Condors rally past Ontario, end 4-game losing streak
| Wednesday, Mar 17 2010 10:46 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Mar 17 2010 10:49 PM
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Bakersfield Condors # 15 Maxime Macenauer, left and Ontario's #24 Mike Howe battle for the puck in the first period of their Wednesday night game.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Bakersfield Condors # 36 Mark Mitera takes control of the puck as Ontario's #13 Jon Francisco gives chase in their Wednesday night game.
Condors # 33 Timo Pielmeier defends the goal as Ontario's # 8 Geoff Walker tries to score in their Wednesday night game.
Perhaps it was the wearing of the green clover stickers on the back of their helmets that brought the Condors a bit of Irish luck Wednesday night at Rabobank Arena.
But more likely it was just hard work that brought a four-game losing streak to a halt with a 6-3 victory over the Ontario Reign.
Bakersfield shook off a forgettable first 12 minutes and a 2-0 defect before taking total control of the pivotal game.
The victory gave the first-place Condors a four-point lead in the ECHL Pacific Division and put them eight points up on last-place Ontario with nine games remaining.
"We're not looking at the past," said Ryan Menei, whose two power-play goals in the second period gave the Condors the lead. "We just have to look forward to the last nine games and the playoffs."
The Condors were not looking forward to seeing coach Marty Raymond after a lackluster first period left them trailing 2-1.
"They're out working us right now, we just need to start moving our feet," Condors defenseman Eric Regan said.
Raymond addressed that fact during his between-period talk.
"We addressed that it was a desperate team across the hall and they were much more physical and took it to us," Raymond said. "We needed to start moving our feet and to be the ones taking it to them."
From the second period on, the Condors did just that.
Menei tied the game with a power-play goal off a rebound 13:41 into the second, then put the Condors up 3-2 with another power-play goal at 16:19.
Both goals came from the bottom of the left circle.
"The first one was just a good bounce and the second came off a nice pass from Regan," Menei said.
Forty-four seconds into the third period the Condors had a bounce go their way when Adam Naglich got his second goal when his feed on a 2-on-1 went off a defender's skate and past goalie Curtis Darling.
Nick Kemp made it 5-2 with a goal at 8:03, ending the night for Darling.
The only blemish for the Condors was an Ontario short-handed goal by Jon Francisco at 12:59.
Stephane Goulet ended the scoring with an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left.
It was an inauspicious start for the Condors, as Francisco sent a slap shot through the legs of Timo Pielmeier on the first shot of the game after just 57 seconds of play.
Another Ontario goal was waived off five minutes later due to incidental contact with Pielmeier, but the Reign took a 2-0 lead on a power-play goal by Jon Rheault at 11:53.
The Reign were outshooting the Condors 8-3 at that point, but the Condors turned the tide when Naglich scored on a breakaway at 13:27 to make it 2-1.
From that point on the Condors outshot the Reign 39-14.
But 20 minutes after the win, Raymond was already looking ahead.
"We've got a big weekend at home ahead of us," he said. "We've got to be ready to play on Friday."
Notes
The Condors wind up a three-game home stand against Victoria on Friday and Saturday nights. The Condors are 5-3-1 against the Salmon Kings.
