Tag: Stockton Heat

Barracuda keep hope alive as they cool off the Heat 6-2

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

Desperate times call for desperate hockey. The San Jose Barracuda (30-26-4-4) gave their fading playoff hopes a shot in the arm as six different goal scorers powered the way to a  6-2 victory over the Stockton Heat (32-26-2-4) on Friday evening at Stockton Arena.

San Jose’s victory along with the Texas Stars’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Rockford IceHogs kept the Barracuda mathematically alive. They will need to win out and need Texas to lose out in order to make the playoffs.

The Cuda would get off to the start it wanted midway through the first period. Manny Wiederer’s wrist shot pinballed off of Heat goalie David Rittich’s (7-4-0) equipment and before he could corral the puck it went his under the right arm into the back of the net. The rookie forward’s eighth goal of the season came at the 9:20 mark. Radim Simek and Noah Rod received assists on the goal.

Stockton generated a couple of scoring chances late in the first period, but weren’t able to get a puck past Cuda goalie Stephon Williams (2-1-0). They outshot San Jose 8-5 in the first period.

A close call early in the second period almost resulted in a goal for Stockton on the power play. A one-timer shot from the point deflected on Williams and off his pads as it was laying in the crease that created a mad scramble in front of the net. The Cuda were able to clear the puck with no harm done.

Noah Rod, playing just his seventh career game, gave the Cuda a 2-0 lead when he scored his first career AHL goal. Rod was able to pounce on a rebound off a Julius Bergman shot and back-handed the puck top-shelf past Rittich at the 9:20 mark of the second period. Emerson Clark received the secondary assist.

Rudolfs Balcers continued his sensational rookie season when he scored his team leading 21st goal of the season after receiving a pass from Rourke Chartier, he was able to collect his own rebound on his initial shot and fired it home past Rittich at the 13:47 mark.

Stockton would get on the board when Mike McMurtry scored his fifth goal of the season exactly a minute later. Emile Poirier’s shot pinballed off Williams and McMurtry punched home the rebound at the 14:47 mark. Ryan Lomberg received the secondary assist.

San Jose regained their three-goal lead just 50 seconds into the third period. Tim Heed, in his fifth game with the Cuda, scored his first goal on the season on the power play. Heed blasted a shot from the right point inside the near post past Rittich. Jacob Middelton and Alex True received assists on the goal.

Williams made a great save while Stockton was on the power play five minutes into the period. He had lost his stick during a mad scramble, but was able to use a defenseman’s stick and reached back across the crease to stop a shot that was headed for an empty net.

Chartier put the game away with his sixth goal of the season at the 13:40 mark. The Cuda had sustained pressure inside the Heat zone as Ivan Chekhovich fed Chartier, who snapped home the puck inside the post. The goal snapped a 12-game goalless drought for Chartier. Balcers received the secondary assist.

Lomberg tipped home the puck past Williams from a shot from the point. McMurtry sent a shot toward the net that Lomberg was able to deflect home for his 10th goal of the season at the 16:40 mark.

Chekhovic iced the game with an empty-netter for his second goal in as many games to close out the scoring at the 17:46 mark. Chartier received the only assist on the goal.

Williams made 22 saves on 24 shots to earn the victory. Rittich made 16 saves on 21 shots in the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/2 on the power play. Stockton was 0/6.

This was the 10th meeting of the season between the two teams. They play each other twice more in the final four games of the regular season.

Brodie Dupont gave a hard check on Zach Frye that cause some pushing and shoving after the whistle late in the first period.

Heed’s power play goal made it seven consecutive games with a power play goal for San Jose. They are 10/29 in their last seven games on the power play.

With the FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Colby McAuley and Luke Gazdic exchanged fisticuffs with less than two minutes left in the game.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Stockton Heat to close out the home-and-home series on Saturday at 1:15 pm PT at SAP Center.

Barracuda’s hopes for weekend split gets erased as they lose 2-1 to Heat

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat met again for Game 2 of the weekend series at the Stockton Arena on Saturday night. The Barracuda were looking to split its series against the Heat. Meanwhile, the Heat hosted a special Law Enforcement Appreciation Night to honor the local law enforcement.

The Barracuda got a little too feisty early in the first period. As a result, they were handed a penalty for too many men on the ice and their penalty kill went into effect.

After the first San Jose power play of the night, Barracuda’s Brandon Mashinter dropped the gloves with Heat’s Tyler Wotherspoon. Consequently, both players sat in the sin bin with a four-minute double-minor.

Barracuda goalie Antoine Bibeau made 14 saves in the first period, but the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes of play.

The Heat broke open the scoreless deadlock when left wing Andrew Mangiapane finished a pass from newcomer Colin Smith for his 19th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead midway through the second period. After the game’s first goal, Stockton headed to the power play after San Jose’s Cavan Fitzgerald was called for hooking.

Heat rookie forward Spencer Foo tapped the power play goal in for his 13th of the season. The Heat took a 2-0 lead late in the second.

The Barracuda got to work after receiving a power play and then they were back on the penalty kill when Mike Brodzinski went to the box for slashing. Yet, the Heat carried a 2-0 lead to their locker room after 40 minutes of play.

The Barracuda finally got on the board as Rourke Chartier scored an unassisted goal–his second since coming back from injury–to cut the lead in half. Chartier has gotten three points in his last three games.

The Barracuda went on the power play at the 10-minute mark, but they were unable to capitalize with the man advantage.

The Barracuda lost to the Heat 2-1 in the Port City. Bibeau made 36 saves on 38 shots in a losing effort for San Jose.

Notes
Barracuda’s lineup and starters:
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Up Next
The Barracuda return to action on Wednesday, February 21 at 7 pm PT in southern California against the Ontario Reign.

Heat rebound in second game of home-and-home series with 4-2 win over the Barracuda

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Stockton Heat (21-16-2-3) enacted revenge against the San Jose Barracuda (21-18-1-2) after suffering a defeat in their own building 24 hours earlier, thanks to a rookie goaltender, earning his first professional victory in a 4-2 victory on Friday evening at the SAP Center. 

Stockton’s Tyler Parsons (1-1-0) making only his second start of the season, played on top of his head on Friday night stymieing a Barracuda attack that put 34 shots on goal. His outstanding play in the net frustrated San Jose throughout the night.

Both teams traded chances in the first period, but neither team could get the puck in the back of the net, thanks to great goaltending by both San Jose’s Troy Groesnick (5-8-2) and Parsons. Parsons stopped four scoring chances early in the period by the Barracuda while Grosenick stoned a one-on-one opportunity by Oleg Yuvenko five minutes into the game. The best scoring chance for the Barracuda came with a minute left when defenseman Jacob Middleton sent a shot off the boards that floated out in front of the crease past Parsons but no one in a teal jersey was able to get their stick in to tap home the puck into an empty net.

“I thought we had opportunities, their goalie was good,” head coach Roy Sommer said about Parsons’ play.

Austin Carrol broke the deadlock just a 1:07 into the second period when he skated in from the right point, made a maneuver around defenseman Paul Martin to skate in all alone on Grosenick and was able to put a nice backhander into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. It was Carrol’s third goal of the season. Morgan Klimchuk and Rasmus Andersson received assists on the goal.

Julius Bergman tied the game up on the power play when he received a feed from Calvan Fitzgerald and was able to skate in from the right point and rifle a shot past Parsons who was screened out in front by Barracuda forward Alex True. Bergman’s sixth goal on the season came at the 7:31 mark. Adam Helewka received the secondary assist.

“We’re just trying to get pucks to the net,” said defenseman Calvan Fitzgerald on the blue liners contributing more on offense. “We’re just trying to create more offense as much as we can.”

Before the fans could sit down after Bergman’s goal, Stockton regained the lead when a bad turnover by Barracuda forward Emerson Clark led to Stockton’s Rod Pelley finding a wide open Emile Poirier at the blue line and he was able to skate in on a breakaway and sneak the puck past Groesenick for his fourth goal of the season just 66 seconds later.

The Cuda almost tied it up with under 30 seconds left in the period when Helewka skated in on Parson after taking a nice feed from Rudolfs Balcers on a 2-on-1 chance. Helewka’s backhand attempt was stopped by Parsons and the rebound was cleared away by the Stockton defense. San Jose out shot Stockton 13-11 in the 2nd period.

Grosenick kept the Barracuda in the game to start the third period as he was able to stop a Spencer Foo shorthanded breakaway attempt and a few minutes later a 3-on-1 where he was able to rob back to back point blank chances by the Heat.

“It’s not really fair to him, he’s been playing great.” said captain John McCarthy on the hard luck season for Grosenick. “It would’ve been great to get him a win tonight. He kept us in it till the end. It’s unfortunate, but we do recognize that he’s been playing very well (for us).”

Stockton extended their lead at the 15:56 mark when Carrol skated in from the right boards and sent a shot toward the net that was initially saved by Grosenick. but the rebound trickled out to a crashing Morgan Klimchauk who tapped home his 13th goal of the season for a 3-1 lead. Carrol slammed awkwardly into the boards as a result of the play, got hurt, but was able to walk off the ice back into the locker room under his own power.

Marek Hrivik completed the scoring for Stockton with under two minutes left when the Barracuda pulled Grosenick for an extra attacker and he was able to knock home his 11th goal of the season short handed into an empty net.

San Jose’s McCarthy was able to tip home a Fitzgerald shot from the point on the power play with 43 seconds left for his sixth goal of the season. However, it was too little too late for the Barracuda’s comeback attempt.

Parsons made 32 saves on 34 shots for the victory, while Grosenick made 30 saves on 33 shots in the losing effort.

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

Even there were many scrums after the whistle, there were no official fights between the teams tonight unlike the game in Stockton that featured four of them.

With the win, Stockton leap frogs over San Jose to sixth place in the Pacific Division with 47 points. The Cuda are currently in seventh with 45 points.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda will face the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners on Monday evening at SAP Center at 7 pm PT.

Barracuda cool down the Heat with 3-0 shutout victory

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda (21-17-1-2) scored two goals in 25 seconds early in the second period and received superior goaltending from Antoine Bibeau to take down the Stockton Heat (20-16-2-3) 3-0 in a shutout victory on Friday evening at Stockton Arena.

The Barracuda are on a two-game winning streak. They went 4-1-1 to complete their six-game road trip.

San Jose would draw first blood with just five minutes remaining in the first period when Rudolfs Balcers scored his team-leading 11th goal on the season. He was able to clean up a rebound amid a mad scramble in front of the net after a shot from the point from defenseman Julius Bergman. The All-Star gathered the puck and put it past Stockton goalie Jon Gillies (13-12-4) inside the right post. Captain John McCarthy also assisted on the goal at the 15:03 mark of the first period. The Barracuda outshot the Heat 9-7.

The Barracuda didn’t waste any time extending their lead in the second period. Just 46 seconds in, Balcers put the Barracuda up 2-0 with his second goal of the night and 12th on the season. McCarthy was able to feed Balcers before the blue line and he raced down the left wing side and sniped a shot past Gillies inside the left post. Adam Helewka also assisted on the goal. This was Balcers’ third multi-goal game on the season.

25 seconds after that Flilip Sandberg back handed in a rebound for his seventh goal of the season to give the Barracuda a commanding 3-0 lead at the 1:11 mark. Bergman sent an innocent-looking shot toward the goal that Gillies couldn’t handle and Sandberg made Gillies pay for his mishap. Gillies was chased out of the game on three goals on just 11 shots. Tyler Parsons replaced him just over a minute into the second period.

Brandon Bollig got the best of Oleg Yevenko with a spirited fight midway through the second period. Bollig took exception to a hit by Yevenko on Barracuda forward Jon Martin. Parsons came up huge on a Brandon Mashinter breakaway chance just under three minutes left in the frame.

Stockton had two chances on the power play in the third period, but couldn’t generate any good scoring chances, thanks to the tight penalty kill of the Cuda and Bibeau. The Heat outshot San Jose 9-3 in the period.

Bibeau (14-8-1) stoppped all 30 shots he faced, including some big saves in the second period where one deflected off of his mask, to earn his third shutout victory of the season. Parsons made nine saves in relief in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: Adam Helewka returned to the lineup after missing the last game against San Antonio with an injury.

The Heat were without their leading scorer Andrew Mangiapane, who was promoted up to the Calgary Flames. Stockton has lost their past 3 homes games.

Balcers has three goals in the past two games. Balcers’ seven points (three goals, four assists) is tied for the most points (Danny O’Regan) against Stockton this season.

Gillies is now 5-6-1 all time against San Jose.

San Jose went 0/2 on the power play while Stockton was 0/4.

NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN THESE TWO TEAMS: Things got chippy in the first period with a pair of fights between Austin Carrol and Jacob Middleton midway through and also Tanner Glass and Emerson Clark right at the of the period.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return to SAP Center on Saturday evening as they complete the home-and-home series with the Stockton Heat. Face off is at 7 pm PT.

Heat demolish Barracuda in 2-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jon Gillies was rock-solid in the net and Andrew Mangiapane provided the offense for the Stockton Heat (19-12-2-3) shutout the San Jose Barracuda (17-16-0-2) 2-0 at SAP Center on Wednesday night.

The first period saw no one light up the red lamp. but both teams had plenty of scoring chances. The Barracuda had two opportunities to score on the power play, but weren’t able to get the puck past Gillies (12-8-4). San Jose had a 2-on-0 break in Stockton’s zone with three seconds left in the period but weren’t able to get a shot off in time. The Heat had their own opportunity on the power play, but thanks to a stifling penalty kill led by goalie Troy Grosenick (5-7-2) the teams headed into the first intermission scoreless. San Jose out shot Stockton 15-8.

Andrew Mangiapane broke the deadlock in the 2nd period when he scored his 15th goal on the season from the right slot. A bad turnover by the Cuda gave Mike McMurty a wide open scoring chance that went through the crease and found Mangiapane alone to bury the puck past Grosenick just over a minute into the period.

The Heat kept the ice tilted in their favor for the majority of the period. They out shot San Jose 10-7. The Cuda’s Rudolfs Balcers had a late scoring chance off a nice cross ice pass from Marcus Sorensen but the puck bounced over Balcers stick to keep the lead 1-0 for Stockton at the second intermission.

Mangiapane capped off the scoring with his second goal of the game with an empty netter with 38 seconds left in the game. His 16th goal on the season was assisted by Ryan Lomberg.

San Jose–who outshot Stockton 10-4 in the third period–had a chance to tie the score just 30 seconds into the period when Tyler Wotherspoon went to the sin bin for hooking, but the Barracuda couldn’t create enough traffic in front of Gillies to get the equalizer.

“It’s just a shame to lose a game like that tonight,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “We just didn’t make a lot of plays, we didn’t get a lot of second chances.”

Gillies earned his seventh shutout of the season and second consecutive shutout, stopping all 32 San Jose shots. Grosenick took the hard luck loss with 20 saves on 21 shots.

“We gave him (Grosenick) no offensive support tonight”, said Sommer. “Which sucks for him. It’s too bad when’s he been in there, we haven’t had any goals for him.”

GAME NOTES: This was the first game back for San Jose defenseman Paul Martin who cleared the NHL waivers yesterday and was assigned to the Barracuda. Martin is now healthy after being hampered by a lower body injury at the beginning of the season.

“It felt good. It’s something to be said playing some games, it’s been a while, it’s fun,” said Martin after the game.

Both teams went 0/3 on the power play.

With the loss, San Jose dropped to the bottom of the Pacific Division standing with 36 points. San Jose is now 3-2 against Stockton on the season.

UP NEXT: San Jose makes it second trip of the month down to San Diego, where they play two games over the weekend versus the Gulls. First game will be on Friday night at 7 pm PT at the Valley View Casino Center.

Barracuda win a wild OT thriller 6-5 over Heat

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Rudolfs Balcers and the San Jose Barracuda (14-11-0-2) have a flair for the dramatics as they overcame a two goal deficit in the second period to win 6-5 in a overtime thriller over the Stockton Heat (16-8-2-2) at the SAP Center on Thursday afternoon.

Balcers’ game-winning heroics came at the 2:39 mark of overtime when Stockton misfired on a pass at their own blue line. Balcers picked up the puck and made a nice move to skate around Heat forward Andrew Manginapane to get to the front of the crease where his initial shot was stopped by a sprawling Heat goalie Jon Gillies (9-6-3) but was able to slide home his second attempt into the net.

“It just plopped right in front of me”, said Balcers on his game-winning goal. “I just wanted to get a good angle for a shot when I saw Jon (Gillies) go the other way, I just deked him and tucked it in there.”

It didn’t take long for the fireworks to get started as Mangiapane opened the scoring with his 12th goal on the season after a turnover by Danny O’Reagan not being able to clear puck out of the Cuda’s zone. Mangiapane took a feed from Ryan Lomberg and ripped a wrist shot to the far corner past goalie Parker Gahagen (2-1-0) just 1:07 into the game.

Stockton kept the momentum going after Mangiapane’s goal with the Barracuda by taking two penalties 1:28 apart to set up a 5-on-3 opportunity for the Heat. However San Jose’s penalty kill was able to keep the puck of the net. They controlled play for the most of the first period as they had multiple odd man rushes but weren’t able to capitalize on them.

San Jose would tied the score at one when defenseman Michael Brodzinki scored his second of the season at 11:20 of the first period when his shot from the right point ricocheted off of Heat defenseman Oliver Kylington and over Gillies’ shoulder and bounced into the net. Radim Simek and Filip Sandberg assisted on the goal

Both teams would trade goals just 38 seconds apart late in the first period. Jon Martin scored his third goal on season for the Cuda when he was able to bury a rebound into an empty net. Tim Clifton won a battle along the boards and got the puck over to Emerson Clark, whose shot found a wide open Martin after bouncing off the pads of Gillies at 16:04. The Cuda were guilty of a bad turnover in the neutral zone when Emile Poirier skated in on a 3-on-1 down the right wing and wristed a shot past Gahagen at 16:42. The unassisted goal was Poirier’s third goal of the season.

The Heat made the most of the opportunities in the second period. Mangiapane scored his 13th goal of the season and second of the game at 13:57 when he skated in from the right slot and used Jacob Middleton as a screen and fired a shot past Gahagen for a 3-2 lead. Rasmus Andersson and Oleg Yevenko assisted on the play.

After a bad pinch in by San Jose’s Radim Simek lead to a 2-on-1 beak for the Heat, Brett Findley was able to finish off a spectacular tic-tac-toe give and go passing display between him and Mangiapane for his sixth goal on the season at the 16:02 mark for a 4-2 lead. Ryan Lomberg also received an assist.

O’Reagan would atone for his earlier error in the game when he cut the lead to 4-3 with just 16.8 seconds left in the second period. His seventh goal of the season came after Balcers was able to keep the puck in the Heat zone and fed O’Regan who was able to dipsy-do his way up to the left slot and fire a shot past Gillies.

Cuda defenseman Julius Bergman tied the game 4-4 at 5:56 of the third period when he scored his third goal of the season from the right point after taking a cross ice pass from Jacob Middleton. Bergman’s shot found its way into the back of the net with a bunch of traffic screening Gillies into the top left corner of the goal.

Not to be outdone by his fellow defenseman, Nick DeSimone gave the Cuda a 5-4 lead just 1:18 later on a deja vu play as his shot also from the right point beat Gillies with players screening him in front of the goal at the 7:14 mark. Brandon Mashinter and Radim Simek provided the assists on the goal.

“We’re not a one dimensional team,” head coach Roy Sommer said on his defensemen’s contributions on offense. “If we don’t get the full compliment of people scoring, we’re going to be in trouble.”

The Heat’s Hunter Shinkauk would tie the game at 15:56 when he skated in from the middle of the blue line all alone in front of Gahagen snapping a shot past him. Marek Hrivik and Poirier assisted on the goal.

Gahagen earned his second win of the season by making 24 saves on 29 shots including stopping a breakaway attempt by Stockton’s Poirier late in the 3rd period. Gillies took the loss making 26 saves on 32 shots.

GAME NOTES: Both teams were 0/4 on the power play. San Jose is 16/16 in their past four games on the penalty kill.

The teams exchanged fisticuffs twice during the game. Joesph Crammarosa and Calvan Fitzgerald fought in the first period and Brandon Bollig dropped the gloves with Oleg Yevenko in the third period.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel up to the Great White North for the first of back to back games against the Manitoba Moose on Saturday December 30th at Bell MTS Iceplex in Winnipeg.

Heat scorch the SJ Barracuda with a 6-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE–The third time was definitely a charm for the Stockton Heat as they crushed the San Jose Barracuda in a 6-0 shutout victory at SAP Center on Wednesday night.

Led by Spencer Foo’s first hat trick of the season, the Heat came into the game having a 0-2 record against the Barracuda this season. They made the most of their shots early on in the game as they scored three goals on just eight shots, proving quality over quantity.

Hunter Shinkaruk started off the scoring for the Heat just 5:11 into the first period when he skated in alone off a odd man rush and snuck in a shot passed Antoine Bibeau (6-4) on the short side of the goal.

The Barracuda couldn’t capitalize on separate 2-on-1 opportunities by Jon Martin and captain John McCarthy in the first period as both player’s shots missed the net.

Stockton goalie Jon Gillies (7-5-1) recorded his second shutout of the season on 25 saves. The highlight of his game came with 11 minutes left in the third period when stopped three point blank chances by the Barracuda. Adam Helewka’s back-hander on a breakaway and two subsequent rebound chances were stoned away by Gillies to preserve the shutout.

The Barracuda were guilty of standing around watching the puck when Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon was wide open in the right slot and scored his third goal of the season beating Bibeau top self for a 2-0 lead. Ramus Andersson assisted on the Heat’s first two goals.

Foo scored the first goal of his hat trick at 9:07 of the 2nd period on tip in from a shot from Oliver Kylington along the left side of the boards as the puck redirected right between the five-hole of Bibeau. Head Coach Roy Sommer had seen enough and pulled Bibeau immediately after and replaced him with backup Parker Gahagen to try shake up his team’s lackadaisical play.

“We had some breakdowns defensively,” head coach Rommer said after the game. “It didn’t feel like a game where we didn’t have any emotion to me. I mean they were the ones who carried all the emotion, not us.”

Foo then tallied his second goal of the game at 15:40 of the third period on a power play goal skated in alone after receiving the puck and put a back-hander past Gahagen. The Heat had four goals on their first 12 shots.

Marek Hrivik continued the barrage when he scored his seventh goal of the season after the Cuda turned the puck over in their own zone and Hrvik was all alone in front of Gahagen putting the puck past the five-hole for a 5-0 lead

Foo would complete his hat trick and the scoring for the Heat when he was able to bury home a rebound shot from Oliver Kylington that beat Gahagen into the net. After a video review the goal was deemed good.

NOTES: The loss for Bibeau snapped his five-game winning streak. Gahagen finished his night with 12 saves on 15 shots. San Jose out shot Stockton 25-23. San Jose was 0/4 on the power play while Stockton cashed in, going 2/4. Stockton improved to 13-6-0-2 and with 28 points are in second place in the Pacific Division while San Jose currently sits sixth with 19 points at 9-9-0-1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners on Friday 12/8 at SAP Center at 7 pm.

Barracuda Left Winger Brandon Bollig – Profile

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Photo credit: NHL.com

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—First generation hockey player to Stanley Cup Champion. Not even Brandon Bollig himself could fathom such an accomplishment growing up.

Born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri, Bollig picked up hockey at the drop of a hat, making every team he tried out for in his youth.

The left winger, who is 6 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds, took his skills to the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, with whom he spent three years (2005-2008). Bollig then went on to play hockey for St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. In 2010, after his sophomore year, he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent and appeared in three games with their minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, that season (2009-2010).

Bollig was called up for his NHL debut with Chicago on February 29, 2012 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also made four playoff appearances that season.

With his hometown so close to St. Louis, Bollig grew up supporting the Blues, one of the Blackhawks’ biggest rivals.

“I got a lot of crap from my family and friends when I signed with Chicago,” Bollig laughed. “Whenever we played the Blues, they would always say, ‘We are rooting for you and only you. We hope you score some goals, but we want a Blues win.’”

Aside from the rivalry, Bollig’s family was immensely supportive. Around 50 members of his family would attend every Blackhawks vs. Blues game at home. His family would also travel from St. Charles to Chicago to watch Bollig play at the United Center.

Bollig’s greatest accomplishment was his Stanley Cup win with the Blackhawks in 2013.

“That was indescribable,” he noted. “It’s something you imagine a million times as a kid. Once you finally do it, it is better than you ever thought.”

Following the Stanley Cup win, Bollig played one more year with the Blackhawks before he was traded to the Calgary Flames at the start of the 2014-2015 season. He still received the same familial support when the Flames would visit St. Louis, though he noted that deep down, his family still hoped for Blues’ wins.

Most recently, Bollig played for the Stockton Heat, the Flames’ AHL affiliate, in 2016-2017.

Bollig’s objective for each game is to play one that is “sound.” His playing style focuses heavily on tending to the defensive zone, and on physical presence (Bollig does not have any fear of fighting). Putting up numbers, to him, is an “added bonus.”

San Jose closed a one-year deal with Bollig on July 4, 2017, three days after the free agency market opened. Thus far, it has been a pleasant experience for him. Off the ice, Bollig and his fiancee enjoy the friendly Northern California vibes, sunny weather, and various downtown San Jose activities, including those on Santana Row.

Stockton Brings Heat, San Jose Defeats 5-2

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Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—The Barracuda came back from two consecutive losses (on October 13 and 14) tonight after a 5-2 win against the Stockton Heat, their second victory over the team this season.

Stockton forward Andrew Mangiapane scored the first goal of the game, almost 18 minutes into the first period. San Jose’s Brandon Mashinter retaliated by scoring less than two minutes later with only 22 seconds remaining.

Mashinter, left winger and AHL veteran, was paired on the offensive line with center John McCarthy and right winger Filip Sandberg, who scored the final goal of the game with just under four minutes remaining. Mashinter provided an assist for Sandberg’s goal.

“You could see today [Mashinter had] a lot of great plays,” Sandberg said after the match. “This was the first game I played with him, but I thought it was really fun. [There was] a lot of hard work out there. On [my] goal, we had a good forward check and he gave it to me, and I just shot it into the goal. “[Mashinter is] a really nice player to have on your team.”

McCarthy, another AHL veteran, added that the trio’s confidence built as the game progressed.

Forwards Danny O’Regan, Adam Helewka, and Rudolfs Balcers played in harmony as O’Regan notched two goals (he now has a total of four between both games against Stockton this year). Helewka and Balcers assisted each one.

“I feel more confident,” Helewka said. “Playing with Danny O’Regan always helps, he is a great player. [O’Regan and Balcers] are two highly skilled players; they find you in open ice.”

O’Regan referred to his two goals as “beneficiary” plays from Helewka and Balcers (an AHL first-timer).

“[Helewka] is very creative, a creative guy and skilled,” O’Regan said. “I like the way he plays; I played with him a lot last year and I think we go well together.”

The Barracuda got swooped by the Grand Rapids Griffins 7-4 in the home opener, and Stockton had beat them 4-0 prior to tonight’s match. This feat seemingly had Coach Roy Sommer thinking about how the evening would end.

“I knew we had to play better than we did over the weekend,” Sommer said. “We’re still not there yet, we still have a lot to do on our own end; it is not where it should be. Look at the two goals [Stockton] scored, point blankers. I don’t think we gave them two of those all year [last season], so we’ve got to get better on our own end… we’re leaving on a good note.”

The San Jose Barracuda Demolish the Stockton Heat, win 7-1.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Barracuda routed the Stockton Heat Tuesday night at the SAP Center. The Barracuda dominated play all night long and continued their mastery over the Heat. The final score was 7-1.The Barracuda own a 7-0-1-1 record against Stockton and have three more games with them before the end of the season. The Barracuda’s record improves to 24-18-6-3 while Stockton drops to 23-22-1-2.

The San Jose Barracuda played a  strong first period against the Stockton Heat. The Barracuda took a 1-0 lead with less than three minutes played in the first period. Captain Bryan Lerg scored his fourteenth goal of the year. The puck went behind the net, and a Lerg received a great pass from Barclay Goodrow. Lerg was in the slot, and he blasted it by Heat goalie Kevin Poulin for the score. Goodrow and John McCarthy assisted. The Barracuda added a second goal at the 7:03 mark of the first period. The Barracuda was on a power play, and left-winger John McCarthy scored on a rebound. Assists went to Lerg and Joakim Ryan. The Barracuda had two more power plays in the period, but they could not score. They attacked the net, but the Heat goalie kept them off the board. The Barracuda had an 11-5 advantage in the shots on goal department. San Jose in the lead 2-0 after one period.

The Barracuda continued to play well in the second period. They scored two goals in the period to take a 4-0 lead until late in the period when the Heat scored to make it a 4-1 game. The Barracuda’s Jeremy Langlois scored a shorthanded goal with 5:49 played to give the ‘Cuda a 3-0 advantage. Langlois streaked down the right side of the rink then cut in front of Poulin and beat him with a wicked backhanded shot. The assist went to Michael Healy.Nikolai Goldobin made it 4-0 when he scored on a five on three man advantage. Defenseman Karl Stollery made a great pass from behind the net to set up the goal for Goldobin. It was the twelfth tally of the year for the twenty-year-old rookie, who was the first draft choice of the San Jose Sharks. Assists went to Stollery and Lerg. Lerg has a goal and two assists so far. The Heat’s Hunter Shinkaruk scored on a power play with just 3:14 left in the period. It was his first goal of the year as a member of the Heat and his twenty-second of the season.

The Barracuda’s Nikolai Goldobin scored his second goal of the night with 9:05 played in the third period. The Barracuda were on a power play and were forcing play in front of the Heat’s net. Poulin blocked a couple of shots but the rebound found its way to Goldobin’s stick, and he put it in for the score.The Barracuda scored their sixth goal of the night when Michael Haley beat Poulin for the score. Karl Stollery made a great pass to Haley, who was in perfect position in front of the net. The blowout continued when Ryan Carpenter scored the Barracuda’s seventh goal of the game.The goal came with a little over three minutes left to play.

Attendance wasn’t announced but it was a very sparse crowd.