Tag: Stockton Heat

Barracuda hold on for a 2-1 victory over Heat

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda were able to get back to their winning ways against their NorCal rival the Stockton Heat as they scored two unanswered goals and were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

San Jose (22-8-1-3) controlled the tempo in the first period as they doubled up the shots on Stockton (16-18-3-0) 10-5. However, both goalies, Antoine Bibeau (9-5-3) for the Cuda and Jon Gillies (5-11-3) held their ground and kept the game scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the opening frame.

The Cuda would break through 11 seconds before time expired as Antti Suomela deked out Gillies going backhand-to-forehand and beat the Heat goaltender top-shelf for his second goal of the season at the 19:49 mark. Dylan Gambrell and Manny Weiderer received assists.

In the second period, once again, the story would be the goaltending that stole the show. Stockton put on more of a push, but Bibeau was able to stop all 11 shots from the Heat attack. Despite good scoring chances from San Jose, Gillies equaled his counterpart,  stopping all 10 Cuda shots in the middle frame.

In the third period, San Jose doubled their lead on the power play. Alex True fed a pass over to Kyle Wood at the point and Wood fired a wrist shot past a screened Gillies, who never saw the puck go into the back of the net for his third goal of the season at the 9:49 mark. Francis Perron received the secondary assist.

Stockton cut the lead in half when Buddy Robinson cleaned up a rebound off a Kerby Rychel shot that Bibeau made a toe save on. Robinson’s sixth goal of the season came at the 11:34 mark.

Stockton pulled Gillies late in the game for an extra attacker, but weren’t able to get that equalizer as Bibeau and the Cuda held off their late push.

Bibeau finished with 22 saves on 23 shots to earn his ninth victory of the season. Gillies made 31 saves on 33 shots in suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/2 on the power play. Stockton was 1/3.

With the win San Jose improved to 12-4-0-1 at SAP Center and have the best mark in the Pacific Division.

The announced attendance was 5,740.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return to action on Friday 1/18 as they host the Texas Stars at 7:00 pm at SAP Center.

Barracuda use 4-goal second period to cool off the Heat 6-5

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

In what resembled an old wild, wild west shoot out, the San Jose Barracuda needed all four-second period goals to hold on late to upend the Stockton Heat 6-5 on New Year’s Eve at Stockton Arena.

San Jose (19-6-1-3) drew first blood in the first five minutes of the game in a seesaw first period. Jayden Halbgewachs collected the puck at the far side, circled around the net and centered the puck over to Alex True, who beat Heat goalie Tyler Parsons (3-3-0) for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:36 mark. Jacob Middleton received the secondary assist.

Stockton (14-15-3-0) evened it up on the power play just over two minutes later. Curtis Lazar moved the puck over Matthew Phillips who threaded a pass over to Kirby Rychel and he buried the puck from point-blank range past Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (13-1-1) 15th goal of the season at the 7:47 mark.

The Cuda regained the lead when Maxim Letunov skated into the Heat zone from the neutral zone went up high and then down low, very similar to Halbgewachs, and fed a pass over to Manny Wiederer, who buried the puck past Parsons for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:47 mark.

However, like the first lead, the second one would be short-lived as well. Rob Hamilton fed a pass over Buddy Robinson, whose shot deflected off the left pad off Korenar. Brett Pollack was in front to clean up the rebound for his second goal of the season at the 17:34 mark. Pollack has two goals in last four games.

Jon Martin gave the Cuda their third lead at the beginning of the second period on a 3-on-2 odd man rush. Halbgewachs led the rush and drop passed the puck over to the Martin who snapped a wrister past Parsons inside the far post for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:49 mark. True received the secondary assist.

Phillips tied it up for the third straight time when his initial shot was stopped by Korenar, but he followed up on his rebound and put it through the five-hole of Korenar for his ninth goal of the season. The rookie forward is on a six-game point streak.

Vincent Praplan gave San Jose their fourth lead when he skated down the left-wing side, went behind the net and his wrap-around shot sneaked past underneath the pad of Parsons for his second goal of the season at the 8:56 mark. Captain John McCarthy and Dylan Gambrell were credited with assists.

Halbgewachs gave the Cuda their first two-goal lead of the game just 15 seconds later. Spencer Foo’s shot off a face off was blocked and True sprung a pass out that led to a breakaway for Halbgewachs, who put a deke on Parsons and snapped the puck in the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season at the 9:11 mark. It was Halbgewachs’ first goal in his last nine games. Martin received the secondary assist.

Praplan padded the lead for San Jose with his second goal of the night. He ended up with the puck out of a scramble in front of the net was able to beat Parsons for his third goal of the season at the 17:06 mark. The sixth goal allowed by Parson would be enough to send him to the showers for the rest of the night. He was replaced by Jon Gillies. Anti Suomela and Calvan Fitzgerald were credited with assists.

Stockton inched closer at the beginning of the third period with their second power play goal. Hamilton sent in an innocent looking wrist shot on net that had eyes of its own as Korenar never saw the puck and was in the back in the net for Hamilton’s third goal of the season at the 2:55 mark. It was his first goal in his last 12 games. Phillips and Rychel received assists.

Ryan Lomberg made it a one-goal game when he was able to poke the puck past Kornear in a mad scramble, where Korenar lost vision of the puck. Lomberg’s third goal of the season came at the 11:38 mark. left pad over and into the back of the net. Alan Quine received the only assist.

Korenar made 21 saves on 26 shots, including a huge save on Phillips with just seconds remaining to preserve the win, to earn his 13th victory of the season and seventh in a row. Parsons suffered the loss giving up six goals on 31 shots. Gillies stopped all 14 shots he faced in 22 minutes of mop up duty.

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

In seven games against San Jose, Rychel has scored eight points (6G, 2A).

The announced attendance was 3,450.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues their three-game road trip in San Diego as they take on the Gulls on Friday, January 4 at 7:00 pm.

Barracuda douse the Heat with 6-4 victory

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@sjbarracuda: The San Jose Barracuda Maxim Letunov (84) puts one on net against Stockton Heat goalie Nick Schneider (30) Saturday night at Stockton Arena 

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda started off a quick and never looked back as they scored three first period goals en route to a 6-4 victory over their Nor Cal rival the Stockton Heat on Saturday evening at the Stockton Arena. The win snapped the Cuda’s four-game losing streak on the road.

Alex True and San Jose (12-3-1-2) drew first blood before the game was even two minutes old. True scored his fourth goal of the season at the 1:25 mark of the first period, putting the puck past Heat goalie Nick Schneider’s five-hole (6-2-0). Cavan Fitzgerald and Francis Perron received assists.

The Cuda would double their lead 50 seconds later when Maxim Letunov
threaded a pass from the right wing to Manny Weiderer, who stood atop the crease on the near swiped it in to give San Jose a 2-0 lead. Weiderer’s fifth goal of the season came at the 2:15 mark. Jeremy Roy also received the secondary assist. 

Captain John McCarthy concluded the three unanswered goals by San Jose in the first period as he scored his scored fourth goal of the season tipping in a shot by Fitzgerald at the 16:46 mark. It marked Fitzgerald’s second assist on the night. Rourke Chartier also received the secondary assist.

In the second period, Stockton (11-11-1-0) would break through early on when Glenn Gawdin’s initial shot was stopped by Cuda’s goalie Antoine Bibeau (5-2-2) but Matthew Phillips jammed in the loose rebound for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:21 mark. Dillon Dube received the secondary assist.

In what would be the turning point in the game, San Jose regained their three-goal lead when Jeffery Truchon-Viel spun in a puck in from close range at the 4:01 mark.

San Jose extended their lead to 5-1 after Jayden Halbgewachs received a pass wide open in the slot from True and buried it past Schneider for his sixth goal of the season at the 6:24 mark. The goal snapped a seven-game goaless drought for Halbgewachs.

Schneider’s was sent to the showers right after allowing five goals on only 14 shots. Jon Gillies came in mop-up duty for the rest of the game.

Spencer Foo scored the first of his two goals on the night when Alan Quine fed a pass to over to a wide-open Foo on the back door, who swept it past Bibeau for his seventh goal of the season at the 8:56 mark.

In the third period, Stockton made it 5-3 early into the final frame. Scott Sabourin snapped a shot past Bibeau into the short side of the goal for his second goal on the season at the 3:06 mark.

Chartier then finished off the scoring for the Cuda with an empty-netter at the 17:32 mark. Dylan Gambrell and Bibeau were credited with assists.

Foo completed the scoring with his eight goal and second of the evening to make the score look respectable with 49 seconds left in the contest but it was too little, too late for Stockton, who are 1-5 against the Cuda on the season.

Bibeau earned the victory after stopping 26 of 30 Stockton shots, while Schneider suffered the loss and Gillies (4-7-1) took a no-decision after stopping all 12 shots he faced in 32 minutes and 35 seconds of work.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/3 on the power play. Stockton was 0/1.

With the victory, it was San Jose’s third straight against the Heat and improved their record at Stockton Arena to 3-0 on the season. The win also placed San Jose atop the AHL with a .750 winning percentage

The announced attendance was 3,080.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home on Monday, Dec. 3 to host the San Diego Gulls at 7:00 pm at SAP Center.

Barracuda come back to cool off Heat 4-2

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda scored four unanswered goals, including three in the second period, to come back from a two-goal deficit to defeat their Nor Cal rival the Stockton Heat 4-2 at SAP Center on Tuesday afternoon.

It was San Jose’s fourth victory over Stockton this season. It snapped their two-game losing streak and they have at least one point in their last four games. They regained the top spot in the Pacific Division.

Stockton (10-10-1-0) turned up the heat on San Jose just 46 seconds into the game. Alan Quine drew first blood when he scored his sixth goal of the season when his shot went past Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (7-1-1) . Dalton Prout and Kerby Rychel received assists.

Rychel made it a two-goal lead for Stockton on the power play early in the second period. With Manny Weiderer in the sin bin for holding, Rychel wristed a shot past Kornear for his 10th goal on the season at the 2:35 mark. Glenn Gaudin and Curtis Lazar received assists on the goal.

San Jose (11-3-1-2) answered back 22 seconds later to start a rally of four unanswered goals. Jon Martin was set up by Francis Perron and snapped a wrist shot past Heat goalie Jon Gillies (4-7-1) for his first goal on the season at the 2:57 mark.

Defenseman Jacob Middleton tied the game less than three minutes after Martin’s goal. Middleton received a pass from Thomas Gregiore and his shot from the left point snuck past Gillies for his second goal of the season at the 5:47 mark. Perron received the secondary assit for a two-point game.

Nick DeSimone gave the Cuda their first lead of the game when he received a cross ice pass from Rourke Chartier. DeSimone skated in a few feet from the blue line and blistered a shot past Gillies inside the left post. Dylan Gambrell received the secondary assist.

Despite being out shot 27-12 through two periods, San Jose was happy trading quality over quantity with three goals on just 12 shots.

Korenar made a great glove save on a point blank chance by Buddy Robinson with 2:25 left play in the game that prevented Stockton from getting the equalizer. 

Keaton Middleton, brother of Jacob, iced the game with an unassisted empty net goal with 17 seconds left in the game for his second goal of the season.

Korenar played a solid game, making 30 saves on 32 shots for his seventh victory. Gillies made 15 saves on 18 shots in suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/4 on the power play. Stockton was 1/2.

The game’s faceoff started at 11am. The early start was due to the 2nd annual Cuda Classroom Day where kids from the area were treated to the hockey game.

The announced attendance was 4,353.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel up to Stockton take on the Heat on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 6:00 pm PT at Stockton Arena.

Barracuda fall 3-2 to Heat at SAP Center

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Photo credit: @AHLHeat

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat wrapped up their home and home series at SAP Center on Sunday. In case you missed it, San Jose downed Stockton by a score of 5-2 last night. San Jose used a four-goal third period to leave Stockton in shock.

Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer went with Antoine Bibeau, Dylan Gambrell, Vincent Praplan, Francis Perron, Cavan Fitzgerald and Keaton Middleton for his starting lineup.

However, Stockton got on the board first. Andrew Mangiapane scored his second goal of the season with 6:25 left in the first quarter. Oliver Kylington and Tyler Graovac collected the assists on Mangiapane’s goal.

Stockton doubled their lead a little less than two minutes later. Graovac scored his third goal of the season with 4:31 left in the first. Mangiapane and former Barracuda right winger Buddy Robinson collected the assists on Graovac’s goal.

The Heat were fired up and held a 2-0 lead over the Barracuda at the end of the first. Stockton edged San Jose in shots, 9-8.

The second period was chock full of penalties for both teams, but Stockton was the only team who capitalized on a man advantage. Spencer Foo notched his third goal of the season on the 5-on-3 to give the Heat a 3-0 lead with 8:12 left in the second. Graovac collected the assist on Foo’s power play goal.

Also, San Jose struggled to find the back of the net in the second for the first 10 minutes of the second. But the Barracuda avoided a shutout, thanks to Maxim Letunov’s fifth goal of the season with 5:02 left in the second. Praplan collected the lone assist on Letunov’s goal.

The Barracuda made it a one-goal game when Jayden Halbgewachs scored his third goal of the season with 1:11 left in the second.

The Heat still held a 3-2 lead over the Barracuda at the end of the second. Shots were even at 20 apiece.

The Heat were unable to capitalize with the man advantage on both Barracuda penalties, but they managed to hold on for a 3-2 win in the second game of the home-and-home series. Heat goalie Tyler Parsons stopped 26 of 28 shots for the road win, while Barracuda goalie Antoine Bibeau made 26 saves on 29 shots in a home loss.

Notes 
The San Jose Sharks announced that the club reassigned center Dylan Gambrell to the San Jose Barracuda. Gambrell played today.

Barracuda goalie Antoine Bibeau played in his 150th AHL game today.

There’s a Second Harvest food drive going on at SAP Center. This is one of the most difficult times of the year, so if you have any canned goods, please donate them at a Barracuda home game to help families in need.

Up Next 
The Barracuda head out on the road to take on the San Antonio Rampage on Friday, October 26 at 5:30 pm PT.

Barracuda bury the Heat with a four-goal third period en route to a 5-2 win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda (5-0-0-1) continued their best start in franchise history by getting four third-period goals to take down the Stockton Heat (1-3-1-0) 5-2 at Stockton Arena on Saturday evening.

Maxim Letunov broke a 1-1 deadlock in the third period for the game-winning goal. Jayden Halbgewachs set up the Letunov, who was able to shoot the puck past Heat goalie Jon Gillies (1-1-1) for his third goal of the season at the 8:26 mark. Filip Sandberg, who made his season debut, received the secondary assist.

San Jose drew first blood late in the first period. Halbgewachs was able to shoot the puck past Gillies for his third goal of the season at the 12:48 mark.  Letunov received the primary assist on the goal and Sandberg received the secondary assist.

The Cuda had an early opportunity to increase their lead early in the second period when they had a two-man advantage for a minute but weren’t able to cash in. They also weren’t able to capitalize late in the frame when Ollad Mattson went into the sin bin for interference at the 17:48 mark.

Despite out shooting the Heat 10-1 in a second period they dominated, San Jose went into the second intermission with only a one-goal lead.

Stockton would tie the score early in the third period. Andrew Mangipane scored an unassisted goal for his first goal of the season when he beat Cuda goalie Joesef Kornear (3-0-0) at the 1:42 mark.

San Jose sealed the game late in the third period with two goals in 20 seconds. Manny Weiderer scored an unassisted goal at the 14:12 mark for his second goal of the season. Letunov then scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season at the 14:32 mark. Kyle Wood and Sandberg, who earned a three-point night, received assists on the goal.

Stockton scored a power play goal with 40 seconds left in the game to make the result look respectable. Glenn Gawdin scored his second goal of the season. Brett Pollock and Oliver Kylington received assists.

Evan Weinger made it official with his third goal of the season with seven seconds left in the game. Wood and Jacob Middleton were credited with assists.

Korenar made 19 saves on 21 shots to earn the victory. Gillies had a busy night stopping 34 saves on 39 shots in suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/6 on the power play. Stockton was 1/4.

The announced attendance was 3,428.

UP NEXT: The home and home series shifts back to San Jose on Sunday, October 21 as the Barracuda and Heat face off at SAP Center at 3:00 pm PT.

Barracuda cool the Heat 6-4

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Photo credit: @SJBarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Barracuda were back at it. This time, the opponent was the Stockton Heat at Stockton Arena on Saturday night.

San Jose was ready to beat Stockton, but there were other aspects of the rivalry game for fans to notice, like, say, Filip Sanberg’s season debut and Evan Weinger’s professional debut.

The Cuda opened the scoring with two goals late in the first period. Jake Middleton scored his first goal on the season. Middleton’s goal was assisted by Jayden Halbgewachs. Cuda captain John McCarthy also scored his first goal on the season. McCarthy’s goal was assisted by Weinger.

The Cuda led the Heat 2-0 after 20 minutes of play. Shots were 7-5 in favor of San Jose.

The Cuda took a 3-0 lead at the 11:21 mark of the second period. Weinger scored his first pro goal–an unassisted goal–for a two-point night at the time.

The Cuda had a huge penalty kill following the Heat’s 5-for-3. Vincent Praplan was called for cross-checking and Middleton went to the box for hooking. Unfortunately, Stockton spoiled San Jose’s hopes of a shutout. Curtis Lazar helped his team get on the board to cut the lead to 3-1 just 2:14 later. Lazar’s goal was assisted by Tyler Graovac and Kerby Rychel.

The Cuda held onto a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Shots remained in favor of San Jose, 15-11.

Cuda goalie Josef Korenar continued to make the necessary saves to keep his team in the game, including the one in the video below.

The Cuda made it a 4-1 game just 2:21 into the third period. Manuel Wiederer scored his first goal on the season. Wiederer’s goal was assisted by Lukas Radil.

Soon enough, Stockton got on San Jose’s nerves with three goals in the period. Kerby Rychel scored his second and third goals on the season at the 8:03 and 11:57 marks, respectively. Rychel’s goals were assisted by Mike McMurtry and Ryan Lomberg then Lomberg. The Cuda managed to reduce the deficit to 5-3 at the 14:12 mark of the period. Francis Perron scored his third goal on the season. Perron’s goal was assisted by Halbgewachs and Jeremy Roy. Rychel later notched his fourth goal on the season with 4:40 left in the period.

But San Jose looked confident and McCarthy sealed the win by putting the puck into the net for a short-handed, empty-net goal with 57 seconds left in regulation. McCarthy’s second goal on the season helped the Cuda to a 6-4 win over the Heat.

Korenar picked up a win, finishing with 20 saves on 24 shots and four goals allowed. Tyler Parsons absorbed the loss after making 18 saves on 24 shots and six goals allowed.

Notes 
Barracuda’s starting lineup

Up Next 
The Barracuda return to SAP Center to host the Tuscon Roadrunners on Monday, October 15 at 7:00 pm PT.

Barracuda make the playoffs with 2-1 victory over Heat and San Diego loss to Tuscon

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Photo credit: @AHL

By Marko Ukalovic

In what turned out to be an elimination game on the seasonal finale, the San Jose Barracuda (34-26-4-4) were not going to be denied. Alexander True provided all the scoring and the Cuda held on in the final minute to defeat the Stockton Heat (34-28-2-4) 2-1 on Saturday evening at Stockton Arena. San Jose closed out the season on a six-game winning streak, their longest of the season.

What looked like an impossible scenario just a couple of weeks ago, the Barracuda are playoff bound thanks to San Diego’s 6-3 loss to Tuscon.

There was no scoring in an entertaining first period. Each team had chances to score only to be thwarted by the other team’s goaltender. Stockton dominated late in the period however they weren’t able to put a puck past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (23-14-4). He made five key saves late in the first period, including on Austin Carrol with five minutes left in the period.

He also received some help from defenseman Jacob Middleton who sacrificed his body diving down to make a save with Bibeau out of position with eight minutes remaining left.

Heat goalie Jon Gillies (17-16-5) stopped a breakaway chance by Rourke Chartier. Stockton out shot the Cuda 12-10 in the first period.

The Cuda would break the seal in the second period. Brandon Mashinter started a rush up the ice on the right wing side, his shot on goal was stopped, but not controlled by Gillies. Rookie forward Alexander True cleaned up the rebound for his 14th goal on the season at the  mark.

True, the 20-year-old native from Copenhagen, Denmark, would score his second goal of the night seconds after their second power play opportunity ended. True was able to take a pass in between the circles from Colby McAuley and fired a shot past Gillies for his 15th goal on the season. Ivan Chekhovich received the secondary assist.

Brett Findley would cut the lead in half at the 17:16 mark of the second period. He skated down the left-wing side, was able to collect the puck and snap a shot past the five-hole of Bibeau for his 12th goal on the season.

Bibeau would come up huge in the second period when he was able to stop a 2-on-1 short-handed chance by Stockton and robbed Rasmus Andersson on an odd man chance just two minutes into the second period.

Gillies kept the Cuda from increasing their lead twice in the third period. First, Rudolfs Balcers had a great scoring chance only to be stopped by Gillies. Then, Gillies stoned Adam Helewka on a pretty tic-tac-toe play from John McCarthy an Sasha Cmelevski with six minutes left.

Bibeau, reassigned back to Cuda, made 30 saves on 31 shots to earn the victory. Gillies, who stood on his head in the third period to keep it a one goal game, made 28 saves on 30 shots, suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0/3 on the power play. Stockton was 0/1. Their 10-game scoring streak on the power play came to an end.

San Jose finished 7-5 against Stockton this season.

UP NEXT: The Cuda will open up on the road in Tuscon as they take on the Pacific Division Champion Roadrunners in the first round of the AHL Playoffs.

2018 Calder Cup Playoffs San Jose Barracuda and Tucson Roadrunners

Game #1: Thursday, April 19, 2018 (7 p.m.) – SAP Center
Game #2: Saturday, April 21, 2018 (7 p.m.) – SAP Center
Game #3: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (7:05 p.m.) – Tucson Convention Center
Game #4: Friday, April 27, 2018 (7:05 p.m.) – Tucson Convention Center
 
Game #5: Saturday, April 28, 2018 (7:05 p.m.) – Tucson Convention Center 
If necessary*

 

Kings will move G League Team from Reno to Stockton for 2018-19 season

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G League (3)

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings announced on Monday their intention to move their G League franchise  – the Reno Bighorns – to Stockton for the 2018-19 season. This move would have their development team just 45 minutes away from Kings offices, coaches, training and medical staff. This also follows the pattern of the majority of teams in the NBA which have relocated their developmental league teams to within an hour driving distance of their organization’s main facilities.

“Our NBA G League team has been an incredible asset to help prepare players for NBA action and bringing the team closer to Sacramento will allow us to continue to build on that success and increase efficiency to this valuable development tool,” said Sacramento Kings General Manager Vlade Divac. “Kings fans in Stockton will now have an opportunity to see the next-generation of NBA players each week.”

skal
Skal Labissiere

The Kings have taken full advantage using players from the Reno team over the past two seasons. In 2017-18, the team sent several of its rookies to play with the Bighorns to gain some experience which they put to good use at the NBA level. Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson (now with the Toronto Raptors) both benefited greatly from their time with the Bighorns.

This season has seen the addition of the “two-way” players who can be on the NBA roster of their parent team and then must spend the remainder of their time playing in the G League. JaKarr Sampson and Jack Cooley have both made substantial contributions to the Kings during the regular season. Sacramento also signed Nigel Hayes from the Westchester Knicks to a two-year contract.

sac sampson
Kings “two-way” player JaKarr Sampson

The Bighorns sent three players to three other NBA teams this season. David Stockton – who has also played for the Kings – was signed Utah Jazz. Reggie Hearn went to Detroit and Aaron Harrison was signed by the Mavericks.

Stockton is a very interesting choice because of its tremendous growth potential. With Bay Area housing prices soaring, people are willing to endure longer commutes in order to be able to buy a home. Stockton is projected to a desirable locale because of its freeway access and rail service to the Silicon Valley. That means potential fans for the G League team that could be cultivated into Sacramento Kings fans.

Stockton already has a very strong track record of supporting minor league sports teams. The Stockton Ports have played baseball in California League since its beginning in 1941 and are currently an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Stockton is also the home of the Heat of the American Hockey League who are affiliated with the Calgary Flames. The Heat and the G League team will share the same arena.

“It is my honor to welcome the Kings organization to Stockton and I look forward to watching NBA G League action at the Stockton Arena,” said Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. “The Kings have been known for their tremendous impact in the community and we’re excited to have their support as we continue to reinvent Stockton.”

A four-time All-America City winner, with honors as recently as 2017, Stockton is California’s thirteenth largest city. Stockton Arena is located in the heart of the city’s downtown waterfront and entertainment center. The venue opened in 2005 and includes 24 luxury suites, seating for up to 12,000.

The Kings G League basketball operations will be headquartered at Kings former practice facility in Natomas next to the old arena. The business operations for the new team will be housed at the arena in Stockton.

Barracuda sweep home-and-home series with 7-3 win over Heat

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda (31-26-4-4), with their backs against the wall, received the game-winning goal from defenseman Julius Bergman seven minutes into the third period, where they scored four unanswered goals, to defeat the Stockton Heat (32-27-2-4) 7-3 and swept the home-and-home series on Saturday afternoon at the SAP Center. The Cuda’s current three-game win streak have their playoff hopes still hanging by a thread.

Ivan Chekhovich, playing in only his third game for San Jose, skated down the left boards, and passed it back to the right slot where Bergman fired a shot top-shelf in the left corner beating Heat goalie David Rittich (7-5-0) for his 10th goal of the season at the 7:12 mark of the third period. Rourke Chartier received the secondary assist.

“Got a great pass in the middle,” said Bergman on eventual game winning goal. “Just trying to find a hole. Shot it there and it went in.”

San Jose continued its hot streak on the power play. Adam Helewka fed a pass down low to Alex True, who then sent a cross-ice pass through the crease over to Middleton. His shot ricochet off Dalton Prout’s skate into the net past Rittich. Middleton’s sixth goal of the season came at the 6:44 mark of the first period.

Stockton would answer back before the fans had a chance to sit back down in their seats. Just 13 seconds later, Oliver Kylington pinched in from the point as Brett Findley sent over a cross-ice pass that found Kylington all alone in the right slot and he snapped a wrist shot past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (21-14-4) for his sixth goal of the season.

Stockton would take the lead after a pretty tic-tac-toe goal scored by Emile Poirier. Mike McMurtry skated along the right board and fed the puck over to Ryam Lomberg. Lomberg one-timed a pass between his legs over to Poirier, who quickly shot the puck past Bibeau for his sixth goal of the season at the 15:03 mark.

Rittich made two point-blank saves with under two minutes left in the period on shots by Nick DeSimone and Rudolfs Balcers to keep the score 2-1 heading into the first intermission. San Jose outshot Stockton 12-4.

Chartier breakaway attempt was stopped by Rittich midway the second period. Bibeau stopped a point-blank chance on a 2-on-1 less than a minute later.

“I think we’re just having fun,” said Bibeau regarding his the Cuda’s three-game win streak. “I don’t think we’re thinking too much about (getting into the) playoffs right now. Everyone is playing well right now and we’re just having fun.”

San Jose tied it up after a shot by True ricochet off Rittich right to Colby McAuley, who tapped in a rebound into the empty net. McAuley skated into the middle of the slot, fed a pass over to True, who fired a shot on Rittich that went back to McAuley for his fourth goal of the season at the 14:09 mark. Radim Simek received the secondary assist.

Emerson Clark gave the Cuda the lead when he scored off a mad scramble in front of the net. Tim Heed’s shot trickled all the way through to the net, Manny Wiederer poked at the puck twice in front of Rittich before the puck squeezed out to a crashing Clark who punched it home for his ninth goal of the season at the 16:01 mark. Noah Rod received the secondary assist.

Colin Smith tied the game up on a 3-on-2 rush. Dillion Dube started the rush at center ice, fed a pass over to the left slot to Morgan Klimchuck, who fired a pass over to a wide-open Smith in between the circles, who snapped home the puck past Bibeau for his ninth goal of the season at the 4:07 mark of the third period.

True gave the Cuda a two-goal lead at the 9:41 mark when McAuley skated in from the red line, went through two Heat defenders and passed over to a wide-open True just to the right of the crease, who buried the puck into an empty net for his 13th goal of the season.

Balcers made his way into the goal party as he danced his way all the way up to an empty net, with Rittich pulled for an extra attacker, for his team leading 22nd goal of the season at the 17:47 mark to give the Cuda 6-3 lead.

Sasha Chmelevski completed the scoring on a 2-on-1 break with Adam Helewka. Helewka skated in, fed a pass over to Chmelevski, who made a nice move around Rittich and slid the puck into an empty net for his second goal in three games at the 18:47 mark.

“We got a lot of juice in the our lineup right now,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “With the kids that we brought in and they’ve played really well and made a big difference.”

Bibeau had another strong showing in net, making 21 saves on 24 saves to earn the victory. Rittich made 27 saves on 32 shots, suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/2 on the power play. It was the eighth consecutive game the Cuda have scored a power-play goal.

Stockton went 0/2. They were 0/8 in the two-game series.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Wednesday, April 11 at 6:30 pm PT.