SPECIAL TEAMS POWER BARRACUDA PAST FIREBIRDS
Dec 18, 2024Palm Desert, CA – Former Firebird Andrew Poturalski finished with three points and the San Jose Barracuda (15-7-0-2) cashed in on the power play three times in a 5-2 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds (14-8-1-3) at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday night. With the win, the Barracuda are now 5-0 versus the Firebirds.
Just 34 seconds into the first period, Logan Morrison (4) gave Coachella Valley a 1-0 lead as he snapped a shot past Georgi Romanov on the glove side. It would take the Barracuda until the nine-minute mark to record their first shot, but at 10:43 on their second shot of the game, while on the power play, Poturalski (10) sniped in the tying goal from below the left dot.
In the second, the Barracuda would take their first lead when Poturalski found Lucas Carlsson (3) drifting down from the point and the blueliner ripped in his third goal in his last four games to make it 2-1 at 3:09. Then, back on the power play, the Barracuda would take a 3-1 lead as Collin Graf fed Danil Gushchin (6) who one-timed a shot past Ales Stezka on the short-side at 8:55. The Firebirds would get a power play-goal back and make it 3-2 at 14:51 when John Hayden (6) steered in a rebound from just outside of the crease.
In the third, up 3-2, Georgi Romanov would preserve his team’s lead by making a shorthanded breakaway save on Hayden at 10:26. Two minutes later, Graf (6) would extend his Barracuda’s lead as he tipped in a Luca Cagnoni point shot on the man advantage. With six seconds left Ethan Cardwell (3) made it 5-2 with an empty-netter.
The Barracuda wrap up their five-game road trip in Bakersfield on Friday (7 p.m.) before returning to Tech CU Arena on Saturday (6 p.m.) to face the Condors once again. For tickets and more info, go to sjbarracuda.com/tickets.