Condors win third straight with comeback in Ontario, return home this weekend

ONTARIO, Calif. The Bakersfield Condors (17-14-1-0, 35pts) completed a dramatic rally with three unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the Ontario Reign (10-20-0-1, 21pts) by the final score of 4-3 in front of 4,670 fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Wednesday night. 

The Reign brought the home fans to their feet just 2:18 into the first period. D Lane Caffaro fired a wrist shot over the glove of G Peter Hirsch, as Ontario grabbed a 1-0 lead. G Beau Erickson maintained the lead for Ontario, as he made two point blank saves at the tail end of the frame.

In his return to the Condors lineup, RW Pascal Morency evened the score with a power goal 13:23 into the second period. F Stephane Goulet picked up the puck in the right corner and found Morency who blasted home a one-timer to tie the game at one. RW Chaz Johnson regained the Ontario lead with just 2:08 left in the period, also on the power play. The teams went into the locker rooms with Ontario leading 2-1, despite a 22-11 shot advantage for the Condors.

Ontario increased their lead to 3-1 with a shorthanded goal just 1:42 into third period on an overturned no-goal call, which seemed to spark the Condors rally. D Brendan Milnamow brought the Condors back to within one just over two minutes later, and then D Evan Stoflet scored shorthanded to knot the game up at 3-3 with 12:37 left in the game. F Slava Trukhno capped off the scoring just past the halfway point in the third, as the Condors went on to win by the final score of 4-3.

Click here to see the box score.

Notes:
The Condors are 5-0 this season against Ontario… Bakersfield skated with less than the normal 16 skaters for the sixth consecutive game… G Peter Hirsch played in his first game since Dec. 1 in Ontario, where he also picked up a win… Pascal Morency’s second period goal was his ninth in 13 games with Bakersfield… Power plays: BAK: 1/5 ONT: 1/7… Three Stars: 1. S. Trukhno (BAK); 2. L. Caffaro (ONT); 3. P. Morency (BAK).
 

Get Tickets
The Condors return to home ice on Friday, Jan. 7, when Takeru Kobayashi will be in the house for a hot dog eating contest and $1 hot dogs, courtesy of ABC23 and KERN 1180. See world-renowned Hot Dog Eating Champion Takeru Kobayashi do what he does best in a Hot Dog Eating Contest at the intermission. On Saturday, Jan. 8, fans have a chance to go home with one of 10 brand new iPads to be given away, courtesy of 29 Eyewitness News, 106.1 KRAB Radio and Mercy & Memorial Hospitals.

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. – 6 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 $31.

Tickets for the 2011 ECHL All-Star Classic, to be held in Bakersfield on Jan. 26, 2011, are on sale now. Mini plans are available as well; visit www.echlallstarclassic.com for further details on the event. Call the Condors office at 324-PUCK(7825) or go online to www.bakersfieldcondors.com for more information.