BARRACUDA BURNED BY SLOW START AGAINST FIREBIRDS
Feb 23, 2025Palm Desert, Ca. – The San Jose Barracuda (26-19-2-3) fell behind by a pair of goals early on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Arena and could not dig their way out, falling 5-3 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds (20-17-1-5).
Just 48 seconds into the first period, the Barracuda would score on their own net after captain Jimmy Schuldt tried to slide the puck back to goaltender Aaron Dell to get a whistle, but it drifted through his five-hole. Jani Nyman (23) was the last player to touch it for Coachella Valley so he was credited with the goal. At 5:41, the Firebirds would jump out to a 2-0 lead as Gustav Olofsson (3) snapped a 23-game goalless drought with a seeing-eye shot from the left point that went through Dell’s five-hole. Down by a pair, the Barracuda managed to kill off a pair of Firebirds power plays before Danil Gushchin (15) ripped a wrister off the post and in at 16:44 to make it 2-1.
In the second, on their third power play, the Firebirds would go back up by two as Jagger Firkus (11) tucked the puck inside the post as he was parked alongside the net on the left wing. Later in the period, Ben Meyers (19) made it 4-1 as he walked around Dell at 15:33. Two minutes later, Andrew Poturalski (21) got a pass from Lucas Carlsson in the low slot and beat Philipp Grubauer under the glove to make it 4-2.
In the third, the Barracuda outshot the Firebirds 15-5, but would not get within a goal until 19:45 when Colin White (8) tipped in a point shot from Luca Cagnoni. Despite an in-tight chance from Ethan Cardwell with 15 seconds left in the game, the Barracuda could not tie it, and Logan Morrison (11) put the game away with an empty-netter at 19:58.
The Barracuda return home on Wednesday to begin a four-game homestand against the Bakersfield Condors. For tickets, go sjbarracuda.com/tickets.