BARRACUDA JUMP OUT TO EARLY LEAD, DOWN GULLS 4-1
Jan 21, 2021Irvine, Calif. – The San Jose Barracuda (0-1-0-0) returned to action on Thursday, taking on the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) (1-0-0-0) at FivePoint Arena in Irvine for the second time over the last three nights. After dropping their exhibition opener on Tuesday, the Barracuda answered back on Thursday, picking up a 4-1 win.
Newcomer Kurtis Gabriel (1) waited just 32 seconds into his Barracuda debut to find the back of the net as Lean Bergmann assisted on the early strike. At 4:50, Jayden Halbgewachs (1) extended San Jose’s lead to 2-0 as he beast Anthony Stolarz through the five-hole on the Barracuda’s first man-advantage. 10 seconds after Halbgewach’s tally, Gabriel would make his presence felt again, this time dropping the mitts with San Diego’s Keegan Kanzig. Antti Suomela (1) who assisted on Halbgewach’s goal, would pick up his second point of the first, as he buried his first of the preseason at 15:18 on the power-play to make it 3-0 Barracuda.
In the second, at 11:18, rookie Kyle Topping (1) would beat Stolarz on a partial-break as the Barracuda took a commanding 4-0 lead. Like the first, the Gulls would put 12 shots on net, but rookie Samuel Harvey stood tall, preserving the blank sheet through 40 minutes.
In the third, Sam Carrick (3) would finally beat Harvey with 2:22 remaining, but it wasn’t enough as the Barracuda would hold on for the 4-1 win.
In total, the San Jose would put 43 shots on Stolarz including 19 in the opening 20 minutes. While San Diego had its moments of heavy pressure at both the end of the second and third, the Gulls would beat Harvey just once on 34 shots.
Harvey (1-0) earned his first pro win in his pro debut, playing perfect hockey through the first 57 minutes and 38 seconds. Anthony Stolarz who celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday, took the loss in his season debut, allowing four goals in total.
The Barracuda are back in preseason action on Friday at 3 p.m. as they take on the Ontario Reign at the Toyota Performance Center in El Segundo, Ca.