GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT STARS
Mar 31, 2023
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (27-32-1-4) vs. TEXAS STARS (35-18-8-3)
FRI, MAR. 31 | 5:00 P.M. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park | Cedar Park, TX
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Marching Along: The Barracuda close out March on Friday with the first of back-to-back games against the Texas Stars (Dallas Stars) at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Friday kicks off a four-game road trip that will conclude on Wednesday in San Diego against the Gulls. The Barracuda are 1-1 against the Stars this season, picking up a 5-4 overtime win in the last meeting on Mar. 18 at Tech CU Arena. A year ago, the Barracuda went 1-1 in the Lone Star State and are 16-9-1-2 all-time versus Dallas’ top affiliate and 6-5-1-1 on the road. Since the Stars joined the Central Division in 2018-19, the Barracuda are 9-5 against Texas and all-time against Central Division foes, the Cuda boast a record of 35-17-2-2.
Sunday Scaries: After a 5-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors on Saturday, the Barracuda were dealt a 4-1 loss on Sunday against Bako as Thomas Bordeleau notched the first goal of the game at 16:41, but the Barracuda failed to score again. Greg McKegg tied things up at 19:38 of the first and sealed the win with an empty-netter in the third. Dylan Holloway notched the power play game-winner and Justin Bailey made it 4-1 with another empty-net goal at 19:46. Aaron Dell suffered the loss, allowing two goals on 20 shots while Olivier Rodrigue picked up the win by making 19 saves.
Star Studded: In the last meeting against Texas on Mar. 18, Patrick Sieloff was the game’s hero as he scored at 3:18 of overtime, his first goal in over 70 AHL contests. The Barracuda, who twice led by multiple goals including 2-0, got tallies from Brandon Coe, Danil Gushchin, Tristen Robins, and former Star Jacob Peterson, while Texas got genos from Nick Caamano shorthanded, two from Riley Barber, and one from Rhett Gardner. Aaron Dell collected the win, making 29 saves, while Remi Poirier suffered the loss in relief of Dylan Wells, allowing two goals on 18 shots.
Cuda Chronicles: The Barracuda enter Friday seven points behind the Tucson Roadrunners for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, with a game in hand. Tucson won on Wednesday and has now reeled off three victories in a row. SJ has six more road games left on its schedule and eight total. Since Feb. 11 (last 18 games), the Barracuda have scored 64 goals (3.55 per-game). Prior to Feb. 11, SJ had notched 117 goals in its first 47 games (2.48). Despite the recent offensive uptick, the Barracuda rank 28th in the AHL in goals-for (2.83) and 26th in goals-against (3.45).
Star Studded: The Texas Stars enter Friday tied with the Milwaukee Admirals for the top spot in the Central Division at 81 points. Prior to its loss on Sunday against the Chicago Wolves, 3-2, the Stars had won its first three game of its current six-game homestand. Texas is third in the AHL in goal-differential (+49), goals-for (3.64), shots for (32.77), fourth in shots-against (27.98), eighth in goals-against (2.88), and take an average of just 10.91 penalty minutes per-game which is fifth fewest in the league. Veteran forward Riley Barber leads the way, ranking T-third in the league in goals (30), T-eighth in points (61), second in shots (233) and T-second in game-winning goal (8). D-men Alex Petrovic (+36) and Ryan Shea (+34) are 1 and 2 in the AHL in +/-.
Cap is Back: The Sharks reassigned captain Andrew Agozzino to the Barracuda on Thursday after he appeared in four games with the big club, notching a goal and two helpers. The 11th-year pro is first on the Barracuda in goals (24), assists (28), points (52), and T-first in power-play assists (14) and game-winning goals (3). He is one goal shy of matching Barclay Goodrow’s (2016-17) franchise record for goals in a season and five points shy of Danny O’Regan’s (2016-17) single-season points record.