Barracuda fall big in final exhibition tune-up

SAN JOSE – The Bakersfield Condors scored three unanswered first-period goals and cruised to a 5-1 win over the San Jose Barracuda Sunday night at Sharks Ice in San Jose in the final exhibition tune-up of 2016.

Nick Ellis (1-0) was sharp when tested between the pipes for the visiting Condors, stopping 37 of 38 shots faced en-route to the victory.

Jaedon Descheneau (1) opened up the scoring for Bakersfield early in the first on a tap-in goal after receiving a back-door pass from Joey Benik at 3:32. The Condors added to its advantage on the power play at 10:06 when Benik (2) sniped a wrist shot over Troy Grosenick’s glove from below the right face-off dot. Bakersfield continued its offensive touch in the opening frame when Kyle Platzer (1) wristed a shot through traffic and past Grosenick on the man advantage at 14:47 to make it 3-0.

In the second, Barracuda forward Matt Willos received a high and dangerous hit that left him momentarily shaken up in the corner. The hit immediately led to a fight between San Jose’s Harrison Ruopp and Bakersfield’s Aaron Harstad. The Condors made it 4-0 when Chase Greg’s shot-pass from the top of the right circle was redirected by Josh Brittain (1) at 11:45. Bakersfield tacked on its second goal of the period to go up 5-0 on a perfect snipe from the left wing by Scott Allen (1) at 15:38.

Marcus Sorensen (3) erased Ellis’s shutout bid with 8.8 seconds left in regulation, but the Barracuda failed to generate any more offense in their preseason finale.

Grosenick (0-1) took the loss, allowing five goals on 20 shots.

The San Jose Barracuda kick off the 2016-17 season on the road on Oct. 15 against the Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames) at 7:30 p.m. All the action can be heard on the flagship station of the Barracuda, AM 1220 KDOW. The Barracuda's home opener is set for October 28 at SAP Center against the Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers). Get your tickets today, starting at just $12, by calling 408-977-4747 or by visiting www.sjbarracuda.com.