Huge crowd of 8,776 sees Condors rally fall short
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A season-high 8,776 fans launched their teddy bears, but watched the Bakersfield Condors (5-12-2-0, 12pts) fall 4-2 to the Ontario Reign (8-6-1-0, 17pts) at Rabobank Arena Saturday night.
Despite two first period power plays, Bakersfield could not find the scoreboard. Instead, Ontario tallied the opening goal of the contest with a backhanded shot from F Bill Bagron beating G Bryan Pitton at the 16:51 mark to give the Reign a 1-0 lead. LW Jesse Gimblett dropped the mitts in a bout with F J.D. Watt in the final minute. The Condors outshot the Reign, 14-12.
F Derek Couture extended the Reign lead to 2-0 with a blistering slap shot from the top of the left circle on the power play at 10:40 of the second period. It was the only goal of the frame as the Condors could not convert on their scoring opportu
nities. Shots were even at 9-9.
In the third, Ontario took an insurmountable 3-0 lead with a tally just 3:24 into the period. Condors RW Scott Freeman finally let the fur fly when he scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 12:13. Just over two minutes later the Condors lit the lamp again, with D Justin Pender blasting home his first of the season at 14:16 to make it a one-goal game. But the Reign put an end to the rally, as Watt scored with 2:33 left in regulation to account for the final score.
Matt O’Dette’s post-game comments on CondorsTV
Condors Droppings:
Pender’s goal was his first goal as a Condor… Freeman’s teddy bear tally was the third such goal in 13 Teddy Bear Tosses to be scored in the third period. It was also the latest in a game ever scored, beating last season’s late goal… The crowd of 8,776 was the largest since Nov. 28, 2009 and the 5th largest Teddy Bear Toss crowd in history… Final Shots: BAK – 40; ONT – 32… Power plays: BAK-0/5; ONT-1/4… Three stars: 1. Kuemper (ONT); 2. Freeman (BAK); 3. Pender (BAK).
Tune in tomorrow:
The Condors wrap up the weekend in Ontario on Sunday. Game time is 5:05 p.m. Tune in to all the action on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM, www.foxsports970am.com, or through the iheartradio app. In addition, the game will be streamed live through the official pay-per-view provider of the ECHL, www.americaone.com.
Condors host Aces next weekend:
Bakersfield returns to Rabobank Arena on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3 when they take on the Alaska Aces. Both games start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Friday night is Bobblehead T-Shirt Giveaway Night presented by Bright House Networks, Kelly 95.3 FM and Gotta Go Bail Bonds. On Saturday, Mix 97.7 FM and Diamond Technologies presents Captain America and a post-game skate with the Condors.
Holiday 4-Pack Plans are a great gift for those that like to have fun and need the perfect stocking stuffer for the Holidays! Plans start at just $32. For more information or to reserve your tickets call 324-PUCK (7825) today.
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