Tag: San Diego Gulls

The San Jose Barracuda get swept in their home at home series with the San Diego Gulls this time concluding a two game series at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Fri Nov 26, 2021 (photo by San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN DIEGO—The San Diego Gulls really enjoyed their time against the San Jose Barracuda.

The Gulls used a balanced attack to defeat the ‘Cuda 4-2 on Friday evening at Pechanga Arena.

San Jose have lost four games in a row to its SoCal rival and anchor the bottom of the Pacific Division. San Diego have won games four in a row against its rival from the north.

San Diego (7-6-1-0) drew first blood late in the first period on the power play. Former ‘Cuda killer Danny O’Regan won a faceoff and sent it back to the point where Nicolas Brouillard fired a shot that Brogan Rafferty redirected past ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his third goal of the season at the 16:55 mark.

O’Regan snapped a five-game goal less draught.

San Jose (5-8-1-0) out shot San Diego 8-6 in the opening 20 minutes.

The Barracuda answered back with a power play goal of their own early in the second period. The Merkley duo of Ryan and Nick helped set up Joachim Blichfeld all alone in the left slot. Ryan sent a pass over to Nick and he found Blichfeld who blasted a one-timer past Gulls goalie Olle Eriksson-Ek for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:05 mark.

Blichfeld has scored all four goals this season on the man advantage. He also registered his first point on the road with the power play goal.

San Diego regained the lead a little more than halfway through the period. Vincent Marleau sent the puck behind the net where Brayden Tracey collected the puck. Tracey skated out to the faceoff circle, turned and fired a shot that beat Melnichuk to the short side for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:02 mark.

The Gulls received an insurance goal in the second half of the third period on the power play. Alex Limoges skated in from the left wing and centered a pass over to Bryce Kindopp who tapped home the perfect pass to the tape into an open net for his second goal of the season at the 13:29 mark.

San Jose cut the lead to a one-goal game with 33 second left. With Melnichuk pulled for an extra attacker, Ryan Merkley fed a pass over to Blichfeld at the left slot. Blichfeld blasted a shot past Ericksson-Ek for his second goal of the night and fifth of the season.

Buddy Robinson closed out the scoring with an empty net goal with one second remaining.

Things were chippy for the majority of the third period as skirmishes ensured after the whistle was blown stopping play. There was no love lost between the two teams after playing four straight games.

Eriksson-Ek finished the night with 26 saves on 28 shots to earn the victory. He is now 5-0 in his career versus San Jose. Melnichuk 22 saves on 25 shots, including to two breakaway attempts, in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play. San Diego was 2-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Rafferty 2) Tracey 3) Brouillard

UP NEXT: San Jose and Ontario was postponed for tomorrow evening at the Toyota Arena.

The San Jose Barracuda gets upended to begin the second half of the home at home series this time in San Diego at the Valley View Casino Center on Wed Nov 24, 2021 (photo by the San Diego Gulls)

by Marko Ukalovic

Bryce Tracey likes playing against the San Jose Barracuda.

Tracey had a three-point night as he led the San Diego Gulls to a 5-1 victory on Thanksgiving Eve at Valley View Casino Center.

San Jose have lost three games in a row to their SoCal rival while San Diego have won three games in a row against its NorCal rival.

San Diego and San Jose each had a goal waived off in the first period for a high touch. Nikolas Brouillard’s attempt in the first minute was deemed illegal and Jayden Halbgewachs chance near the halfway mark was also considered too high to count.

San Diego (6-6-1-0) drew first blood early in the first period. Brouillard redirected a shot from Jacob Larsson past ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Sawchenko for his third goal of the season at the 5:42 mark.

San Jose (5-7-1-0) answered back late in the opening frame. Nicholas Meloche sent a home run pass out of his own zone up the ice. The puck landed on the stick of Halbgewachs who got behind the Gulls defense and lifted a backhander top-shelf past Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal for his fifth goal of the season at the 14:47 mark.

Each team put eight shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes.

Nick Merkley was stoned away by Dostal on a breakaway chance just under five minutes into the second period.

San Diego regained the lead on the power play thanks to a turnover by San Jose. A failed clearing attempt by the ‘Cuda was gloved down by Greg Pateryn. The former Barracuda defenseman blasted a slap shot through a sea of traffic in front of Sawchenko for his first goal in a Gulls uniform at the 12:13 mark.

The Gulls went up for by two goals just over three minutes later on a three-on-one odd man rush. Morgan Adams-Moisan found Brayden Tracey whose shot was initially stopped as Sawchenko’s stick went flying out of his hand. Vincent Marleau cleaned up the rebound for his first career AHL goal at the 15:37 mark.

San Diego scored its third unanswered goal thanks to a fortuitous bounce early in the third period. Hunter Drew flipped a shot that caromed off the boards out in front. Larsson whiffed on his chance but Tracey came in a wired a backhander past Sawchenko for his third goal of the season at the 1:53 mark.

Tracey scored his second goal of the contest to give the Gulls a 5-1 lead on the power play. Bryce Kindopp sent in a shot from the right point and an open Tracey redirected it past Sawchenko for his fourth goal of the season at the 7:02 mark.

Dostal finished the game stopping 23 out of the 24 shots to earn the victory. Sawchenko (2-2) suffered his worst loss of the season giving up five goals on 24 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-6 on the power play. San Diego was 2-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Tracey 2) Pateryn 3) Marleau

UP NEXT: San Jose and San Diego conclude their home and home series on Friday at 6:00pm at Valley View Casino Center.

The San Jose Barracuda center Sasha Chmelevski (55) chases down the puck as the San Diego Gulls right winger Bryce Kindopp defends on Sat Nov 20, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose. Both teams meet again Wed Nov 24, 2021 in San Diego for the first of two game series (photo by the San Jose Barracuda)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda (5-6-1-0) Scott Reedy has scored in the his last three games, picked up a power play last Saturday against the San Diego Gulls (5-6-1-0) in that 2-1 loss which counted for the Cuda’s only goal.

#2 Reedy certainly a key element to the Barracuda offense leading the team with goals with eight, four power play goals, and is tied for points with two.

#3 Jayden Halbgewachs who had a power play assist on Saturday lead the Barracuda with six assists another key to helping San Jose finding the backend of the net.

#4 Barracuda goaltender Alexi Melnichuk (2-4-1) allowed two goals it was a close game in net and to lose by a goal had to be tougher for Melnichuk.

#5 It’s off to San Diego to face the Gulls once more for a two game set which starts Wed Nov at 7:00pm and again on Friday night at 5:00pm. The Barracuda are coming off two one goal loses to the Gulls they need to turn it around in San Diego for the first of a four game road trip.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The San Jose Barracuda can’t get too much offense going as they lose by a goal to the visiting San Diego Gulls 2-1 at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (photo by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Diego Gulls scored two goals in the first period and made them hold up in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

San Diego swept the two games series and have won two games in a row. San Jose has lost three out of its past four games.

The Gulls drew first blood halfway through the first period. Jacob Larsson’s blocked shot deflected over to the right point where Nikolas Brouillard fired a slapshot from atop of the left circle through a screen past ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his second goal of the season at the 9:19 mark.

San Diego (5-6-1-0) doubled its lead late in the opening frame. This time Brouillard returned the favor as he skated in from the right wing and threaded a backhanded pass through the crease where Greg Printz buried a one-timer past Melnichuk for his first goal of the season at the 12:14 mark.

The Gulls dominated the play in the first period as the out shot San Jose 11-6.

San Jose (5-6-1-0) cut the lead in half on the power play early in the second period. Ryan Merkley made a nice move around the defense inside the Gulls zone. Merkley found a streaking Scott Reedy whose wrist shot banked off both goal posts before landing in the back of net past Gulls goalie Olle Ericksson Ek for his team leading eighth goal of the season at the 2:52 mark.

Reedy has a three-game goal scoring streak and has scored four goals in his past three games.

San Jose controlled the play for the majority of the second frame as they out shot San Diego in 11-6.

The ‘Cuda pulled Melnichuk for an extra attacker with under two minutes left in an attempt to score the equalizer. However, like the day before, San Diego’s defense stood its ground and held on for the win.

Eriksson Ek finished the afternoon stopping 22 of the 23 shots he faced to earn the victory. He is 4-0 in his career against the ‘Cuda. Melnichuk made 22 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Brouillard 2) Reedy 3) Printz

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to San Diego to take on the Gulls on Wednesday 11/24 at 7:00pm at the Valley View Casino Center.

The San Diego Gulls celebrated their win over the San Jose Barracuda at SAP Center Fri Nov 19, 2021 (photo by San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Diego Gulls jumped out to an early lead and then held on at the end in defeating the San Jose Barracuda 4-3 on Friday evening at SAP Center.

San Jose had its two game winning streak snapped and are 1-1 on their three game homestand. San Diego snapped its two game losing streak.

San Diego (4-6-1) drew first blood midway through the first period. Jacob Perreault came in on a breakaway but his shot between his legs was initially stopped by ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Sawchenko. The rebound hit off Zachary Gallant and Brogan Rafferty poked in the puck with his stick for his second goal of the season at the 9:41 mark.

The Gulls doubled its lead late in the opening frame. Buddy Robinson found Vinni Lettieri on the left wing. Lettieri skated in a snapped a wrist shot past the five hole of Sawchenko for his fifth goal of the season at the 17:10 mark.

San Diego scored its third unanswered goal in the early in the second period. Perrault came out the winner in a scrum inside the crease. His backhander slid underneath Sawchenko for his seventh goal of the season at the 5:43 mark.

San Jose (5-5-1-0) responded halfway through the middle frame. Nick Cicek fired a shot from the right point that Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal. Nick Merkley crashed the net and beat Dostal with a backhander top-shelf falling down for his third goal of the season at the 11:13 mark.

The Barracuda cut the lead down to a one-goal game just under five minutes later on the power play. Nick Merkley sent a one-timer on Dostal who made the save as well as on Jayden Halbgewachs’ rebound attempt. Third time was a charm for Scott Reedy who cashed in on his rebound opportunity for his team leading seventh goal of the season at the 16:12 mark.

San Diego went back up by two goals thanks to a turnover by San Jose inside their own zone. Jacob Larson sent in a shot from the point initially stopped by Sawchenko. Bryce Kindopp cleaned up the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 17:29 mark.

San Jose once again made it a one-goal game with 33 seconds left in the middle frame. Halbgewachs led a rush into the Gulls zone. The puck went off his skate on to the stick of Sasha Chmelevski. The Long Beach native skated in from the right slot and centered a pass back to Halbgewachs who one-time a point blank shot past Dostal for his fourth goal of the season.

The Barracuda weren’t able to carry the momentum of the Halbgewachs’ goal into the third period. They only generated four shots on goal as the Gulls defense tightened up on the ‘Cuda.

Halbgewachs finished with a three-point night (1G, 2A) as he was involve in all three Barracuda goals.

San Jose killed any chance of a late comeback taking two penalties in the final three minutes of the game as San Diego played keep away while on the power play.

Dostal finished with 29 saves on 32 shots to earn the victory. Sawchenko made 26 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) N Merkley 2) Halbgewachs 3) Perreault

UP NEXT: San Jose and San Diego conclude their two-game series on Saturday 11/21 at 1:15pm at SAP Center.

image from @ sjbarracuda

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif-The San Diego Gulls received balances scoring with six different goal scorers in a 6-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday evening at SAP Center.

San Diego have won two games in a row and swept the two-game series. The Barracuda remain in fifth place in the Pacific Division with its second straight loss.

The Gulls (21-13-0-0) drew first blood early in the first period. A two-on-one odd man rush led to a nice and give and go play between Hunter Drew and Axle Andersson. The Gulls defenseman finished off the play with a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Sam Harvey for his second goal in as many nights at the 3:34 mark.

San Jose (12-11-4-2) answered back late in the opening 20 minutes. Sustained pressure inside the Gulls zone led to Zachary Gallant feeding Joachim Blichfeld in the right slot and Blichfeld fired home a wrist shot top-shelf past Gulls goalie Olle Eriksson Ek for his team leading 12th goal of the season at the 17:59 mark.

San Diego gained control of the game with two minutes in a 1:26 span early in the second period.

Tevor Zegras started a tic-tac-toe of a play when he skated into the Cuda zone. He fed a pass over to the right to Chase De Leo and he centered a pass to Vinni Lettieri who tipped home the puck past Harvey for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:14 mark.

San Diego increased its lead to 3-1 after a faceoff win inside the ‘Cuda zone led to a Simon Benoit blasting a slap shot from the point past Harvey for his first goal of the season at the 6:40 mark.

San Jose cut the lead to one goal when Jayden Halbgewachs led a two-on-one rush with Alex True. Halbgewachs threaded a pass to True who buried a one-timer past Eriksson Ek for his ninth goal of the season at the 13:09 mark.

The Gulls regained its two-goal lead with two seconds left in the middle frame. Two failed clearing attempts by the Barracuda kept the puck inside its own zone. Andrew Agozzino centered a pass to the crease where it knuckleballed off Harvey into the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season.

San Diego iced the game with two late goals in the third period to turn a close game into a blowout. Sam Carrick scored an empty net goal when the ‘Cuda pulled Harvey for an extra attacker at the 17:23 mark. It was Carrick’s 14th goal of the season.

Zegras finished off the scoring with his ninth goal of the season when he snapped home a wrist shot past Harvey top-shelf at the 18:39 mark.

Eriksson Ek (7-4) made 35 saves on 37 shots to earn the victory. Eriksson Ek snapped a three-game losing streak and is now 3-0 versus San Jose. Harvey (2-3-0) stopped 31 saves on 36 shots in the losing cause.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-2 on the power play. San Diego went 0-for-1.

San Jose went 2-3-1 against San Diego in the season series.

San Jose has two consecutive losses at home for the first time this season.

San Diego is 12-3 in its past 15 games.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Benoit 2) Eriksson Ek 3) Andrew Poturalski

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel to El Segundo to take on the Ontario Reign on Sunday 4/25 at 3:00pm at the Toyota Performance Center.

San Jose Barracuda forward Zach Gallant (60) tries to put one past San Diego Gull goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during Tue Apr 20, 2021 game at SAP Center in San Jose (@sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif—The San Diego Gull scored three unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday evening at SAP Center.

The loss snapped San Jose’s three game winning streak, its longest of the season. San Diego have won three out of its past four games. The Gulls sit in third place in the Pacific Division with 40 points. The Barracuda fall to fifth place with a winning percentage of .536.

Alexander Barbanov made his debut for the ‘Cuda. The San Jose Sharks traded for the Russian forward back on April 12 in exchange for Anti Suomela with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished with just one shot on net and a plus-minus of -1.

San Diego (20-13-0-0) only needed 18 seconds to draw first blood for the game’s opening goal. Sam Carrick threaded a pass between two ‘Cuda defenders to Anderw Poturalski who wired a wrist shot past Barracuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk to the far corner for his eighth goal of the season.

The Gulls doubled its lead less than five minutes later. A battle along the ‘Cuda bench resulted in a two-on-one odd man rush where Alex Limoges skated in and snapped home a wrist shot top-shelf past Melnichuk for his second goal of the season at the 4:50 mark. Limoges ended a six-game goal less draught.

San Jose (12-10-4-2) had a power play opportunity late in the opening 20 minutes when Jamie Devane went to the sinbin for tripping. However they weren’t able to get a puck past Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal.

San Diego started the second period just as they did the first period by scoring an early goal. Once again the Gulls capitalized on odd man rush. Sam Carrick led a two-on-one with Limoges and after a give and go, Carrick beat Melnichuk through the five hole with a wrist shot for his 13th goal of the season at the 1:40 mark.

Carrick now has scored 19 goals against the Barracuda in his career.

The Barracuda responded just 36 seconds into the third period to get on the scoreboard. Lean Bergmann chased down a loose puck inside the Gulls zone. He swindled by two defenders before beating Dostal with a backhander for his second goal of the season. It his second goal in three games.

San Diego regained its three-goal lead on the power play just past the half way point of the final period. Nikolas Brouillard fired a shot from the right point that Limoges redirected from the slot past Melnichuk for his second goal of the evening and third of the season at the 10:45 mark.

Limoges finished with a three-point game (2G, A) as he had a hand in three of the Gulls five goals.

The Gulls put the game away with another power play goal three minutes later. Josh Mahura sent a rink wide pass over to Axel Andersson and he rifled a wrist shot through a screened Melnichuk for his first career AHL goal at the 13:42 mark.

Dostal finished the evening with 39 saves on 40 shots to earn his sixth straight victory and 11th on the season. Melnichuk (4-6-3) made 17 saves on 22 shots in the losing cause.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-4 on the power play. San Diego went 2-for-3.

This was the Barracuda’s first regulation loss on SAP Center ice this season.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Limoges 2) Carrick 3) Melnichuk

UP NEXT: Both teams are back at it again on Wednesday 4/21 at 6:00pm at SAP Center.

The San Jose Barracuda and San Diego Gulls battled it out on the ice at FivePoint Arena in Irvine and it wasn’t even close as the Barracuda lose it 7-3 on Sat Apr 3, 2021 (@ sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

IRVINE, Calif—The San Diego Gulls scored four goals in the third period to break open a tight game in a 7-3 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at FivePoint Arena.

The win was the first one in regulation for the Gulls over the Barracuda this season. They have won six games in a row and went undefeated on its four-game homestand. The ‘Cuda have lost four of its past five games.

San Jose (7-7-4-1) drew first blood halfway through the first period. Brinson Pasichnuk’s shot from the left point was initially saved by Gulls goaile Olle Eriksson-Ek but the puck leaked out to the right and Maxim Letunov cleaned up the rebound for his third goal of the season at the 9:26 mark.

It was Pasichnuk’s first assist in his last 11 games.

San Diego (15-10-0-0) tied it at 1-1 late in the opening 20 minutes. ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar made a stop on a point blank shot from Matt Lorito. The rebound found its way behind the net where Hunter Drew centered the puck back out front to Lorito, who made good on his second attempt with a wrist shot into an empty net for his third goal of the season at the 17:29 mark.

San Jose regained the lead in the second period while short-handed. Alex True created a two-on-one odd man rush when he stripped the puck off of Kodie Curran at the Gulls blue line. True gave it up to Lean Bergmann who skated in all alone on Eriksson before backhanding a cross ice pass back to True for an easy tap in into the back of the net. True’s seventh goal of the season came at the 7:49 mark.

Bergmann, who has yet to score a goal for San Jose this season, finished with a two-point game.

The Gulls scored the equalizer after a miscue by three ‘Cuda players in its own zone. The puck leaked out to a wide open Sam Carrick who quickly made a deke before sliding the puck underneath Korenar for his 12th goal of the season at the 12:15 mark.

San Diego gained its first lead of the game late in the middle frame on the power play. Vinni Lettieri sent a cross ice pass over to Chase De Leo who buried a one-timer from close range past Korenar for his ninth goal of the season at the 19:38 mark.

The Gulls scored an insurance goal early to start the third period. Benoit-Oliver Groulx sent a pass back up to the point where Keegan Lowe fired a slapshot off the glove of Korenar for his second goal of the season at the 1:39 mark.

San Diego put the game away with two power play goals in under four minutes as San Jose was called for three minor penalties in a six minute span.

Curran redeemed himself when he snapped home a wrist shot top-shelf past Korenar for his fouth goal of the season and second power play goal for San Diego at the 11:54 mark.

Then Jacob Perreault found Andrew Agozzino camped out all alone along the right post with a backdoor pass and Agozzino tapped it home for San Diego’s third power play goal of the game and his seventh of the season at the 15:38 mark.

Perreault finished off the scoring for the Gulls when his backhander from a tough angle hit off the post past Korenar for his second goal of the season at the 18:35 mark.

San Jose scored the game’s final goal with 24 seconds left when Sasha Chmelevski found Joel Kellman backdoor at the left post for an easy tap in goal, Kellman’s third goal of the season.

Eriksson-Ek finished the game with 31 saves on 34 shots to earn the vicotry. Korenar made 21 saves on 28 shots in suffering his first regulation loss of the season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-4 on the power play. San Diego was 3-for-6.

San Diego have scored seven goals in back-to-back games.

De Leo and Andrew Poturalski each had two assists on the night.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) De Leo 2) Perreault 3) Lowe

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to host the Henderson Silver Knights for a two-games series on Tuesday 4/6 at 5:00pm at Solar4America Ice.

San Jose Barracuda forward Sasha Chmelevski (55), Alexi Meinchuk goalie (1), Lean Bergmann (45) share congratulations following the Barracuda win over the San Diego Gulls on Tue Mar 9, 2021 in San Diego (@sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif—The San Jose Barracuda scored three unanswered goals and then held on to defeat the San Diego Gulls 4-2 on Tuesday evening at Solar4America Ice At San Jose.

San Jose has won three out of their last five games, including two out of three from San Diego. The Gulls have lost four of their past six games.

The ‘Cuda (5-3-2-0) drew first blood in the first 11 seconds of the game.

Christian Jaros fed a pass over to Noah Gregor at the blueline. Gregor made a deke past a Gulls’ defender into the middle of the ice and snapped home a hard wrist shot past Gulls’ goalie Lukas Dostal for his first goal of the season.

San Jose out shot San Diego 10-7 after the opening 20 minutes.

The Barracuda extended its lead with two goals in a two-minute span to begin the second period. Gregor skated in from the right wing before centering a pass back up to Fredrik Handemark and buried a wrist shot far side past Dostal for his third goal of the season at the 2:28 mark. It was also Gregor’s first assist of the season.

San Jose made it 3-0 when a San Diego turnover in the neutral zone proved costly to the visiting team. Handemark brought the puck into the Gulls zone and gave it up to Evan Weinger with a rink wide pass. Weinger found Jayden Halbgewachs down low where he slid a backhander past Dostal for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:41 mark.

San Diego (9-6-0-0) got on the scoreboard with under a minute left in the middle frame on the power play. Sam Carrick sent a cross ice pass over to Kodie Curran who blasted a one-timer top-shelf past Cuda

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, after losing three straight games the San Jose Sharks (9-11-3) looked like they tightened down the defense despite getting behind early 2-0 on Monday night against the St Louis Blues (14-8-2).

#2 The defense played a big enough role for San Jose that allowed them to tie the score at 2-2 in the second and third periods with a goal a piece from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

#3 The Sharks in their last few games have been getting goal scoring help from their defencemen and Vlasic’s goal on Monday night no exception.

#4 Evander Kane can come out and get one in the back of the net and he didn’t waste anytime on Monday night 41 seconds in the overtime and scored the game winner.

#5 The Sharks open up back to back games in Anaheim this Friday and Saturday. The Anaheim Ducks (7-12-6) have lost five of their last six games this is a team that has been struggling will this give the Sharks an opportunity to take advantage of the Ducks?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts every Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

for his third goal of the season at the 19:16 mark.

The Gulls made the ‘Cuda pay once again for it’s fifth trip to the sinbin. Andrew Poturalski sent a shot-pass to a wide open Sam Carrick who tapped home the puck right in front of the crease for his fifth goal of the season at the 16:36 mark.

Jaycob Megna scored an empty netter from his own defensive zone with 30 seconds left to ice the game.

Melnichuk stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced to earn his second victory of the season. Dostal made 21 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-4 on the power play. San Diego went 2-for-5.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Gregor 2) Handemark 3) Alex Dostie

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel back down to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Friday 3/12 at 6:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.

The San Jose Barracuda defenceman Ryan Merkely (6) and the San Diego Gulls left winger Jaime Devane (15) battle for the puck at FivePoint Arena in San Diego on Sat Mar 6, 2021 (@sjbarracuda photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

IRVINE, Calif—Andrew Agozzino scored 1:12 into overtime to give the San Diego Gulls a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at FivePoint Arena

Agozzino stripped Ryan Merkley of the puck at the blueline and skated in before sliding the puck past ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for the game winning goal, his fifth of the season.

San Jose has lost two of its last three games. San Diego have won two of their last three games..

San Diego (9-5-0-0) drew first blood in the first period on its second shot of the game. Hunter Drew sneaked a back handed through the five-hole of Melnichuk for his first goal of the season at the 7:19 mark. Benoit-Oliver Groulx and Maxim Golod assisted on the goal.

San Jose (4-3-2-0) answered back under two minutes later. Robbie Russo set up Maxim Letunov in the low slot and he snapped home a wrist shot past Gulls goalie Ollie Eriksson Ek for his first goal of the season at the 8:46 mark. Merkley received the secondary assist.

Letunov had not scored a goal since February 23rd, 2020 when he scored a goal against the Ontario Reign.

San Jose had the ice tilted in its favor as they outshot San Diego 16-5 after the opening 20 minutes.

The Gulls regained the lead early in the second period. Golod skated around the net from left to right and centered a cross ice pass to an open Groulx and he buried a point-blank shot past Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:51 mark.

The Barracuda scored the equalizer on the power play just under four minutes later. Merkley sent a cross ice pass that bounced off the boards to Zachary Gallant who fired a slap shot that landed top-shelf on the far side past Erikkson Ek for his first career AHL goal at the 5:40 mark.

San Jose out shot San Diego 11-9 in the scoreless third period.

Melnichuk made 23 saves on 26 shots in the losing effort. Eriksson Ek finished with 39 saves on 41 shots to earn the win.

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

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Eriksson Ek 2) Agozzino 3) Groulx

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host the Gulls on Tuesday at 6:00pm at Solar4America Ice to close out the three-game series.