The San Jose Barracuda didn’t just beat the Ontario Reign on Saturday night, the team outlasted them, survived them, and then stole the game back in a wild third-period swing at Tech CU Arena, closing out a gritty 4–3 win on Mean Girls night.
First period
The puck hit the ice at 6:06 pm at the Tech CU Arena, and just in the first two minutes, Pavol Regenda was in the box for roughing, giving Ontario its first power play. The rivalry will never die. Just a minute after that, all the players on the ice had a tense moment by the Reign goal, but it subsided.
13:52 left on the clock. No time wasted. Lucas Carlsson, with the assists from Kasper Haltunen and Regenda, the ‘Cuda were on the board. That makes three goals in the last three games for Carlsson.
Anthony Vincent was stirring the pot a little and almost going at it (physically) with Reign players. Other than that, the period was very even with both teams pushing and pulling. The ‘Cuda were on their first power play of the night when Joe Hicketts took two minutes for slashing.
The Barracuda struggled. They spent most of the power play in their own zone and couldn’t handle the puck. Good thing for San Jose, Ontario got two more for tripping, and the ‘Cuda were on their second power play of the night.
Kasper Halttunen was not very happy being pushed to the floor, missed a clean shot, and at the end of the day did not produce anything from the one-man advantage. The ‘Cuda still appeared less connected on their second power play.
More good news, after it was back to five-on-five, Filip Bystedt sent one home and made the score 2-0 San Jose.
The clock quickly ran out, and going into the second frame, San Jose made their presence known.
Second period
In the first three minutes, Ontario was on the power play for the second time. Just like the others, nothing was produced, and San Jose held strong.
The physicality picked up. hit after hit, sticks breaking, and plenty of commotion around both nets.
At 11:56, Kasper Halttunen was sent to serve two minutes for too many men on the ice. The PK unit held strong at first … until they weren’t quick enough. Martin Chromiak sniped the post, the sound echoing through the arena. It was now 2–1, still in San Jose’s favor.
A minute later, Ontario pushed again. Andre Lee got a look, Bolduc fired twice from the blue line, and Jacob Skarek had to stay locked in with traffic swarming around him.
With six minutes left, tempers flared again when Colin White and Kenny Connors both went in for roughing, giving us some four-on-four hockey. The open ice didn’t change much, just more trading chances and more grinding down low.
But the parade to the penalty box wasn’t done yet. At 15:24, Kyle Burroughs took two for hooking, giving San Jose another chance on the power play. The ‘Cuda tried to set up, Quentin Musty got a clean look, but Phoenix Copley shut it down.
The period closed with Ontario throwing one more shot on Skarek in the final seconds, but Skarek held firm between the pipes. After 40 minutes, the Barracuda were hanging onto a tight 2–1 lead, heading into the third with everything still up for grabs.
Third period
It was 8 p.m. The puck dropped. It was time to stand (skate) on business.
The ’Cuda had another penalty to kill just three minutes in for interference. After a hard fight and some solid saves from Skarek, it still wasn’t enough. Ontario swarmed, and Lee buried it. The game was tied 2–2.
Not long after, Jimmy Huntington took a tumble that sent him to the box for tripping. Another penalty kill, another test. For the first minute, San Jose held its ground, keeping the Reign to the outside. But déjà vu struck. Lee found space at the front of the net, got the feed, and the puck deflected in. Ontario took its first lead of the night, 3–2.
The Barracuda looked shaken for a moment. At 7:15, the four-on-four play returned, giving both sides a little breathing room. And finally, the ‘Cuda found its opening. Luca Cagnoni ripped one past Copley. It didn’t count at first, but after review, it was confirmed good. Tie game, 3–3, and the energy in the building flipped instantly.
San Jose suddenly had its jump back. The players were first on pucks, faster through the neutral zone and pushing the pace.
Then, with just under four minutes remaining, the moment. A perfect setup, a clean look, and White hammered it home. 4–3 Barracuda, the eventual game-winner.
Ontario pulled the goalie late, but Skarek stood tall, swallowing shots and steering the rest aside. The clock hit zero, and the ‘Cuda sealed a win at home.
Postgame
After a wild 4–3 comeback over Ontario, Barracuda Head Coach John McCarthy had plenty to say about the team’s resilience and style of play.
“I’m glad we stuck with it. Obviously, that’s a good sign,” McCarthy said. “We found a way to win in a game that, you know, obviously, we had some miscues, went down and battled back.”
The Barracuda’s ability to rebound from mistakes was on full display, especially in the tense third period when San Jose clawed back from a 3–2 deficit.
The coach also emphasized the importance of creating a tough environment at Tech CU Arena.
“We want to establish this place as a hard place to play,” McCarthy said, reflecting the physicality and intensity fans witnessed throughout the matchup.
But the message wasn’t only about grit. It was about sticking together.
“We’re here to stick up for each other. We’re here to play a hard game. If that stuff comes up, it comes up. But, you know, we’re much more worried about getting two points than we are with that,” he added, underscoring the team-first mentality that carried the Barracuda to victory.
