Colorado uses third-period flurry to beat Condors
| Saturday, Feb 04 2012 10:52 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Feb 04 2012 10:53 PM
For once, it appeared to be going Bakersfield's way Saturday night at Rabobank Arena.
Peter Boyd scored five minutes into the final period to vault the Condors in a 3-2 lead. Seven minutes later the Condors were trailing by a goal and the Colorado Eagles went on to a 5-3 win before 4,019.
"We had the momentum, and one miscue, and we don't have it," Condors coach Matt O'Dette said. "Then another and we don't have the lead. Two monstrous defensive breakdowns -- the tying goal and the game-winner."
The first came on a give-and-go when defenseman Ben Chiarot blew past Kyle Calder and beat Bryan Pitton from low in the left circle at 9:02.
Just over two minutes later, both Bakersfield defensemen raced toward one Colorado player in the corner which left Riley Nelson all alone in front of the net to score the game-winner.
The loss meant the Condors (10-32-4-1) wound up a six-game home stand without a victory, going 0-5-1.
"You gotta defend," O'Dette said. "We had the lead and didn't defend it. Plain and simple."
The Condors had the opportunity to tie the game on a power play with 4:34 remaining, but the best scoring chance came from Colorado on a short-handed shot.
Colorado went on a power play with 2:34 remaining and sealed the win on Aaron Schneekloth's goal with 1:19 left.
Once again, the Condors surrendered the first goal as Steve Hadden was left uncovered low in the left circle and scored off a cross-ice feed just 4:40 into the game.
But this time, the Condors responded in a positive fashion, starting with Pitton, who stopped a penalty shot by Michael Forney midway though the period. That opportunity came when the Condors were on a power play and Forney was hauled down on a short-handed breakaway.
The Condors did not score on the remainder of the power play, but tied the game at 12:55 when Jesse Gimblett finished a 2-on-1 rush with his 13th goal off a pass from Tyler Helfrich.
Intense pressure down low in the Colorado zone led to Bakersfield's next goal as at least a half-dozen players were battling at the left edge of the net. Parker Stanfield pushed the puck to the top of the right circle where defenesman Erik Burgdoerfer was waiting to fire it into a wide-open net with 39 seconds left in the period.
The Condors just missed on opportunities to extend their lead early in the second.
Stanfield's shot on an odd-man rush was swept out of the crease and harm's way by a Colorado player 6:30 into the period, and a minute later, Kyle Jones made a nice stop on Casey Pierro-Zabotel on a 2-on-1 rush.
Colorado tied the game with 5:51 left in the period when Kevin Ulanski came up with the puck in Bakersfield's zone and beat Pitton with an uncontested shot from the right circle.
"We play well, but when we do make a mistake it's a doozy," O'Dette said summing up the game. "We gave up so many quality chances off those mistakes."
Notes
* The Condors hit the road for a pair of games next week -- in Utah on Wednesday night and in Las Vegas on Friday night. The Condors host Las Vegas on Saturday night.
* Jesse Gimblett left limped off the ice five minutes into the second period and did not return.
