Barracuda Cool Firebirds, 5-1
Published on March 18, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Jose Barracuda News Release
San Jose, CA - The San Jose Barracuda (36-18-2-2) scored five times with five different goal scorers on Wednesday morning, cruising past the Coachella Valley Firebirds (32-21-5-0), 5-1, in front of a sold-out Tech CU Arena.
San Jose set the tone early, capitalizing on the power play just 3:36 into the game when Egor Afanasyev (12) buried his 12th of the season off a feed from Quentin Musty after Coachella's Nikke Kokko misplayed the puck behind his net. The Barracuda controlled much of the opening frame, outshooting the Firebirds 13-6 and carrying a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period saw the Barracuda extend their advantage with another power-play marker. Colin White (13) tipped in an Oliver Wahlstrom shot at 2:52 to make it 2-0. Late in the frame, Kasper Halttunen (12) added an insurance goal at 17:31, finishing off a setup from a Patrick Giles feed to give San Jose a three-goal cushion heading into the third.
San Jose continued to press in the final period, getting goals from Brendan Hoffmann (3) at 2:59 and Lucas Vanroboys (2) at the six-minute mark to blow the game open at 5-0. Coachella Valley broke through midway through the third with a goal from J.R. Avon (7), but it was too little, too late as the Barracuda comfortably closed things out.
Gabriel Carriere turned aside 29 of 30 shots for the win. San Jose outshot Coachella Valley 37-30 and went 2-for-4 on the power play, while holding the Firebirds scoreless on five opportunities.
The Barracuda continue their four-game homestand on Saturday (6 p.m.) as they take on the Abbotsford Canucks for The Future is Teal Night presented by IBEW. The first 3,000 fans will receive a mini-stick giveaway. For tickets, visit SJBarracuda.com/tickets.
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