Barracuda capture Roadrunners and overthrow them with a 5-2 win

Photo: sanjosebarracuda.com

By Alexandra Evans

One win over the Tucson Roadrunners this week was clearly not enough for the San Jose Barracuda as they chased them down Wile E. Coyote style, earning a 5-2 victory at the Tuscon Convention Center.

San Jose put up two goals in the first period less than one minute apart. Julius Bergman sniped the first one on the power play at 12:45, and John McCarthy, who assisted Bergman’s goal, collected Paul Martin’s rebound off of Tucson goalie Hunter Miska and shot the puck, backhanded, past him. The Cuda ended the first period with a 2-0 lead; each team had eight shots on goal.

The scoring action translated into the second period as Brandon Mashinter received a pass from Jacob Middleton, putting the puck in the net just before the four minute mark. Emerson Clark notched his first goal with the Cuda at the five minute mark when he circled around Miska and located the low slot. Down 4-0, the Roadrunners tried to retaliate later in the period as Michael Bunting got a helper from Mario Kempe and sniped the puck past Cuda goalie Parker Gahagen at 9:10. Three minutes later, Trevor cheek scored one unassisted (and shorthanded) on a breakaway. The Cuda’s lead was cut in half, 4-2, at the end of the second.

Gahagen, who earned his first professional win tonight in the desert, and San Jose’s defense did not allow any additional goals in the third period. Brandon Bollig earned the team a 5-2 victory with an empty netter two minutes before the match ended.

The Cuda, now 11-10, return to action at home this weekend for a double header against the Bakersfield Condors: Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:15 p.m.

Barracuda suffer 3-2 overtime loss, lose out on MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

Bakersfield — The San Jose Barracuda concluded the regular season on a negative note with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Bakersfield Condors at Rabobank Arena on Saturday night.

Both teams skated to a scoreless tie after 20 minutes. Shots were 9-3 in favor of the Barracuda.

The Barracuda took a 1-0 lead 1:42 into the second period. Buddy Robinson finished a tic-tac-toe play from Danny O’Regan and Julius Bergman. Robinson scored his 17th goal of the season and tied the entire Condors team with three shots on goal apiece during the first 24 minutes of the game.

The Condors tied the game 1-1 at 12:33 when Josh Currie dangled on Tim Heed and forced it past Troy Grosenick for the short-handed goal and 20th of the season.

The Barracuda outshot the Condors 23-7 and the score was tied 1-1 after 40 minutes.

Currie scored his second goal of the game and 21st of the season to put the Condors ahead 2-1 at 18:40 of the third period.

The Barracuda tied the game 2-2 just 23 seconds later. Nick DeSimone scored his first AHL goal and point. DeSimone collected a pass from Noah Rod and managed to beat Grosenick.

Neither team was able to get ahead and both teams were tied 2-2 after 60 minutes. The Barracuda outshot the Condors 37-14.

Currie completed his hat trick with the game-winning goal, his 22nd of the season, at 1:25 of the overtime period. The Condors beat the Barracuda 3-2 in overtime. Nick Ellis finished with 35 saves for Bakersfield.

The Barracuda (43-16-4-5) dropped a 3-2 decision to the Condors (33-29-5-1). Grosenick made 12 saves in a losing effort for San Jose. They were just one point shy of winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy. The Wikes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (50-20-3-2) won the award.

Notes
After being named to the first AHL All-Star Team last week, Grosenick collected some more hardware on Monday, earning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for the 2016-17 season.

The AHL announced Wednesday that Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer was voted the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach for 2016-17.

The AHL announced Thursday that O’Regan has been named the winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding rookie for 2016-17.

Heed wasn’t selected to the AHL All-Star Game in Lehigh Valley in late January, but was voted to the second AHL All-Star Team last week.

Up Next
The Barracuda will host the Stockton Heat in Game 1 in their first-round series of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The action starts next Friday in SAP Center at 7:00 p.m. PST on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Barracuda drop 4-3 overtime decision to Roadrunners in final regular season home game

Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

San Jose — The San Jose Barracuda lost to the Tuscon Roadrunners 4-3 in overtime at SAP Center on Thursday night.

The Barracuda and Roadrunners competed against each other for the final time in the 2016-17 AHL regular season. The Barracuda players sported their alternate orange jerseys in the final regular season home game. The game included fan pack giveaways, season ticket holder tribute videos and a huge “thank you” to the fans who have supported the Barracuda throughout the season.

The Roadrunners took a 1-0 lead at 11:08 of the first period. Tyler Gaudet picked up a pass from Conor Garland and put it into the net, beating Troy Grosenick for his fifth goal of the season.

Jeremy Morin was called for cross-checking at 10:24. John McCarthy then tipped in a Joakim Ryan shot to notch his 19th goal of the season, a power-play goal, tying the game 1-1 just 20 seconds later.

Both teams skated to a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes. The Barracuda outshot the Roadrunners 12-5.

The Barracuda went ahead 2-1 just 4:30 into the second period. Buddy Robinson fired a bullet type shot past Adin Hill’s left ear for his 16th goal of the season.

The Barracuda outshot the Roadrunners 20-10 and brought a 2-1 lead to the locker room after 40 minutes.

Things started to get chippy with 9:34 left in the third period. Julius Bergman and Joe Whitney dropped the gloves for an action-packed fight.

The Barracuda made it a 3-1 game with 6:37 left in the period. Dan Kelly tried to take shots at Eric Selleck and Jarred Tinordi. After reviewing the play, the officials told Selleck to sit in the box. Danny O’Regan scored his 23rd goal of the season on the power play.

The Roadrunners pulled within one as Morin scored his 14th goal of the season against his former team. Jamie McBain followed with a game-tying goal, his eighth of the season, with 40 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Things got even more heated in the extra period. Chris Mueller wristed a shot into the net, but Grosenick collided in the crease and the puck seemed to have crossed the goal line. Despite the alleged violation, the officials ruled it as a good goal. Mueller’s game-winner, his 19th of the season, lifted the Roadrunners (28-31-8-0) to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Barracuda (43-16-3-5). Hill finished with 24 saves for Tuscon.

Grosenick made 21 saves in a losing effort for San Jose.

“We live and learn,” Grosenick said. “So I did and we’ll move on and I’m not too worried about it.”

“We got to learn how to close these games,” McCarthy said. “It’s disappointing.”

“Yeah,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said when asked about the “weird” ending. “Not the one we wanted, that’s for sure…The whole thing was about details and we forgot about them…We got caught deep on the tying goal and had a turnover on the second goal…We were going pretty good, but you lose a game, and you learn a lesson, hopefully.”

In preparation for the playoffs, Sommer shared a couple of thoughts on the Barracuda.

Sommer said: “We’re a skating team so we can’t get mixed up in there. They’ve got seven or eight guys and we got a couple of them…The other night, we outshot them 52-25 or something so I think once the playoffs come around, we’ll be better.”

Notes 
Sommer was voted the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach for the 2016-17 season.

Sommer thanked the media members after they congratulated him on winning the award.

Grosenick was voted the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for 2016-17.

Barracuda forward Danny O’Regan was voted the winner of the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award as an outstanding rookie for 2016-17.

“It was definitely a great honor to win the award,” O’Regan said. “I think it was a really cool award…It’s a good test to me and my team and what we did this year as a team.”

Despite receiving the award, O’Regan told the media that he’s not sure if he’ll have a better chance in getting called up by the Sharks again and staying with the team.

“It’s always tough getting in the zone with that team,” O’Regan said when asked about the Barracuda’s power play. “We just need to work hard to get some pucks back in the other unit.”

Up Next
The Barracuda conclude the regular season against the Bakersfield Condors (32-28-5-1) at Rabobank Arena on Saturday night. The action starts at 6:00 p.m. PST on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

San Jose Barracuda Sunday post game wrap: Cuda wrap up conference title in overtime 2-1 over Stockton

sjbarracuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda celebrate on their bench as they defeat the Stockton Heat 2-1 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda clinched the Western Conference, wrapping up their 12-game season series against the Stockton Heat with a 2-1 overtime victory at SAP Center Sunday.

After a quick stop in Stockton Saturday night, the Barracuda returned to San Jose to open a three-game homestand, starting with the Heat.

Following a brief fight, Zack Stortini received a slashing penalty while Jamie Devane sat in the box for cross-checking.

“It’s two teams that compete hard against each other,” Stortini commented. “We’re both playing for something and we’re very competitive so those kinds of games are very fun to play in.”

Andrew Mangiapane was called for high-sticking with 9:22 left in the period. The Barracuda got into another fight with the rival Heat. This time, it was over a questionable call made by the officials. Julius Bergman’s shot bounced off the end boards and Ryan Carpenter tried to slam the puck into the net, but the call stood. No goal for San Jose.

The Barracuda opened the scoring with just 51.5 seconds left on the clock. Garnet Hathaway went to the box for holding the stick. Tim Heed sent a pass to Danny O’Regan, who blasted it into the net, beating David Rittich for a power-play goal — his 22nd of the season.

The Barracuda led the Heat 1-0 after 20 minutes. Shots were 20-7 in favor of San Jose.

Things remained chippy in the second period as Mirco Mueller dropped the gloves with Ryan Lomberg for a fight at 13:08. As a result, both players served two-minute minors for roughing.

The Barracuda held a 1-0 lead over the Heat after 40 minutes. San Jose outshot Stockton 36-14.

The action ensued in the third period. Buddy Robinson dropped the gloves with Austin Carroll for an intense fight just 2:03 into the period. Consequently, both players served 10-minute misconducts and two-minute roughing minors.

Jacob Middleton was called for tripping at 14:07. Mike Angelidis then finished a tic-tac-toe play from Mangiapane and Mark Jankowski for a power-play goal — his seventh goal of the season — tying the game 1-1 at 13:39.

The game headed into overtime after the Barracuda and Heat remained in a 1-1 deadlock after 60 minutes. Troy Grosenick made a notable save, stopping the puck with his glove to prevent a potential game-tying goal from a Heat forward.

Barclay Goodrow scored the game-winning goal — his 25th of the season — to lift the Barracuda to a 2-1 win at 2:48 of the overtime period.

The Barracuda (43-15-2-5) edged the Heat (33-25-5-2) in a 2-1 overtime victory. Grosenick finished with 20 saves for San Jose.

“I was a little bit bored there,” Grosenick said when asked about how he shot the puck back and forth with Rittich. “So I wanted to play pass with somebody and I passed it to him. Then he took a shot on that and I wasn’t happy with that.”

Rittich made 47 saves in a losing effort for Stockton.

When asked about the melee between both teams, Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer didn’t have much to say.

“I don’t know man,” Sommer responded. “It was kind of just a heat of the moment thing…I don’t remember what he said. It was just one of those things and it’s kind of a team thing. They get under your skin and into your mind and shame on me, I guess.”

Notes Sommer received a misconduct — his second of the season — after attempting to discuss a call with the Heat bench. He now has 20 penalty minutes, zero goals and zero assists.

O’Regan was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team Wednesday.

Grosenick and Heed were selected to the AHL First and Second All-Star Team Thursday.

Up Next The Barracuda continue their homestand Tuesday when they host the Tuscon Roadrunners (26-31-8-0) at 7:00 p.m. PST on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW