The San Jose Barracuda continued their dominance of the AHL with their 13th straight win tonight against the Tucson Roadrunners. In a very physical game that included one fight and 60 minutes in penalties, the Barracudas were able to leave the Tucson Convention Center with a 4-3 win on Friday.
When asked about the physicality of the game Tucson Roadrunners head coach Mike Lamb said that’s just part of the game, and it’s because of the way the Roadrunners built their team.
“I think that is part of our game now the players that we have added are physical players and they play like that,” Lamb said. “It drags other guys into it.”
The Barracudas were able to get on the scoreboard early in the first period. Buddy Robinson scored 6:28 into the period, his 11th goal of the year and Zack Stortini and Stefan Fournier both received five minute majors and ten minute game misconducts after fighting on the face off following the goal.
The Roadrunners were able to score a shorthanded goal late in the first period with just 11 seconds left. Roadrunner forward Laurent Dauphin scored his tenth goal of the season with Christian Fischer and Dakota Mermis each recording an assist.
The Roadrunners put eight shots on goal while San Jose registered ten. There was a combined total of 42 penalty minutes in the first. San Jose was able to outshoot the Roadrunners in the second period 11 to six, however, both teams were able to score keeping the game even after two periods of play.
Nikita Jevpalovs was was able to score his 11th goal of the season with Timo Meier and Patrick McNally each registering an assist. Laurent Dauphin was able to score with only two seconds remaining in the second period to tie the game up. Dauphin got his 11th of the year on the power play with Christian Fischer and Chris Mueller collecting assists. Fischer scored early into the third period giving his team their first lead of the game and Jarred Tinordi got the lone assist on the play.
Rourke Chartier was able to tie the game up short handed and Marcus Sorensen was able to get the game winner 11:44 into the third period.
The Roadrunners outshot the Barracuda in the third ten to six but it was not enough to get the victory. When coach Lamb was asked about the end result of the game and the impact of the shorthanded goal, he had nothing but positive things to say about his team.
“There is not really a lot negative to say about that game,” Lamb said. “It’s frustrating to get that lead you want to lock it down; especially when you get that power play. It’s the killer instinct to go out there and gain momentum, it’s not so much about scoring.”
The Roadrunners get their chance at a split with the Barracuda on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center.
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