NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG #24
Nov 2, 2022
Hello, Cuda Country! Hope you had a safe and Happy Halloween. The Barracuda wrapped up its five-game homestand on Saturday, going 0-2-1 over its final three games, including a pair of losses to the Tucson Roadrunners. Sometimes, you learn more from defeats than victories and I think Saturday was a perfect example of that.
Even though we’re only a month through the season, Saturday proved a couple of different things to me. One, this team is going to play for one another. And two, despite winning its first four games, the group hasn’t even scratched the surface of what it can be. I think there’s a lot more there, which is very encouraging.
The Barracuda lost 2-1 on Wednesday against the Ontario Reign, the first loss of the year, and then were badly outplayed on Friday against Tucson which resulted in a 5-1 defeat. It was their bounce back on Saturday that had you feeling better about the weekend and the way the homestand finished up. Despite a 4-3 loss in a shootout on Saturday, there were times, mostly in the second period, where the team just took over the game. That domination resulted in three goals in the middle frame. Had it not been for a defensive lapse, moments after William Eklund’s go-ahead goal, the Barracuda might have salvaged the weekend with a split.
Both Ontario and Tucson play a varying style. The Reign are run-and-gun and generate most of their offense off the rush. Tucson is going to be heavy and blue collar in their approach. If the first month is any indication, both teams will be near the top of the Pacific Division all year long. As they say, styles make the fights but in talking to head coach John McCarthy before Saturday’s game, he’s much more concerned about his team and what they’re doing, than what the opponent is trying to accomplish. That’s a hard thing to do if you don’t have the team to do it. It’s another when you have the type of depth and skill the Barracuda have. I do think they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league, and that starts with them playing their game. Skilled, relentless and in waves. That was far from the case a year ago. No fault of the group last season but there just wasn’t enough depth.
It’s been pretty evident through a month that this group is close. Despite the variations of age and experience, everyone enjoys being around each other, and that makes going to work every day a lot more fun. Winning, obviously helps team camaraderie, too. I don’t think McCarthy, or his club, expected to have a line brawl on Saturday before the game even started, but it proved the group will battle for one another. The performance on Friday was not up to the standard. McCarthy came out and said his team got outworked in every area of the game and that was the most disappointing part, especially because they had a good week of practice.
I personally didn’t love the first period on Saturday either, but an entirely different group came out of the locker room in the second. A more inspired and determined team that dictated everything on the ice. Unfortunately, just a single point was gained on Saturday but there were a lot of positives to take away from the loss.
So, after a 4-2-0-1 month of October, things ratchet up in November as the Barracuda is set to play 13 games in the month including five games in seven days starting on Sunday in Calgary. We’ll get a great understanding of just how good the team is after this month.
The Wranglers, San Jose’s next opponent, are off to a slow start at 2-4, but will present a tough challenge on the road on Sunday and Tuesday. We’ll most likely see Gilroy native Dustin Wolf for at least one of the games. The AHL’s Top Goaltender a year ago, is 8-0 against the Barracuda in his career.
Despite the three consecutive losses, the rookies keep producing for the Barracuda as both William Eklund and Danil Gushchin each scored on Saturday. The combo of Thomas Bordeleau (4), Tristen Robins (3), Brandon Coe (2), Eklund (2), and Gushchin (1) have accounted for 12 of the Barracuda’s 18 goals scored this year (.67%). The most among any team’s rookie class this season.
I’m looking forward to our only visit to Calgary. It’s been over 15 years since I was in Calgary as kid, playing for the Jr. Sharks. The Barracuda have a lifetime record north of the border of 5-3 after going 2-2 in Abbotsford last season. Much like the SAP Center was for seven years while the Barracuda called it home, the Scotiabank Saddledome, which is the home of the Flames, Wranglers, and WHL’s Calgary Hitmen has a loaded schedule this season and in particular this upcoming week. The Flames played Tuesday against Seattle at home and are back in action on Thursday (Nashville), Saturday (New Jersey), and Monday (Islanders), while the Wranglers host Tucson on Wednesday and Friday and then the Barracuda on Sunday and Tuesday.
The Hitmen, who also play games at the Tsuut’ina Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in Calgary, will be on the road for the week. That helps building ops at least while we're there.
That’ll do it for this week’s edition of Nolly’s Notes. Thank you for reading and so long until next time.