GAME PREVIEW: Condors v San Antonio

TONIGHT
The Bakersfield Condors host the San Antonio Rampage for the second and final time this season. Bakersfield won the only meeting of the season between the two teams, 7-2, on Nov. 2, 2016. The Condors are 2-4-1 all-time against the Rampage, but are 2-1-1 at home against them. The season series concludes with a pair of games on the penultimate weekend of the regular season in San Antonio.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
On a rainy night in front of the largest crowd in the team’s history, the Bakersfield Condors defeated the Ontario Reign, 3-2, in overtime outdoors at Memorial Stadium. Trailing 2-0 after forty minutes, D Mark Fayne and C Josh Currie each scored in the third to force the extra session. In the opening minute of overtime, D Griffin Reinhart scored his first goal of the season to give the Condors the win in front of 12,330.

LW Gabriel Bourque and C Rocco Grimaldi each scored, but the San Antonio Rampage fell, 3-2, in San Diego on Saturday night. G Jeremy Smith took the loss, stopping 29 of 32 shots.

PULJUJARVI TO MAKE AHL DEBUT
2016 fourth overall pick, RW Jesse Puljujarvi, is expected to make his American Hockey League debut tonight following his assignment by the Edmonton Oilers. In 28 games with Edmonton, the Swedish-born, Finnish reprsentative had eight points (1g-7a). He was named the Most Valuable Player at last year’s World Junior Championships as he led the tournament in scoring for Finland in capturing the Gold Medal.

CONDORS NOTES
Saturday night was the first game in which the Condors won when not scoring first… The Condors are 10-6-1 on home ice… RW Taylor Beck had an assist in his return to the lineup on Saturday and has points in three straight with the Condors… D Mark Fayne has three points in three games with Bakersfield (1g-2a)… Saturday’s overtime win for Bakersfield was their third of the season.

RAMPAGE NOTES
LW AJ Greer is fifth in the AHL rookie scoring race with 26 points (11g-15a) in 32 games… G Spencer Martin is fourth among goaltenders in minutes played with over 1,368 and is second in wins with 15… San Antonio is tied for the fewest overtime games played with four. They are 1-2 in overtime, and 1-0 in shootouts… The Rampage have surrendered seven shorthanded goals, second most in the AHL.

TRANSACTIONS
1/9 – LW Joey Benik assigned to Norfolk (ECHL)
1/9 – RW Jaedeon Descheneau recalled from Norfolk (ECHL)
1/9 – RW Jesse Puljujarvi assigned to Bakersfield (AHL)
1/9 – RW Anton Slepyshev recalled by Edmonton (NHL)
1/6 – D Jordan Oesterle assigned to Bakersfield (AHL)