Condors Weekly: Split in Ontario; Teddy Bear Toss Countdown

CONDORSTOWN – The Bakersfield Condors earned a split last weekend of a critical two-game series on the road against one of the top teams in the ECHL, the Ontario Reign. Bakersfield holds a 3-11-0-1 record, with seven points in the standings.

The Condors trail 8th place San Francisco by three points, with a home-and-home against the Bulls on the schedule this week, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Condors cap the week off with Teddy Bear Toss against Stockton Saturday night.

Last Week: 1-1 down in Ontario

The Condors gave up two goals in the first period Friday, and though

LW Michael Neal scored early in the third to give Bakersfield a fighting chance, it’s as close as they got, falling 2-1 at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

On Saturday the Condors scored twice in the third period to erase a narrow Ontario lead and skate away with a 2-1 triumph. LW Michael Neal set up RW Jordan Knackstedt’s 4th of the season, 4:31 into the final stanza, and then pocketed the game winner himself just over two minutes later. G Chet Pickard stopped 22 shots for Bakersfield, who needed just 12 shots in the game to take down the top team in the Western Conference.

NOTES:

Bakersfield is 6th in the ECHL, allowing just 26.9 shots against per game. They have given up less than 30 shots in their last 7 games, averaging just 23.1 shots against during that stretch.
The Condors have held their opponents to two or less goals in five of their last eight games. However, the Condors themselves have been held to two or less goals in nine of the last 10.
Saturday’s win was the first on the road against Ontario since Opening Night, 2011.
G Chet Pickard has started four straight games in net. He has a 2.32 goals allowed average since joining the club.
After starting the season 0-7-0-1, the Condors have won three of their last seven and two of their last three, including a pair of road wins against the 1st and 2nd place teams in the Pacific Division.
Bakersfield ranks 5th in the ECHL with an average attendance of 5,449.

CONDORS LEADERS

Points: Neal – 10

Goals: Knackstedt, Neal – 4

Assists: Neal – 6

Penalty Minutes: Abney – 30

+/-: Neal – +1

GAA: Pickard – 2.32

Save pct: Pickard – .895

This Week:

Tuesday, Nov. 26 vs. San Francisco Bulls – 7 p.m.

Canned Food Drive – bring two non-perishable food items and receive $1 admission.
“Hunger Games: Catching Fire” promotion – after you attend a showing of the film at Maya Cinemas, bring your ticket to the movie with you to this game and get in for $1.
Sponsored by La Preciosa 105.3
all tickets subject to arena facility fee

Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Stockton Thunder – 7 p.m.

Teddy Bear Toss!
Bring a stuffed animal to the game and when the Condors score their first goal, throw them onto the ice.
The bears will be collected and distributed throughout the community by the United Way of Kern County.
Sponsored by 29 Eyewitness News, 1180 KERN and Three-Way Chevrolet and Cadillac
This is annually the largest crowd of the season; it is advised that fans buy their tickets in advance and arrive early (last season’s Teddy Bear Toss goal came 1:16 into the game)

Tune In:

Wednesday night they travel to San Francisco to battle the Bulls at 7:30 p.m.
All games, home and away, can be heard on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM (www.foxsports970am.com), through your mobile device on iHeartRadio, or pay-per-view online atwww.AmericaOneSports.com. “Condors Countdown” starts 15 minutes prior to the drop of the puck.
“Condors Unleashed” video webcast, which airs Wednesdays from Noon – 1 p.m. on www.Bakersfield.com and also audio simulcast on Fox Sports Radio 970, will not air this week due to the team traveling to San Francisco during broadcast time.
“Condors Insider” weekly radio show, which airs live every Thursday from 4 – 5 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio 970, also will not air this week, because hosts Ryan Holt and Kevin Bartl will be busy eating copious amounts of turkey. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

HOLIDAY HOURS:

Box office: Mon. – Tue. 10a-5p, Wed. 10a-3p; Thurs. closed; Fri. 10a-4p, Sat. opens at 10 a.m.

Condors office: Mon.-Tues. 8:30a-5p; Wed. 8:30a-4p.; Thurs. closed; Fri. 10a-5p; Sat. opens at 10 a.m.

40% OFF TEDDY BEAR TOSS TICKETS!

Save 40% on your tickets to Teddy Bear Toss by purchasing a Condors mini-plan. If you only attend a handful of games every season, this is the most cost-effective option.

Ticket packages for the 2013-14 season are still available and can be had for close to $10 per month. Click here or call 324-PUCK (7825) for more information.