Condors earn 4-3 victory in comeback thriller

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Condors earn 4-3 victory in comeback thriller
Same two teams meet Saturday night at Rabobank Arena

Bakersfield, Calif. – RW Pascal Morency scored two goals and had a first period fight to lead the Bakersfield Condors (5-7-0-0, 10pts) to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Utah Grizzlies (6-3-1-1, 14pts) in front of 4,196 fans at Rabobank Arena Friday night.

The Condors found themselves in a familiar position, as just 36 seconds into the contest F Tim Crowder put Utah on the board. Bakersfield had their chances early, but couldn’t get the puck to bounce into the net. The Grizzles doubled their lead at the end of the period when C Hugo Carpentier notched a power play marker with 1:19 left in the period.

Morency got the Condors on the board less than four minutes into Carter Smiththe period. A shot from the puck rebound off the end boards and Morency squeezed it inside the post, making it a 2-1 game. RW Carter Smith knotted the score up at 2-2 when C Adam Naglich chipped a puck through the neutral zone, and Smith bolted down the ice to bury the puck in the net. Morency added his second goal of the night on a wrist shot over the glove of G Andrew Engelage to give the Condors their first lead since gaining a victory over Alaska on November 3.

A slew of penalties in the third period led to four-on-four hockey, where RW Stephane Goulet gave the Condors some breathing room by slipping a shot inside the left post and increasing the Condors lead to 4-2. The goal would prove valuable, as LW Brad Snetsinger picked up his fourth goal of the weekend on a 5-on-3 power play with over 13 minutes left in the game. The Condors were able to lock down defensively, and break their 4 game losing streak with a 4-3 win over Utah.

Click here to see highlights from the game.

Click here to see the box score.

Notes:
RW Pascal Morency picked up two goals before taking a hard hit and leaving the game in the third… C Rylan Kaip was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for a butt-end in the third period… C Adam Naglich returned to the line-up and registered an assist…  Bakersfield native Manny Martinez served as Utah’s emergency back-up goaltender for the second straight game… Power plays: BAK: 0/6, UT 2/7…Three Stars: 1.P. Morency (BAK); 2. A. Ianiero (BAK); 3.J. Tordjman (BAK).

November Nuttiness:
The Condors are holding a merchandise blowout sale at all November home games, including $50 – $75 off past specialty jerseys. Countless other items, such as jersey t-shirts, bobbleheads and team card sets, are on sale with huge discounts, and many items now cost just $1!! We’ve gone totally nutty with this ridiculous sale – take advantage of our temporary delusional state at the back merchandise stand, behind sect. 102, at every November home game.

Get Tickets
Don’t miss your chance to reserve your ECHL All-Star Classic tickets before they go on sale to the public! The Condors All-Star 4-pack gets you tickets to the All-Star game on January 26, as well as the ever popular Teddy Bear Toss game on November 27. You also get to pick two additional games throughout the regular season.

Individual tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster and the Rabobank Arena Box Office. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, with extended hours on game and event days. You can also call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or visit them online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket packages start at just $42! Call the Condors office at 324-PUCK (7825) or go online to www.bakersfieldcondors.com for more information.