BARRACUDA SHOCK CONDORS WITH SHOOTOUT WIN
Dec 29, 2023
Bakersfield, CA – The San Jose Barracuda (10-13-4-0) erased a two-goal deficit in the third period on Friday night at the Mechanics Bank Arena, then fell behind again, before tying the score with an extra attacker and winning it, 5-4, in a shootout against Bakersfield Condors (11-10-1-2). The victory was the Barracuda’s first this year when going beyond 60 minutes (1-4).
Leon Gawanke finished the game with a pair of points (1+1=2) and a team-high five shots and is now fourth in the AHL in blueline scoring (6+16=22). Danil Gushchin also scored and is now tied for the team-lead with nine goals and leads the club with 25 points (9+16=25).
In the first, with three seconds left on its power play, the Condors opened the scoring as Alex Peters (2) banked a shot off of Eetu Makiniemi’s stick, off the post, and in. The Barracuda were being outshot 7-0 before Gawanke (6) blasted a one-timer into the upper right corner of the net at 6:50 to tie the score.
In the second, Ty Tullio (2) recaptured the Condors’ lead at 8:33 on a fortuitous bounce, and then Lane Pederson (6), the former Sharks and Cuda forward, tucked in a loose puck at 9:19 while on the PP.
In the third, down 3-1, Gushchin (9) roofed in a shot at 2:28 that was initially ruled no goal but was later reversed once play was stopped. At 5:03, Scott Sabourin (6) forced a Condors’ turnover and notched his fourth goal in his last five games to level the score. Later in the frame, the Barracuda were called for separate tripping penalties just a minute apart, and on the five-on-three advantage, Rafael Lavoie (10) snapped in his team-leading 10th of the year to make it 4-3 Condors. At 18:36, with its net empty, the Cuda found a way to even the score again as Cole Cassels (3) ripped in a Kyle Rau feed.
In overtime, the Barracuda went on the power play 2:28 in, but failed to record a shot and the game would go to a shootout. In the shootout, Gushchin and Tristen Robins would score in the first two rounds and Makiniemi would turn aside two of three shots he faced to earn the win.
BOX SCORE
The Barracuda return to Tech CU Arena on Sat., Dec. 30 (6 p.m.) and close out 2023 with the second game of back-to-back against the Condors. For tickets and more info about upcoming promotions, go to sjbarracuda.com.