharks yesterday.

“Whoever takes Danny’s spot needs to produce,” Sommer said. “They are going to see a lot of minutes, as Danny was our number one minute guy as far as power plays and penalty kills.

“Rourke is going to get even better [as the season progresses]; tonight was only his fourth game, but he’s got some good practice underneath him, his conditioning is good. He should be able to handle [stepping in].”

The Cuda are back at home on Wednesday, November 22 to face the San Antonio Rampage.

Roy Scores First Pro Goal To Help Cuda Steal Crown From Reign, Beating Ontario 1-0

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—It’s rivalry weekend! The Barracuda had their first match of a weekend-long doubleheader against the Ontario Reign on Saturday afternoon. In hopes of a retaliation against the Reign’s 4-2 win on November 1, the Cuda stole their crown and shut them out 1-0.

Roster updates: Danny O’Regan was called up to the Sharks this morning from the Cuda, and Johnny Brodzinski, brother of Cuda defenseman Michael Brodzinski who scored a hat trick against the Cuda, was called up to the Kings from the Reign yesterday.

Both the Reign and Cuda defense were strong in the first period, and the Cuda appeared to be good on offense as a number of their shots were aimed directly between the posts of the net (in contrast with the Reign, most of whose shots ended up hitting the wall), though Jack Campbell managed to shut them all out. At the end, the Cuda outshot the Reign 11-9 and the score was 0-0, neither team having taken advantage of the power play.

Offense picked up in the second period as defenseman Jeremy Roy scored just after the 2:00 mark with an assist from Tim Clifton. This was Roy’s first goal of the season, as well as his first professional one. The Cuda held the Reign scoreless throughout the second, who outshot them by one. However, the Cuda were not able to succeed on the man advantage yet again. The Cuda kept a 1-0 lead through the third period.

“Jeremy is getting better and better every game,” Coach Roy Sommer said after the match. “This is why [the Sharks] drafted him… his thing is producing points. He did that in juniors, that’s why he was such a high pick (31st overall in 2015). He’s not only defensive. He gets out of trouble, but he’s also got some offense to his game.”

Cuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau recorded his second shutout of the season (side note: I asked Bibeau, in French, how he feels after a shutout. He responded that it provides him with feelings of great satisfaction and contentment); Bibeau blocked all of the Reign’s 31 shots, whereas Reign goaltender Jack Campbell stopped 30 shots out of 31 (which still exemplifies strong netminding).

The Cuda, who are now 6-6, are back on tomorrow against the Reign at 3:00 p.m.

Ontario Reign Crowned Winners Over Barracuda 4-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

ONTARIO, CA—After a cross-country road trip, the Barracuda traveled to sunny Southern California to face the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the LA Kings (the Sharks’ cross-state rival). Unfortunately, the Cuda were not able to reign over them (pun intended), falling 4-2.

The loss could have been way worse, as the Cuda managed to come back despite the Reign’s three goals in the first period alone. A sibling rivalry also occurred in Ontario tonight; brothers Johnny (elder) and Michael Brodzinski (younger) were drafted by Los Angeles and San Jose, respectively, in 2013, and faced one another this evening.

The first 20 minutes were very quiet on San Jose’s end. Ontario rookie Matt Luff sniped the first goal of the game (and the first of Ontario’s three in this period) at 8:08. Johnny Brodzinski notched two at 17:03 and 19:13. The night had something big in store for him, which he would not discover (or, rather, earn) until the third period.

Alexander True provided the Cuda with some relief when he scored on the power play 8:41 into the second period; Cavan Fitzgerald and Danny O’Regan assisted the goal.

Brandon Mashinter returned to the ice tonight after sustaining an upper body injury during the team’s road trip. He brought the lead down to one when he scored at the 11:06 mark, giving San Jose even more hope and relief. However, Johnny Brodzinski led the Reign to their 4-2 victory with an empty-netted hat trick goal at the 19:08 mark. San Jose’s starting goalie Antoine Bibeau was pulled from the net and subbed with a skater. Brodzinski’s hat trick was the fourth in Ontario Reign history.

Bibeau failed to stop three shots out of 33, taking the loss, while Jack Campbell, Ontario’s starting net minder, stopped 22 shots out of 24.

The Cuda are back at the tank this Sunday, November 5. They will take on the Texas Stars, to whom they lost 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday, October 28.

San Jose Barracuda defeat their nemesis, the Ontario Reign. Keep their playoff hopes alive

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Barracuda entered Wednesday night’s game with the Western Conference-leading Ontario Reign in desperate need of a win. The Barracuda trailed the Charlotte Checkers for the eighth and final playoff spot with a winning percentage of .550. The Checkers percentage is .551. The Barracuda won the game 3-1 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Aaron Dell entered the game with goals against average on 2.29 and a save percentage of .924. Dell was up to the task as he stopped thirty-four shots and allowed just one goal. Veteran Peter Budaj started in goal for Ontario. Budaj had a sparkling 1.73 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. However, The Barracuda beat him three times and sent him to the bench late in the second period. Michael Houser finished the game in goal for the Reign.

The Barracuda and the Reign played a fairly even first period until the Barracuda broke through when winger Petter Emmanuelson spun around, and his shot made it past the Reign’s veteran goaltender Peter Budaj for the tally. The score came at the 15:18 mark of the period. The Barracuda almost had another goal when Nikolay Goldobin made a great pass to Scott Timmins came in alone, but Budaj was up to the task and made the save. The Barracuda had two power play opportunities, but the Reign was able to kill the penalties. The Reign also had two power play opportunities and the Barracuda was able to keep them from scoring. The Barracuda had an 8-7 edge in the shots on goal department. The Barracuda leads 1-0 after one period of play.

Early in the second stanza, the Reign missed on a terrific opportunity to tie the game. Reign winger Matt Schmaltz found himself in all alone on top of Barracuda goalie Aaron Dell. Dell blocked the shot, and the defense cleared the puck to keep he Reign off the board. The Barracuda made it 2-0 at with 5:41 played. Barracuda captain, Bryan Lerg collected a rebound, then spun around and let go with a shot that found its way into the net. Trevor Parkes and Gus Young assisted. The Barracuda scored the second goal of the period and third of the night at 10:25. Nikolay Goldobin entered the zone on the left side of the ice. Just as he reached the red line, he fired a shot that beat Budaj over his left shoulder. For Goldobin, it was his eighteenth goal of the year. Gus Young picked up his second assist of the night and the second assist on the play went to Joakim Ryan. Ontario coach Mike Strothers decided to remove Budaj and replaced him with backup goalie Michael Houser. With just 1:08 left to play in the second period, the Reign’s Kris Newbury scored to make it a 3-1 game. Newbury beat Dell as he couldn’t cover the right side of the net in time. The Reign’s Jonny Brodzinski and Jeff Schultz assisted.

There was no scoring in the third period. The Reign poured it as they tried to score the two goals they needed to tie the game. The Barracuda’s defense was strong, and Aaron Dell was magnificent in goal as he made 34 saves in winning his fifteenth game of the season. The Barracuda win 3-1.

The Barracuda have seven games left to play this year. Six of the seven are on the road, and the Barracuda end the season against the Stockton Thunder on Sunday, April 17th at 3 pm at the SAP Center. It will be Fan Appreciation day so be there.

San Jose Barracuda Wednesday game recap: The Ontario Reign continue their mastery over the San Jose Barracuda.

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Barracuda met the Ontario Reign for the eleventh time this season. It looked like the Sharks against the LA Kings as the uniforms were replicas of the parent clubs. The Reign currently reside in first place in the Western Conference. The Reign entered the game with a record of six wins, two overtime wins, and just two losses against the Barracuda this year. The Teams played a very entertaining game in front of a very sparse crowd, and the result was the same. The Reign triumphed 3-2 in overtime. The Reign started Peter Budaj in goal, and the Barracuda had twenty-four-year-old Joel Rumpel tending the nets. Budaj is thirty-three years old and is the best goalie in the AHL. Budaj played for three NHL clubs in his career. He saw time with the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, and the LA Kings. He entered the game with a sparkling 1,63 goals against average and a 93.2% save percentage. Rumpel was making his second start for the Barracuda since coming over in a trade with the Allen Americans. The Barracuda needed a win as they are residing in ninth place in the conference and would not make the playoffs if the season were to end today.

The San Jose Barracuda, without question, won the first period. They outplayed and outskated the Western Conference leader, the Ontario Reign. The Barracuda had twelve shots on goal and held the Reign to just two shots on goalie Joel Rumpel. Not much happened until about halfway through the period. Right-winger Jeremy Langlois had a partial breakaway down the right side of the rink. He put a good shot on goal, but the Reign’s goalie Peter Budaj made a terrific stop to thwart Langlois. The Reign went on a power play when Trevor Parkes was called for tripping. The Barracuda penalty kill stopped the Reign cold as they did not allow a shot on goal. The Barracuda lit the lamp with 12:25 played to take a 1-0 lead. Trevor Langlois scored on a rebound. Jeremy Morin blasted s shot from the left side that Budaj stopped but the rebound went to Langlois, and he spun around and put it past Budaj for the score. The other excitement in the period was a fight between Alex Gallant and Ryan Horvat of the Reign. They both went to the penalty box for five minutes.

The Reign took control of play in the second period. They kept the Barracuda from mounting an attack for most of the period and were on the attack until they were called for two penalties late in the period. The Barracuda went on a power play with 3:54 played. Ryan Carpenter fed Michael Haley with a beautiful pass, but Budaj came up with the save. With 12:46 played, the refs called a penalty on Trevor Parkes for boarding. The Reign scored eight seconds later to tie the game. Michael Mersch scored his twenty-second goal of the year and assists went to Kevin Gravel and Nic Dowd. The Barracuda went on a power play when Vincent LoVerde went to the penalty box for holding. His teammate, Derek Forbort joined him there forty-seven seconds later. The “Cuda had a two-man advantage for 1:18 but could not convert. The Reign killed both penalties. The Reign outshot the Barracuda 8-6. Most of the Barracuda’s opportunities came late in the period.

Both teams played well in the third period. The Reign had the edge in the first half of the period. They scored a power-play goal with 10:21 played. The Barracuda refused to quit and took control of the game but couldn’t get the puck past Budaj. With about ninety seconds left in the contest, coach Roy Sommer pulled his goalie, and the move paid off as the Barracuda scored with just 32.4 seconds left in the game.

The Reign won the game in overtime as they scored just twenty-three seconds after play began. Final score 3-2 for Ontario.

Barracuda Fall to Reign Again

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

The San Jose Barracuda lost by a score of 4-1 to the Ontario Reign on Sunday. In ten games already played against Ontario, San Jose has just two wins and two overtime points. The teams will play two more times, on March 16 and March 30, both at SAP Center.

Ontario’s Peter Budaj stopped 18 of 19 shots, while Troy Grosenick made 19 saves on 23 shots for San Jose. Neither team scored on the power play, though the Reign only had one chance while the Barracuda had four. Micheal Haley and Kurtis MacDermid had the only fight in the game, though MacDermid also went to the box two other times, once for diving and once for delay of game.

The first goal of the game was scored by Brett Sutter, acquired near the trade deadline by the LA Kings from the Minnesota Wild. It was his first goal for Ontario, in his fourth game with them. Andrew Crescenzi picked up the assist.

The second period saw more goals for the Reign. At 1:09, Michael Mersch, the team’s leading goal scorer gave Ontario a two goal lead. Assists went to Nic Dowd and Sean Backman, the team’ points leader. The Reign added a third goal at 13:15, this time from Dowd, with assists going to Mersch and Backman.

The Barracuda finally got on the board in the third, with a goal from John McCarthy. It was his 14th of the season, and the only point earned by a Barracuda player in the game.

Ontario extended their lead to three again, at 14:58. While Ontario defenseman Andrew Forbot sat in the box for tripping, Justin Auger scored shorthanded. Crescenzi picked up an assist.

San Jose is not out of playoff contention yet, they are getting close. They sit fourth place in the Pacific Division, five points behind the third place San Diego Gulls. The new AHL playoff format allows the fourth place team in the Pacific into the playoffs if they have more points than the fifth place team in the Central division. The Barracuda would need even more points to catch the Charlotte Checkers.

The Barracuda next play on Wednesday at 7:30 PT. As mentioned above, they will face the Reign again at home.