CLEVELAND, OHIO—After a slow, 4-1 loss against the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday October 21, the San Jose Barracuda refused to be devoured a second time the following afternoon and came out on top with a 1-0 victory in overtime.
During the first period, the Monsters outshot the Barracuda 12 to 4, who came back to outshoot them 18 to 17 just before the 45-minute mark. Neither team managed to score any goals during each of the four power plays. Cleveland did notch a few posts in the second period, but San Jose goaltender Antoine Bibeau was vastly determined to not let his team be devoured once again, and he successfully blocked every shot fired at him.
The game remained scoreless all three periods and nearly the entire overtime interval, with San Jose’s defensive game (and Bibeau’s net minding game) remaining strong throughout.
It was the timing of the [only] goal scored which blew viewers out of the park. Defenseman Mike Brodzinski retrieved a pass from forward Adam Helewka (a player with solid hand-eye coordination, puck handling, passing, and quick decision making skills) in the offensive zone. From there, Brodzinski notched a buzzer-beating goal on Cleveland’s Matiss Kivlenieks with 1.1 seconds left in the game. This was 22 year-old Brodzinski’s first career AHL goal in 20 career games.
San Jose only put up a total of four penalties during Sunday’s match, compared to seven on Saturday.
With 28 total saves, Bibeau earned his first win as a member of San Jose’s franchise and his 11th professional shutout. Kivlenieks blocked 21 shots of 22 for Cleveland.
San Jose is now 3-3, and Sunday’s win put Cleveland at 2-3. The Barracuda will face the San Antonio Rampage in their home state on Friday, October 27.
