San Jose, CA – Jimmy Huntington recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in the first period and finished the night with two goals, an assist, and a fight — all within the opening 21:33 — but the San Jose Barracuda (31-16-2-2) saw their three-game winning streak and six-game point streak come to an end Sunday night, falling 6-4 to the Tucson Roadrunners (24-20-8-0) at Tech CU Arena.
The Barracuda’s regulation loss was their first this season when leading after 40 minutes (18-1-0-2) and their first defeat when scoring four or more goals (25-1).
Tucson opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first period when Michal Kunc (5) beat Matt Davis on a tic-tac-toe play, but quickly whe Huntington (11) tied the game at 8:53, snapping in a shot from the top of the right circle. Lucas Carlsson (12) then gave the Barracuda a 2-1 lead on the power play at 13:32, finishing a pass from Huntington in the high slot just nine seconds into the advantage. The period also featured a pair of fights, as Huntington and Kevin Connauton squared off at center ice, and later Anthony Vincent dropped the gloves with Sam Lipkin.
San Jose extended its lead early in the second when Huntington (12) tipped in a Luca Cagnoni point shot on the power play to make it 3-1 at 1:33. Tucson answered with a power-play goal from Daniil But (11) at 8:23 and pulled even at 12:47 on Cameron Hebig’s (17) tally. Vincent (7) restored the Barracuda lead at 14:26, jamming in a feed from Kyle Crnkovic to send San Jose into the third period ahead, 4-3.
At 7:07 of the third, But (11) lifted a puck toward the net from the right point that deflected off a Barracuda defender and in, leveling the score at 4-4. With the game still tied and under three minutes remaining, Scott Perunovich (6) gave Tucson the lead for good, beating Davis on a breakaway for what proved to be the game-winner. Kevin Rooney (12) added an empty-net goal at 18:35 to seal the 6-4 final.
The Barracuda close out their three-game homestand on Wednesday (7 p.m.) as they host the San Diego Gulls at Tech CU Arena. Can’t make the game? Join Nick Nollenberger and analyst Drew Remenda on NBC Sports California and listen on the Sharks Audio Network. For tickets, visit SJBarracuda.com.