GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS EAGLES
Dec 15, 2021SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (7-11-1-0) vs COLORADO EAGLES (10-8-1-2)
WED, DEC. 15 | 7:00 P.M. | SAP Center at San Jose | San Jose, CA
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Home for the Holidays: After a 5-2 win over the Abbotsford Canucks on Sunday, the Barracuda wrap up their three-game homestand on Wednesday with a matchup against the Colorado Eagles. Wednesday’s game marks the fourth on the eight-game season series and the second at the SAP Center. The Barracuda are 2-0-0-1 against the Avs affiliate this year, with the only blemish coming on Oct. 29, a 5-4 OTL, in which Kiefer Sherwood scored the game-winning goal. The Eagles and Barracuda will play each other twice next week at the Budweiser Events Center.
Colorado Check-In: The Eagles are 6-2-1-1 over their last ten games, winners of three-straight, and have earned points in six of their last seven games (5-1-1-0). Colorado is coming off an eight-game homestand that spanned from Nov. 19 to Dec. 11 and now embark on a three-game roadie that will finish up in Stockton on Friday and Saturday. Former Tucson Roadrunner Jordan Gross leads all Eagles skaters with 18 points (6+12=18). Among league defensemen, Gross is T-first in goals, T-fourth in assists, and T-third in points. Of the Eagles' 21 games played this season, 13 have been decided by a single goal.
Reedy Rolling: Scott Reedy netted his league-leading sixth power-play goal on Sunday as well as an assist. The Prior Lake, Minn. native is T-first among all AHL skaters in power-play goals (6), second in shooting percentage (10/27=37.5%), and tied for third in goals (10). Prior to turning pro, Reedy led the Minnesota Golden Gophers in goals the last two seasons. Reedy has four points (2+2=4) in three games played this season against the Eagles.
Halbgewachs Heat Check: Jayden Halbgewachs has been one of the Barracuda’s top scorers with 16 points (7+9=16) in 18 games played this season. The fourth-year pro is tied for second on the Barracuda in goals, second in assists, second in points, and first in power-play assists (7). Before turning pro, Halbgewachs played five years in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, pacing the league in points (129) and goals (70) in 2017-18, his final of junior hockey. He is three points away from 100 in his AHL career. After a two-point performance (1+1=2) in Sunday’s win over the Canucks, Halbgewachs was recalled to the Sharks for the first time this season.
Sommer Time: Head Coach Roy Sommer returns for his AHL-best 24th season in 2021-22 and his 26th within the Sharks organization. The Oakland, Calif. native has been behind the bench for 1,692 games, going 795-690-48-160 (W-L-T-OTL/SOL) over that span. During the 2015-16 season, the Barracuda’s first in San Jose, Sommer surpassed Fred “Bun” Cook (636 wins) for the most wins in AHL history in a 4-2 win over the Ontario Reign on Feb. 10, 2016.
Blichfeld Boiling: Joachim Blichfeld had two assists against the Canucks on Sunday, marking his fifth multi-point game this season. Blichfeld ranks second on the team in power-play goals (4) and T-third-overall in the league in that department. So far in nine games played at the SAP Center this season, the third-year pro has 10 points (3+7=10).
Shifty Sherwood: Former San Diego Gull Kiefer Sherwood has scored 15 points (9+6=15) in 13 games this season. His nine goals are first on the team and T-fourth in the AHL. Sherwood has four points (3+1=4) in three games played against San Jose this year, including a two-goal performance on Oct. 29 in a 5-4 OTW, finishing that game with a team-high 12 shots on net, while notching the game-winning goal in the extra session. In his career, Sherwood has faced the Barracuda 14 times, collecting 11 points (7+4=11).
Spontaneous Special Teams: The Barracuda exploded with three power-play goals on Sunday against the Abbotsford Canucks, the second time in which they’ve scored three times this year on the man-advantage, and are now ranked eighth in the league in that department (21.4%). Prior to Sunday, the Barracuda had gone 0-11 on the power-play over its three prior games. The Barracuda possess the AHL’s top home-PP, going 13/39 (33.3%) in nine games played.