The Gulls needed one point to secure their spot in the post-season for the second straight season but instead of a celebration they had one of THOSE nights in Bakersfield.
The Condors won 5-1 on an evening when even the Bakersfield goalie scored a goal. The Condors scored on the first shot they took to take a 1-0 lead and that … shot efficiency … was a theme. Bakersfield scored their five goals on just 17 shots.
The Gulls squeezed off 31 shots but only one of them found the net. In the 2nd period forward Ondrej Kase scored the equalizer for San Diego’s only goal.
If you want to know about this game in a nutshell then that shell cracked in the 3rd period. Bakersfield was leading 4-1 with less than five minutes to play when they were hit with a pair of penalties. The Gulls pulled goaltender Dustin Tokarski to they could have a 6-on-3 power play.
Condors goalie Jonas Gustavsson made a save and the Gulls could not corral the puck so it slid all the way down the ice and in to their net. Since no other Bakersfield player touched it Gustavsson became the 12th goaltender in the history of the American Hockey League (founded in 1936) to score a goal.
The Gulls will have a chance to earn that post-season spot in front of their home crowd on Saturday night when they host the Condors. Another near-sellout crowd is expected at Valley View Casino Center for the 7:00 start.
