Barracuda vs. Ontario Reign Game 2 Preview
Apr 23, 2016GAME 2:
Tonight the San Jose Barracuda host the Ontario Reign (AHL affiliate of the LA Kings) in Game 2 of the best of 5 Pacific Division Semifinals series. San Jose finished in 4th place in the Pacific Division with a .537 winning percentage and battle the top seeded Reign (.684%). As the top seed, the Ontario Reign elected to have the first two games of the series in San Jose before hosting games 3-5 in Ontario. The Barracuda and the Reign met 12 times in the regular season, including six meetings at SAP Center. San Jose went 3-6-3-0 vs. the Reign this season as the Barracuda were outscored 21-28 by the Reign. The Barracuda went 3-2-1-0 vs. Ontario at SAP Center this season. The Reign lead the series 1-0 after a 2-1 win last night at SAP Center.
In case you missed it…
Jonny Brodzinski capitalized with 4:03 left in regulation to give Ontario a 2-1 win last night and a 1-0 series lead heading into tonight's Game 2 in San Jose... Brodzinski took a pass out of the corner from Brett Sutter and put home the game-winner in the first Calder Cup Playoff contest ever played in California... Kurtis MacDermid scored the Reign's other goal in Game 1, and Peter Budaj -- making his 61st start in 69 Ontario games this season -- made 28 saves to improve to 10-2-0 against the Barracuda this season... For Budaj, it was just the second playoff start of his 14-year pro career (May 9, 2013 with Montreal vs. Ottawa), and his first career postseason win... Nikita Jevpalovs provided San Jose with its only offense, converting off a nifty end-to-end rush to tie the score in the third period... Aaron Dell stopped 35 of 37 shots in the loss, maintaining his .944 save percentage in nine appearances against Ontario this season (16 goals against on 287 shots).
Barracuda Bites…
PLAYOFF GAME SCHEDULE: Ontario leads series 1-0
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Ontario at San Jose, 7:30pm – Ontario won 2-1
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 23 – Ontario at San Jose, 7:30pm
Game 3 – Thu., Apr. 28 – San Jose at Ontario, 7:00pm
*Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 29 – San Jose at Ontario, 7:00pm
*Game 5 – Sun., May 1 – San Jose at Ontario, 3:00pm
*if necessary... All times Pacific
*Recalled… defenseman Matt Tennyson was recalled by the SJ Sharks this morning from his conditioning assignment with the SJ Barracuda. Tennyson fired three shots in the 2-1 loss in Game 1 to the Reign.
*Some history… The AHL affiliates for the SJ Sharks and LA Kings have met twice before in the Calder Cup playoffs in Worcester and Manchester. In 2010, the Manchester Monarchs defeated the Worcester Sharks 4-2 in the Division Final and the Monarchs also defeated the Worcester Sharks in the Division Semifinal 4-2 in 2007.
*Ontario has experience…many of the players for the Ontario Reign won the Calder Cup last season as a member of the Manchester Monarchs. In fact, 15 players on the Ontario Reign roster were part of the 2015 Manchester Monarchs Calder Cup Champion team.
*Playoff debuts….Mirco Mueller, Joakim Ryan, Nikita Jevpalovs, Julius Bergman, and Jon Martin all played their 1st professional playoff games last night for the Barracuda while Jeremy Morin played his first Calder Cup playoff game.
*Champions…*4 National Champions… The Barracuda have three players that won the NCAA Division 1 Championships…. Gus Young was captain with Yale University in 2013….John McCarthy with Boston University in 2009…Bryan Lerg with Michigan State in 2007… *Memorial Cups… Scott Timmins won a pair of Memorial Cups in 2009 and 2010 with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). *Swedish Elite League Championship…. Petter Emanuelsson won back-to-back championships with Skelleftea AIK in the SWEHL in 2013 and 2014.*CHL Championship… Aaron Dell won the Central Hockey League Championship with the Allen Americans in 2013.
Important #’s:
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San Jose
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Ontario
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| Regular season | playoffs | Regular season | playoffs | |
| Goals For | 2.91 – 11th | 1.00 – 12th | 2.82 – 15th | 2.00 – 9th |
| Goals Agst | 2.84 – 12th | 2.00 – 8th | 2.03 – 1st | 1.00 – 3rd |
| Shots For | 29.59 – 20th | 29.00 – 9th | 32.12 – 5th | 37.00 – 1st |
| Shots Agst | 30.51 – 14th | 37.00 – 16th | 25.91 – 2nd | 29.00 – 7th |
| PIMS | 12.53 – 26th | 6.00 – 12th | 15.78 – 9th | 10.00 – 7th |
| Fighting Majors | 36 – 24th | 0 | 55 – 10th | 0 |
Broadcast:
Tonight’s San Jose Barracuda game can be heard live on AM 1220 KDOW, online at www.kdow.biz, and a video stream (for a fee) through AHL Live. Fans can listen inside the SAP Center at 102.1 FM.