It was a rather quiet week on the farm. The Bakersfield Condors only played one game, taking the trip down to San Diego for a Saturday night affair with the Gulls. Dallas Eakins’ team got the last laugh, topping the Condors 5-4 in a pretty exciting game.
It wasn’t the only loss Bakersfield took this week, however. The Condors lost two key contributors and will head into another quiet weekend playing down a few men.
Here’s this week’s Condors update.
The Week That Was:
As mentioned, it was a one game weekend for Edmonton’s top affiliate. The Condors did score four against a good Gulls team, but surrendered five in a tough regulation loss. Overall, the Condors played well and actually controlled the pace. I thought they were the better team on this night, but just couldn’t get a save.
They outshot San Diego by a 49-23 margin and had the better of the scoring chances. That said, it’s tough to win games when you fall behind 3-1 just 3:09 into the second period. That’s exactly what happened to Jay Woodcroft’s bunch.
After surrendering a goal to Corey Tropp 2:27 in, Bakersfield buckled down and evened the scoring at 13:47 on a Cooper Marody goal. Troy Terry would break the tie at 17:19, however, and give the Gulls a lead late in the first.
Chase De Leo made it 3-1 early in the second before a pair of Condor goals actually tied this game at 5:15. Marody would score his second of the game to draw Bakersfield within one before veteran Brad Malone evened things up just 1:17 later.
A quick San Diego answer, via Ben Thomson, would give the Gulls a lead they would not surrender. Sam Carrick added an insurance marker at 1:30 of the third period, and while Cameron Hebig did score his third of the year at 15:32 it simply wasn’t enough.
Al Montoya struggled in this game, making just 18 saves on 23 shots against. He’s been solid so far this season, but Saturday night was a night to forget for the veteran tender.
Movin’ On Up:
Marody’s pair of goals was a strong showing, and is likely to be his last for the Condors for a little while. With Ty Rattie out “a few weeks”, Marody recieved the call up to Edmonton on Sunday afternoon. He skated with the Oilers’ third line on Monday, and will likely make his NHL debut later tonight.
Marody had emerged in a top-six role for the Condors early this season, and I thought was one of their best forwards. He had posted 2-4-6 in five games, which was good for the team lead. For my money, he was the first prospect forward since Leon Draisaitl in 2015 to get fans excited. Like Leon that fall, he comes to Edmonton early in the season with a chance to make his mark.
Veteran defender and ace PK’er Kevin Gravel is no longer an option either. Gravel was recalled to Edmonton following Matt Benning’s injury last Thursday night. With Benning on the IR, Edmonton needed a seventh defender on the roster. Don’t be shocked if we see Gravel play this week and stick around for a little while.
The Week That Awaits:
Just one game yet again for the Condors this week. It comes at home this time, as Bakersfield will play host to the Stockton Heat (Calgary). It’ll be the second meeting of the season between the sides, who met on opening night. Bakersfield won that contest by a final score of 8-1.
The Condors have lost two straight and are now 2-3-0 on this young season. They have two more games this month, both against the Heat. After Saturday’s home game, it’ll be a Wednesday night showdown in Stockton on Halloween night.
Thunder Minute:
Edmonton’s ECHL affiliate, the Wichita Thunder, played a pair of games over the weekend. The won them both, topping Allen 6-5 in a shootout on Friday night before sweeping the weekend set in Allen with a 4-1 victory. They are now 3-1-0-0 on the season, and will play once this week. That game comes Saturday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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