Tag: san jose

San Jose State closes out home football schedule on Senior Day Saturday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Saturday afternoon is going to be a special day for 15 San Jose State football seniors who will be honored in the pregame ceremonies at CEFCU stadium before the 2:00 pm PT kickoff versus Nevada. The Wolf Pack is a high scoring team, so it’ll likely be a challenge for the Spartans; but it’ll be a special day nonetheless.

Anyways, here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.

Basics
San Jose State vs. Nevada
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018,
CEFCU Stadium
San Jose, Calif., 2:00 pm PT
ESPN3

San Jose State’s record
1-9, 1-5 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost at Utah State, 62-24, on Nov. 10.

Nevada’s record
6-4, 4-2 Mountain West. The Wolf Pack won their third consecutive game, 49-10, over Colorado State on Nov. 10.

How to get tickets?
• sjsuspartans.com/tickets • ticketmaster.com

Athletics Ticket Office, 1393 S. 7th Street, San Jose, CA 95112, weekdays, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

For home games at CEFCU Stadium:
• New modern family plan
• Spartan alumni season ticket pricing in a distinct seating section

Series history
Nevada leads the series, 20-9-2, dating back to 1899. The Wolf Pack have wins in the last eight of the last nine meetings between these teams including a 59-14 victory in Reno a year ago.

The Spartans’ last win in the series was a 14-10 decision at home in 2016.

For 15 years, these teams held the NCAA FBS single-game record for total yards in a game by both teams (1,640). San Jose State out-gained Nevada, 849 to 791, in a 64-45 victory in San Jose on Nov. 10, 2001.

Radio
KLIV (1590 AM, San Jose) originates San Jose State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Nevada broadcast begins at 1:30 pm PT with a pregame show.

San Jose State’s network affiliate is KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas).

KSJS (90.5 FM, San Jose) also will broadcast the San Jose State-Nevada game starting at 1:45 pm PT.

Television
ESPN3 will provide play-by-play coverage of the San Jose State vs. Nevada game. Trey Bender calls the play-by-play. Al Groh offers analysis. The live telecast is scheduled for 2:00 pm PT.

Final home game for Spartan seniors
San Jose State will be recognizing 15 seniors in pregame ceremonies.

2018 schedule rated as one of the toughest
According to the NCAA Statistics Service for games played through Nov. 10, San Jose State’s first 10 opponents compiled a .593 winning percentage, tied for 34th best among FBS schools and tops along with Wyoming among the 12 Mountain West members.

Incorporating the current records of the Spartans’ final two opponents, Nevada and Fresno State, San Jose State’s schedule is tied for he 17th most challenging based on opponent winning percentage (.613). No other Mountain West school is in the top 50.

Tre Walker produces 2018 Mountain West best
Wide receiver Tre Walker produced the Mountain West’s first 200-plus yard receiving game of the 2018 season with his seven receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns at Utah State on Nov. 10.

Walker’s 209 receiving yards are tied for 16th best nationally this season in games played through November 10. Prior to his breakout game, the Mountain West best was 188 yards by Colorado State’s Preston Williams in the Aug. 25 game at Hawaii.

Walker also became the first San Jose State player in 11 years to gain at least 200 yards in pass receiving in a game. The last time it was done was Kevin Jurovich’s 233 receiving yards in a 2007 game vs. New Mexico State.

Justin Holmes becomes the 29th
Senior Justin Holmes became the 29th San Jose State player to catch 100 passes in a career with his one reception at Utah State.

Seniors Tre Harley (97) and Josh Oliver (93) are next in line to the 100-career reception plateau.

A punt return for a touchdown
Freshman Tre Jenkins scored San Jose State’s first punt return touchdown in the Utah State game on a 41-yard return. Jenkins’ run back for a score was the first by a Spartan since Tyler Ervin’s 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 2015 AutoNation Cure Bowl.

What’s new with the San Jose State football team?

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was sort of expected, but I have to reiterate the unfortunate fact the Spartans got on the board first and then tied the score 10-10 before the Aggies took complete control of the game for a 62-24 blowout at the Maverick Stadium in Logan, Utah this past Saturday.

Fast forward to Monday afternoon. Spartans head coach Brent Brennan delivered his weekly press conference inside Simpkins Stadium Center in San Jose, Calif.

Here’s my Q&A with Brennan:

1. Utah State seemed to take advantage of most, if not all, of San Jose State’s mistakes. A lot of people know the Aggies have a good offense, but what are a few things about Jordan Love and company that they don’t know?
I think their running backs have played well. I didn’t know how good they were until I saw them in person. Even though they’re not very big, they’re incredibly powerful and hard to bring down. I thought they did a really good job breaking tackles.

The other thing that’s hard to see if you’ve watched the game on TV is the type of temperament that they played with. To me, it reminds me of when I was coaching at Oregon State, we were playing Oregon, Marcus (Mariota) and those guys and how fast they were on every snap.

2. San Jose State had their fare share of big plays and Tre Walker had himself a day, but what could you and the other coaches do during practice to make sure that pass plays lead to scores?
I think there’s just a consistency there. On Saturday, we dropped too many passes, and I thought there were a couple of breakdowns in protection; but for the most part, the protection was better. But that was just one of the things that I thought were what went wrong with that game. We dropped too many passes and some balls weren’t on the money.

I thought Michael Carrillo went in there and threw the ball well. So I think continuing to kind of to work on those details, just absolutely specific depths on routes, our connection with the football and where the ball placement is by the quarterback are a couple of things we need to know.

3. San Jose State will honor 15 seniors before this Saturday’s kickoff versus Nevada. There’s not much to be proud of in terms of the record, but what are you most proud of when it comes to this group of guys?
What I’m most proud of this group of guys is easy. It’s how they’ve continued to work and push the team, even though we weren’t getting the results on Saturday we wanted.

Since I’ve been here, this current group of seniors has been outstanding in every way–they’re good in the classroom, they work really hard during practice and they lead the team. I’m so appreciative of how hard they’re worked to help us move this program in the direction we want to take it.

I’m disappointed we haven’t gotten the results for them. That really hurts me.

San Jose State drops a 66-59 decision to Southern Utah

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

When it comes to the men’s basketball program, San Jose State was looking to make it two wins in a row at the Event Center on Saturday night versus the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Unfortunately, the Spartans’ wish didn’t come true, and they dropped a 66-59 decision to the Thunderbirds.

Southern Utah was off to a good start. Andre Adams made a jumper in the paint, Dwayne Morgan made a layup and Adams followed up with another jumper.

San Jose State, however, got themselves back into the game. The Spartans were benefited by Brae Ivey’s jumper in the paint and Zach Chappell’s free throw on the fastbreak. San Jose State held a 21-18 advantage over Southern Utah at the 7-minute mark of the first half. At the time, Seneca Knight led the Spartans with 6 points and Michael Steadman had 5 boards.

The Spartans and Thunderbirds were tied at 31 apiece at the half. Steadman led the Spartans with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Knight had 6 points.

The second half felt and looked ugly for the Spartans. The Spartans trailed the Thunderbirds 37-34 at the 17:12 mark of the half. While the Spartans could’ve bounced back to beat or at least even the score versus the Thunderbirds, that never happened, which left most, if not all, Spartan fans shaking their heads and asking why their team was unable to beat the Thunderbirds.

Despite the tough loss, there were a few positive things to note about the Spartans. Oumar Barry left a lasting memory on the Spartan fans with back-to-back 3-pointers and Craig LeCesne did the same thing to give the Spartans a 40-37 lead at the 16:05 mark of the half. LeCesne then recorded a game-high 11 points–9 in the final 4 minutes–as the Spartans led the Thunderbirds 48-41 at the 12:24 mark of the half.

The Thunderbirds weren’t ready to back down just yet. The Thunderbirds went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 51 apiece with 7:37 left in the half.

At the time of the final media timeout, it was still a tight game and anyone’s game for that matter. The Spartans trailed the Thunderbirds 58-53, but stayed put in a hole that they sort of dug themselves in.

Final: 66 Thunderbirds, 59 Spartans

Notes
San Jose State’s starting lineup: Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Zach Chappell, Seneca Knight and Oumar Barry.

Up Next
San Jose State makes a visit to Weber State on Thursday, November 15 at 5:30 pm PT.

San Jose State took care of business at home with 89-72 win over Life Pacific

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans men’s basketball team opened its 2018-19 season versus the Life Pacific College Warriors inside the Event Center on Wednesday night. SJSU was seeking their third straight season-opening win and third straight win over LPC. Last season, SJSU routed LPC 109-70 at home.


Perhaps it was the loud, rabid crowd (and yes, that includes the uber-talented SJSU Cheer squad) that fired up the Spartans, who opened the first period with a 9-0 run, thanks to Brae Ivey’s 3-pointer, Zach Chappell’s layup, Seneca Knight’s pair of free throws on the fastbreak and Oumar Barry’s layup in the paint. The Warriors then responded with a 8-0 run of their own, which consisted of Edgardo Campo’s two threes and Chez Lister’s layup on the fastbreak.

Both teams exchanged threes, free throws and layups throughout the first, but the Spartans played high-quality defense to keep themselves on top. SJSU carried a 49-38 lead over LPC to the locker room at halftime. Moreover, Knight led the Spartans 15 points, one assist, one steal, one block plus 5-10 shooting from the field goal line, 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 2-2 shooting from the free throw line in 12:08 minutes at halftime.

The Spartans continued to dominate early in the second period. Michael Steadman threw down a dunk to expand SJSU’s lead to 13 for a 51-38 advantage just 52 seconds into the second. This time, SJSU didn’t go on a prompt run, as Adam Gotelli hit a three to reduce the Warriors’ deficit to 10 for a tinier trail of 51-41 just 24 seconds later.

Gotelli proceeded to give the Spartans a hard time with a jumper in the paint and a subsequent field goal. Also, Andre Allen made a layup to pull the Warriors within nine at the 16:43 mark of the second.

However, SJSU wasn’t bothered by LPC’s efforts. Christian Anigwe made a pair of free throws. Knight wrecked some more havoc with a layup and some other shots. Ivey and Chappell made their pairs of free throws, respectively. And, let’s not forget, Isaiah Nichols’ three. Nichols was one of the biggest forces on the Spartans’ roster last season.

The Spartans remained at a steady pace for the remainder of the second. SJSU defeated LPC 89-72 for its first win of the season. Spartan nation received coupons for free tacos from Chacho’s and went home happy, which was excellent considering the fact the Spartans’ football team has been pretty darn bad this season.

Notes
SJSU’s starting lineup boasted Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Oumar Barry, Brae Ivey and Seneca Knight.

SJSU’s projected roster featured Steadman, Ivey, Chappell, Barry, Knight, Isaiah Nichols, Christian Anigwe, Noah Baumann, Kaison Hammonds, Craig Lecesne, Brian Rodriguez-Flores, Ashtin Chastain and Trey Smith.

Up Next 
The Spartans host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, November 10 at 6:00 pm PT.

Barracuda cool down the Heat with 5-2 win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — There’s something about the second period for the San Jose Barracuda (9-1-0-1). They scored three unanswered goals to defeat their NorCal rival Stockton Heat (4-6-1-0) 5-2 at SAP Center on Monday evening. It was the fourth win in a row for the Cuda.

The Heat didn’t waste much time taking advantage of Jeffery Truchon-Viel’s slashing penalty to draw first blood five minutes into the first period. Glenn Gawdin sent a pass to the net from the left slot where Kerby Rychel was camped in front of the crease. He collected his own rebound and jammed the puck past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (4-1-1) into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season at 5:01 mark.

Dylan Gambrell came a few inches of evening up the score with 20 seconds left in the frame while the Cuda were on the power play. Showcasing his speed and skill, he skated around two Heat defenders and was all alone on Heat goalie Jon Gillies (3-4-1), but his shot just sailed wide of the net.

Despite outshooting Stockton 13-7, San Jose heading into the first intermission down 1-0.

San Jose tied it up on the power play halfway through the second period. Gambrell sent over a pass to the point where Jeremy Roy rifled a shot that hit the left pad of Gillies and into the back of the net for Roy’s second goal of the season at the 9:23 mark. Vincent Praplan received the secondary assist.

The Cuda seized the lead just 17 seconds later when captain John McCarthy won a battle along the left boards and skated in on goal where his shot was stopped by Gillies. Truchon-Viel crashed the net hard and jammed home the rebound past Gillies for his second goal in two games at the 9:40 mark. Evan Weinger received the secondary assist.

“We’ve been playing together for a few games now,” said McCarthy about his gritty line. “I think we play a simple game, a straight ahead game. We get on the forecheck, that’s how we scored our goal tonight. That’s our strength.

“He brings so much, the little details,” said Truchon-Viel about his experienced linemate. “It’s so good for young guys like me and Evan (Weinger). For him to be on our line (makes it) even better.”

Matt Fonteyne completed the scoring in the second period off a nice cycle play by the Cuda. Alexander True fed Nick DeSimone, who then fed an open Fonteyne, who skated in and slammed the puck past the five-hole of Gillies for his second goal on the season at the 12:31 mark.

“We answered back with a power play goal,” said head coach Roy Sommer about his team outscoring their opponents 5-0 in the last two second periods. “Next shift Johnny Mac and Viel get their goal and then we’re kind of rolling. Kind of smelt a little blood and just kept going.”

Francis Perron would put the game away for the Cuda in the third period with the team’s second power play goal of the evening. Lukas Ridal carried the puck into the zone and dropped a back pass for Perron who wristed a shot just to the inside corner of the goal past Gillies for his team-leading sixth goal on the season at the 9:07 mark. Jayden Halbgewachs received the secondary assist.

Andrew Mangiapane cut the lead in half on an odd man rush. He skated in from the right slot and wristed a shot on Bibeau that hit off his blocker and into the back of the net for his 5th goal of the season at the 14:24 mark. Curtis Lazar received the only assist on the goal.

Keaton Middleton immediately pushed down Mangipane after the goal and then exchanged fisticuffs with the Heat’s Anthony Peluso, who defended his teammate, in a long-spirited fight that sent both players to the showers for the night.

DeSimone closed out the scoring with an unassisted, empty-net goal with 56 seconds left for his third goal of the season.

Bibeau had another stellar outing in the net with 17 saves on 19 shots to earn the win. Gillies suffered the tough luck loss, making 33 saves on 37 shots.

“He made key saves at the right moment,” said Perron about his goaltender. “Every time we need him, we know he’s back there, he’s always (plays) huge for us.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 2/9 on the power play. Stockton was 1/4.

San Jose is currently 3-1 against Stockton on the season. Overall they are 26-11-2-1, including 13-6-0-0 at SAP Center.

Dynamic duo! Bibeau and Josef Kornear are number one and two in the AHL goals against average and third and fourth in save percentage.

San Jose is is ranked first in the AHL in goal differential with a +22.

The announced attendance was 1,894.

UP NEXT: The Cuda travel out to the Arizona desert to start a two-game series with the defending Pacific Division champion Tucson Roadrunners on Friday, November 9 at 6:05 pm PT.

San Jose State men’s basketball to start season on Wednesday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It’s obvious the San Jose State football team has been hapless, so let’s switch gears to the San Jose State men’s basketball team, who will tipoff the 2018-19 season on Wednesday night versus Life Pacific in the Event Center. The Spartans begin year two under second-year head coach Jean Prioleau. Spartan fans can listen to the broadcast by tuning into KLIV 1590 AM to hear Justin Allegri’s play-by-play call.

Game No. 1
Life Pacific at San Jose State
Wednesday Nov. 7 at 7:00 pm PT
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

A Spartan win would…
A win over the Warriors would give SJSU their third consecutive season opening win. It would also be the Spartans’ third-straight win over Life Pacific.

New Spartans
A total of nine newcomers are looking to make their San Jose State debuts. Prioleau added JUCO transfers Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Craig LeCesne and Brian Rodriguez-Flores to go with his freshman class that consists of Zach Chappell, Christian Anigwe, Kaison Hammonds, Seneca Knight and Trey Smith.

Returning starters
The Spartans will have a total of five lettermen return this season in Oumar Barry, Noah Baumann, Ashtin Chastain, Isaiah Nichols and Caleb Simmons.

Full offseason for Prioleau
Prioleau is entering his second season at the helm of SJSU men’s basketball and is coming off his first full offseason with the program. Prioleau was hired on August 4, 2017, and was given just three months to prepare for his debut. Now with a full offseason to prepare his team, Prioleau and his staff are excited about the Spartans’ potential.

Staff changes
Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason. He brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

More about Life Pacific
The Life Pacific Warriors are a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference and the NAIA. They opened the season with a 90-49 victory over Westcliff University before dropping their last game to Benedictine University 73-67. The Warriors are led by Tim Cook in his third season.

Tropical breeze
After two home games to start off the season, the Spartans will hit the skies for a very long trip east to Bimini, The Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam from Nov. 15-18. SJSU will face Weber State in their opening game at 8:30 pm PT on November 15.

What’s next for San Jose State football?

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The title pretty much explained the question. But there’s three games left in San Jose State’s season and Spartans head coach Brent Brennan held his weekly press conference inside Simpkins Stadium Center on Monday afternoon to talk about what’s next for his team.

Here’s my Q&A with Brennan:

1. There was a little snow in Laramie, Wyo. Do you think the local weather played a role in the Spartans’ loss to the Cowboys?
I do think we handled it well. I think there was more of a little bit of not a balance for us offensively and defensively throughout the game. It seemed like during the game, we played really good defense and we had trouble getting our offense going, and then in the second half, it kind of flipped.

But I give our kids credit. We don’t often get a first down on a fourth down play, and three plays later, (Jonathan) Lenard Jr. goes there and knocks the ball out of the hands to recover it and then go down to score, and all of a sudden, we score to make it a close game again and had the chance to win it. We needed a stop there and we didn’t get it done, so I don’t think it was much of the weather as opposed to us not playing good offense and good defense at the same time.

2. The Spartans recovered two fumbles, but were unable to do anything with one of them. Was this loss a matter of Cowboys quarterback Sean Chambers being that great or were the Spartans just that bad?
I thought (Sean) Chambers was really good, but we scored a touchdown on the second fumble so I thought at that moment we did a nice job handling the sudden change and got some points in the fourth quarter.

3. Most, if not all, fans and media said that Josh Love deserves credit for his most recent performance. Do you agree with that opinion and do you think Love needs more playmakers around him?
I think Josh (Love) has really come a long way and I’m really proud of him. It’s awesome to see him delivering the football and making the accurate throws. He had a couple of big-time throws on Saturday. It just kind of shows his progress and his development.

I think the guys have been making plays around him. I think we have a good group of playmakers there, and I think there’s gotta be some opportunities where it all comes together sometime to break down the offensive line. Sometimes, it’s a bad route or Josh (Love) gets moved off his spot because of pressure or he misses a block or a point of attack and Tyler (Nevens) can’t get anything out of it, so it’s a product of us continuing to grow and develop as a football team–especially as an offensive football team.

The Spartans experienced a tough battle against the Cowboys, but all they can do is move on. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s time for the team to learn so they can prepare for the next game at No. 14 Utah State.

Sharks Sink Flyers in Overtime 4-3

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime Saturday. In the process, Timo Meier scored two goals, breaking Patrick Marlowe’s team record by scoring 11 goals in the first 14 games of the season. Goalie Martin Jones played his 200th game with the Sharks, the third goaltender to do so. He made 23 saves for the win. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks. For the Flyers, Nolan Patrick, Jordan Weal and Jakub Voracek scored, while their goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots.

For the first time in 10 games, the Sharks gave up the first goal just 37 seconds in. Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick carried the puck through the neutral zone, passed it to Oskar Lindblom on his left, who passed it back across behind Patrick to Travis Konecny on the right wing. Konecny found Patrick at the edge of the blue paint, and Patrick pulled the puck across in front of Jones, putting it under Jones as Jones moved left. Assists went to Konecny and Lindblom.

Meier tied the game at 3:15. Vlasic sent the puck in around the boards, where Hertl caught it behind the net. He carried it back over the goal line and made a pass almost behind him. Meier met the puck right in front of the blue paint and took the shot before Pickard could get across. Assists went to Hertl and Vlasic.

The Flyers took the lead again at 16:40 of the period with a goal from Jordan Weal. Wayne Simmonds brought the puck out from behind the net and centered it for Weal. Weal turned and took the shot quickly, with Dale Weise screening the goalie.

The Sharks started the second period with eleven seconds of penalty yet to kill. They had a second penalty to kill at 2:47. Midway through the kill, Brenden Dillon started an impressive short-handed attack with Couture and Burns. They created some good chances but did not score during the Flyers power play.

The Sharks tied the game at 10:35 of the second, on the power play. Kevin Labanc made a pass that looked enough like a shot for the goalie to commit to stopping it. Pavelski, below the faceoff circle across the ice from Labanc, caught the pass and took the shot too quickly for Pickard to get across. Assists went to Labanc and Burns.

A few minutes later, Hertl took a hit from Christian Folin and looked shaken up. Folin and Hertl appeared to have bumped helmets. There was was no call on the play and Hertl did not return to the game. Melker Karlsson took Hertl’s spot with Meier and Couture.

Jakub Voracek gave the Flyers another lead with just 30 seconds left in the second. Brent Burns had just taken a penalty and the Flyers were playing with delayed penalty time. Lindblom sent the puck up from below the goal line to Voracek high in the slot. Voracek took a quick shot and beat Jones glove side. Assists went to Lindblom and Ivan Provorov.

The Sharks had a power play early in the third period. The Sharks showed some urgency but the Flyers penalty killers were very aggressive and made it hard for the Sharks to come through the neutral zone or do much in the offensive zone. The Sharks made amends for that power play a few minutes later with an impressive shift in the Flyers’ zone. They kept the Flyers scrambling for what seemed like minutes. They got credit for two shots in that spell.

It ended with a too many men on the ice call as the Sharks slipped up trying to change. The Sharks made another short-handed attempt right at the start of that penalty kill, keeping the Flyers busy in their own zone for nearly a minute. They finished the kill off in a more traditional manner.

Thornton tied the game again with a strong shot from above the faceoff cirle, his first goal since January. An assist went to Labanc, who had carried the puck across the blue line and into the slot. His path blocked, he made the pass across to Thornton for the shot. The second assist went to Dillon.

At the end of regulation, the Sharks led in shots 34-25, though the big difference there came in the first period. In the second and third, the Flyers had just one less shot than the Sharks.

Meier ended the game just 13 seconds into overtime. Logan Couture bulled his way by Voracek to bring the puck into the offensive zone where he found Meier skating down the slot. Meier took the pass and the shot without hesitation.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer made some line adjustments prior to Saturday’s game. The successful trio of Couture, Meier and Hertl was reunited. Antti Suomela sat out while Rourke Chartier came in on the third line with Labanc and Joonas Donskoi. On defense, Erik Karlsson started with Dillon while Vlasic was paired with his partner of many seasons, Justin Braun.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT, hosting the Minnesota Wild.

Barracuda remain hot, topple Rampage 3-1

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was a night made for debuts. A goal for a pair of San Jose Barracuda (8-1-0-1) forwards. The goaltending was stellar and three unanswered goals were enough for the Cuda to send the visiting the San Antonio Rampage (2-9-0-0) to their ninth loss in 10 games in a 3-1 victory at SAP Center on Friday evening. It was San Jose’s third win a row.

The first period ended scoreless with both teams registering nine shots on goal. The best chance for both teams came seconds apart with six and half minutes remaining in the period. The Rampage had a 2-on-1 chance that failed to get a shot on Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (5-0-0). San Jose countered immediately as Evan Weinger was sent in with a breakaway attempt at San Antonio blue line and his shot was stoned by Rampage goalie Ville Husso (1-7-0).

Lukas Radil would draw first blood for the Cuda early in the second period. Nick DeSimone sent cross ice over to the left point to rebound Keaton Middleton where he fired a shot on net that was blocked out in front of the crease by Husso. Radil pounced on the rebound and went forehand to backhand to score his 1st goal of the season and first goal as a member of the Barracuda at the 1:03 mark.

Evan Weinger was credited with his fourth goal of the season after a wraparound attempt by Maxim Letunov was stopped. The rebound trickled out to the slot, where Weinger was able to deflect the puck off a Rampage defender past Husso for a 2-0 lead. Jeffery Truchon-Viel received the secondary assist on the goal at the 8:25 mark of the second period.

“Hey you win a lot of hockey games in the second period”, said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “Because most of the time if you have the lead going into the third (period) you’re in pretty good shape. We found a way to that this year.”

Truchon-Viel gave the Cuda a little insurance early in the third period. Jacob Middleton sent in a shot from the point that deflected off a body in front of the crease. Truchon-Viel was able to collect the rebound and in a 360 degree motion swooped the puck through traffic as it trickled past Husso for his first goal as a Barracuda at the 2:57 mark.

“All the guys are pushing together,” said Truchon-Viel. “We had 10 forwards (after the first period) and (yet) we found a way to win the game.”

Samuel Bias would spoil the shutout bid for Korenar when he skated in all alone on a rush and flipped a pretty backhander top-shelf past Korenar for his first goal of the season at the 15:23 mark.

“It’s really fun playing with these guys,” said Weinger. “If you’re having fun, good things will happen.”

Korenar remained unbeaten making 22 saves on 23 shots saves for the victory. Husso suffered the loss making 30 saves on 33 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. San Antonio was also 0/2.

Dylan Gambrell was back in the lineup for San Jose after being reassigned from the San Jose Sharks.

Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau was named CCM/AHL goaltender of the month for October after allowing just nine goals on 149 shots with a 3-1-1 record . He ranks first goals-against average 1.75 and save percentage .940.

San Antonio have only five players who were a holdover from last season’s squad.

The announced attendance was 3,156.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host their Nor Cal rival the Stockton Heat on Monday, November 5 at SAP Center at 7:00 pm PT.

Bigger than AHL hockey: Barracuda fight for the City of San Jose

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda didn’t just skate onto the ice at SAP Center on Friday night. Sure, the Barracuda were ready to wrap up their two-game season series versus the San Antonio Rampage after San Jose topped San Antonio 2-1 at AT&T Center last Friday, but this team was more than high-caliber goaltending and red-hot rookies who took the ice by storm. The Barracuda were ready to honor not only the cancer fighters and survivors in their lives, but also anyone else who has been coping with the disheartening disease in the City of San Jose.

The Barracuda wore custom decals that said “Hockey Fights Cancer.” The decals were easy on the eyes, as they were in a shade of lavender, and they definitely served a purpose. And, while the Barracuda players may not hail from California or even the West Coast, they all had one thing on their mind–Barracuda can bite cancer.

As usual, the Barracuda players prepared for the game versus the Rampage with their exercise bikes and soccer drills on the first floor of the SAP Center. The Barracuda were all smiles as they did those two things, which was a good thing as it’s important to stretch before a game to avoid potentially painful injuries.

Barracuda fans in attendance enjoyed the team’s happy hour featuring $2 beers and $1 hot dogs, which were unusual prices to see in today’s hockey games at arenas across the country. But they enjoyed those very low prices and that’s all that matters.

The Barracuda prepared to beat the Rampage again. San Jose is 11-5-2-1 all-time against San Antonio and 6-2-1-0 at SAP Center. Hopefully, San Jose’s hard work will pay off.