Condors take down Stockton 5-4 in a shootout
Bakersfield increases first-place lead to seven points
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Bakersfield Condors (28-16-4-1, 61pts) found a way to win, knocking off the the Stockton Thunder (23-18-2-6, 55pts) 5-4 in a shootout in front of 6,520 fans at Rabobank Arena on Friday night. D Chris Allen's power play goal with 32.2 seconds left evened the score at four, while G Timo Pielmeier helped the Condors take the extra point with a perfect four-for-four showing in the shootout.
For the second game in a row, F Matt Pope opened the scoring for the
Condors, blasting home his 4th goal (in just his 4th game with the Condors this season) at 5:38. Stockton tied it up just 58 seconds later with a goal by RW J.F. Caudron. Later in the period, C Adam Naglich finished off a 2-on-1 rush with RW Ryan Menei by depositing his 9th of the season into the net for a 2-1 Condors lead.
Just 2:03 into the middle frame, D Sasha Pokulok made it a 3-1 Condors advantage, beating Stockton G Andrew Perugini with his 11th of the season, on the power play. Caudron answered at 6:53 with a power play marker of his own to make it a one-goal game again. Shots were 29-16 in favor of the Condors through 40 minutes of play.
Stockton stormed back in the third to tie it up and eventually take their first lead of the night. A power play goal by RW James Bates at 4:56 tied it up at three. And at 13:35, C Chris D'Alvise put Stockton up for the first time in the game. The Condors pulled their goalie with a minute to play and earned a late power play, setting up a 6-on-4 advantage. Allen found himself with the puck at the right point and fired a low shot that was tipped by a Thunder player past Perugini to tie the game at four.
The Condors out-played the Thunder in overtime, out-shooting them 4-1 and hitting the post as well. A couple of goal line scrambles nearly went in, but the game pushed into a shootout. There, Pielmeier was perfect, stopping D Cody Wild, Bates, C Oren Eizenman and LW Matt Robinson. RW Stephane Goulet and LW Mathieu Aubin scored for Bakersfield, clinching the 5-4 victory.
Click here for the box score.
Notes from the Nest:
G Timo Pielmeier has stopped 17 of 19 shots in the shootout this season and is 4-1 in shootouts... D Filip Bjork made his North American pro debut tonight... D Sasha Pokulok had 1g-1a in his return to the Condors lineup. Pokulok had been in the American Hockey League since Jan. 22 with Springfield... F Matt Pope has recorded seven points (4g-3a) in four games with Bakersfield... Each team went 2-for-4 on the power play... F Andrew Ianiero and RW Ryan Menei led the Condors in shots with five... Three Stars: 1. Sasha Pokulok (BAK); 2. Chris Allen (BAK); 3. Matt Pope (BAK).
ON THE DOCKET:
The Condors host the Stockton Thunder again on Saturday, with the Condors' first-ever Toilet Plunger Giveaway, presented by 106.1 KRAB, Radio and Cal Water. The first 2,000 households will receive a Condorstown toilet plunger, featuring a sticker of the Stockton Thunder on the bottom of the plunger.
All games, home and away, can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1230 AM or online at www.bakersfieldcondors.com and www.espnbakersfield.com. Live video streaming is also available through B2 Networks at www.B2now.com. Saturday's game will also be televised live on Bright House Networks Ch. 21.
GET TICKETS:
Individual game tickets are on sale and may be purchased through the Rabobank Arena Box Office, which is regularly open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday with extended hours on game days. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 1-800-745-3000, online at www.bakersfieldcondors.com, or at any Ticketmaster location. Season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available at the Condors office located at 1001 Truxtun Avenue or by calling 324-PUCK (7825).
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