Specialty Teams Drives San Jose to 10-5 Win over Colorado
Dec 15, 2021
SAN JOSE, CA. – The San Jose Barracuda netted two power-play goals and added a pair of shorthanded tallies to defeat the Colorado Eagles, 10-5 on Wednesday. San Jose forward Evander Kane notched a goal and three assists in the victory, while fellow forward Nick Merkley posted two goals. Kiefer Sherwood and Rob Hamilton each generated three points in the loss. The 10 goals-allowed in the game and five goals given up in the second period were both team-highs for the Eagles since joining the AHL.
Colorado would get off to a quick start in the game, as forward Jayson Megna tucked home a rebound on top of the crease to give the Eagles a 1-0 edge just 1:49 into the contest. Some solid pushback by San Jose would allow the Barracuda to strike back, as a shot from the top of the right-wing circle deflected over the back of Eagles goalie Justus Annunen and would be tapped home by forward Joachim Blichfeld. The goal was Blichfeld’s eighth of the season and tied the game at 1-1 at the 13:24 mark of the first period.
A power play late in the opening frame would set up forward Shane Bowers to snap a wrister from the left-wing circle that would light the lamp and give Colorado a 2-1 advantage with just 48 seconds remaining in the period.
Still on top, 2-1 to start the middle frame, the Eagles would watch San Jose turn the tables in a major way, outscoring Colorado 5-1 in the second period. The onslaught would start when Barracuda forward Adam Raska capped off a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with a shot from the left-wing circle to tie the game at 2-2 at the 1:58 mark of the period.
A power play midway through the second stanza would see San Jose claim its first lead of the night when forward Jeffery Viel finished off a one-timer to put the Barracuda on top, 3-2 with 9:23 left to play in the period.
The hole would get deeper for the Eagles only 55 seconds later when San Jose defenseman Jaycob Megna launched a shot from the blue line that would take a pair of deflections and wind up in the back of the net to make it 4-2.
Still not finished, San Jose would again flip the script on a Colorado power play, as defenseman Cole Moberg buried a shorthanded goal from the high slot to expand the lead to 5-2 with 7:04 still to play in the second period.
The Eagles would still find a way to take advantage of their power play after surrendering the shorty, as forward Dylan Sikura grabbed his own rebound in the slot and flushed it past Barracuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk to trim the deficit to 5-3 at the 13:51 mark.
The momentum would quickly swing back when forward Kristof Hrabik beat Annunen on the power play for his first AHL goal, stretching San Jose’s advantage to 6-3 with 3:25 remaining in the frame.
Still trailing, 6-3 to start the third period, Colorado would inch closer when forward Martin Kaut jammed away at a loose puck on top of the crease and stuffed it past Melnichuk to cut the Barracuda lead to 6-4 at the 3:56 mark of the final frame.
San Jose forward Nick Merkley would push back when he netted a pair of goals less than three minutes apart to extend the Barracuda advantage to 8-4 with 10:55 left in the game. The goal would also signal the end of the night for Annunen, who would give way to Hunter Miska in net for the duration.
A power play would allow the Eagles to add another tally when defenseman Rob Hamilton connected on a wrist shot from the blue line to slice the San Jose lead to 8-5 at the 10:23 mark of the period.
The momentum would be short-lived, as forward Evander Kane would tap home a backdoor pass at the side of the net to make it 9-5 with 5:21 remaining in the contest. The Barracuda would add one more when Viel stuffed one home from the low slot to cap off the score at 10-5 at the 19:39 mark.
Colorado was outshot in the game 34-39, as the Eagles finished the night going 3-for-7 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill. Annunen suffered the loss in net, allowing eight goals on 32 shots.
The Eagles will return to action when they travel to take on the Stockton Heat on Friday, December 17th at 8:00 pm MT at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. Tickets for all regular-season games are on sale now and start at just $19. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme tickets, and promotional nights, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
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