sjbarracuda photo: (57) Nick DeSimone rightwinger of the San Jose Barracuda left and (10) Ben Street center of the Grand Rapids Griffiths chase the puck in game three of the AHL Calder Cup Series in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night
By: Eric He
The San Jose Barracuda couldn’t hang on to a third period lead, allowing three unanswered goals to Grand Rapids as the Griffins won 4-2 in Game 3, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals.
Ahead 2-1 heading into the third, the Barracuda were dominated in the third, allowing three goals on 16 shots. On a power play, Matt Lorito tied the game for Grand Rapids, putting home a rebound on a power play. Then, with under five minutes to go, Mitch Callahan untied the game, poking in a loose puck by Barracuda goaltender Troy Grosenick. The Barracuda couldn’t find an equalizer, and Tomas Nosek sealed Grand Rapids’ win with a empty-net goal.
Up until the third, things were going relatively smoothly for the Barracuda. John McCarthy scored a little more than five minutes into the game, stealing the puck in the offensive zone and finishing the goal to put San Jose up 1-0. Nathan Paetsch tied the game at 1-1 with a low shot past Grosenick, but Ryan Carpenter gave San Jose the lead again just a minute later.
The Barracuda were outshot 16-8 in the third and 44-32 in the game. They were also 0-for-2 on the power play.
Trailing 2-1, San Jose must win on Friday in Game 4 at Grand Rapids to avoid falling into a big hole in the series.
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