GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT REIGN

Nov 23, 2017

LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES

Tonight’s Matchup: On Friday, the Barracuda return to the site of their last road game as they take on the Ontario Reign at Citizens Business Bank Arena for the second time this season. San Jose is 1-2 against Ontario this year after a weekend split with the Reign at SAP Center last Saturday and Sunday.

Awesome Antoine: Barracuda netminder Antoine Bibeau collected his third straight victory on Wednesday after making 27 saves on 30 shots in San Jose’s 5-3 over San Antonio. Bibeau ranks third in the AHL in goals-against average (1.82) and is T-fourth  in save percentage (.933) and is T-first in shutouts (2). A season ago, Bibeau appeared in two games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, going 1-1 with a .927 goals-against average and a 1.99 save percentage.

Cuda Call Up: With Danny O’Regan’s recall last Saturday, the Sharks now possess seven players from the Barracuda’s Calder Cup playoff roster from a year ago (Danny O’Regan, Joakim Ryan, Tim Heed, Barclay Goodrow, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc and Ryan Carpenter).

Roy Rolling: Rookie defender Jeremy Roy collected a career-high three points (one goal, two assists) in San Jose’s 5-3 win over San Antonio on Saturday, and now ranks T-fifth among first-year AHL defensemen in goals (2). Roy was originally selected by the San Jose Sharks in the second round (#31 overall) of the 2015 NHL draft.

Rookie Arrival: Among AHL rookies, Barracuda forward Rudolfs Balcers ranks fifth (10) in the league in assists and 10th in points (11). Balcers set a personal-high and Barracuda season best with three assists in San Jose’s 4-1 win over Manitoba on November 12. A year ago, Balcers led all WHL rookies in goals scored (40) as a member of the Kamloops Blazers. The San Jose Sharks drafted the 20-year-old in the fifth round (#142 overall) of the 2015 NHL draft.

Closing in on 700: Returning for an AHL-record 20th season behind the bench for the San Jose Sharks top affiliate, Roy Sommer continues his historic career. In 2015-16, Sommer surpassed Fred ‘Bun’ Cook as the AHL’s all-time leader in wins and collected his first A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL Coach of the Year in 2016-17. Sommer is 698-612-48-72-66 (W-L-T-OTL-SOL) in his career and is just four games shy of 1,500 coached in the AHL.