BARRACUDA HOLD OFF STARS, WIN 3-1

Dec 22, 2017

SAN JOSE, CA - The San Jose Barracuda (13-11-0-3) defeated the Texas Stars (17-11-1-1) 3-1 on Friday in front of 4,138 fans at SAP Center on Teddy Bear Toss Night.

The Barracuda gave their faithful exactly what they were hoping for with an opening period goal from the captain John McCarthy (5) at the 9:12 mark, sparking the cascade of Teddy Bears down to the ice, and giving the team a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

After a scoreless 6:50 to start the second period, San Jose would add to their lead when Brandon Bollig (6) picked the pocket of Dillon Heatherington in front of the Texas goal and swiped the unassisted shot past the Stars’ netminder to bring the score to 2-0. Despite failing to register a shot on goal until past the midway point off the period, the Stars would shorten the gap with 2:05 left in the frame when Brian Flynn (8) pushed a shot under the right pad of San Jose netminder Antoine Bibeau, coming off an impressive assist from teammate Curtis McKenzie.

Both defenses held strong in the third period with help from their respective netminders, and both teams remained scoreless in the frame up until the final minute of play. San Jose’s Brandon Mashinter (5) put the nail in the coffin with an empty net goal at the 19:06 mark to seal the 3-1 victory for the Barracuda.

San Jose’s Antoine Bibeau (8-6-0) earned the win by making 29 saves on 30 shots, while the Stars’ Landon Bow (11-6-1) took the loss, making 26 saves on 28 shots.

BOX SCORE

The Barracuda return to action with a home match-up against the Stockton Heat on Thursday, Dec. 28, at 1:15 p.m. following a six-day break from play. Tickets start at just $10 and are available for purchase at SJBarracuda.com/tickets.

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