AHL Wrap Up: Roadrunners Trip Up Condors Again

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS GAME #5: TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

After a sloppy affair less than 24 hours ago, the Bakersfield Condors sought redemption against the Tucson Roadrunners in the 4th game of their 5 game road trip. However, Colin Chaulk, his veterans and Olivier Rodrique combined to ensure there was no redemption. The Roadrunners started slow, but eventually outpaced the Condors for a 5-3 win.

In terms of the line-up, Coach Chaulk ran 12F-6D again. The forward lines had a modest juggle. Hamblin stepped between Bourgalt and McKegg and Malone took his spot between Kostin and Griffith. Darien Kielb who sat on Saturday came back in on Sunday and partnered with Adam Brubacher as the Condors third pairing..

The line combos and pairings were as follows:

Forwards

Kostin-Malone-Griffith

McKegg-Hamblin-Bourgault

Philp-Engaras-Tullio

McPhee-Esposito-Kambeitz

Defense

Kesselring-Demers

Kaldis-Kemp

Brubacher-Kielb

PP1 was jumbled a bit through the evening, but started as follows:

Kaldis

Bourgault-Malone-Griffith

Kostin

The PK had a more set rotation with Esposito and Kambeitz starting regularly followed by Malone and McKegg and then Hamblin and Bourgault. The defense typically stayed with the top four pairings..

Who Got Noticed?

Xavier Bourgault

It was his night. The best Condor by a decent amount ended with 2 goals and was three inches from the hat trick. He moved up to a consistent role on the penalty kill and rewarded that decision with his first pro goal.

Bourgault was also prominent on the PP1 tonight taking the left flank with Malone moving into the bumper. He promptly scored his second pro goal. A goal he scored probably 15 times last year in Shawinigan.

He now has points in three consecutive games and has four points in his first five AHL games. Lest you think he is an offense only player, tonight he was one of only two Condors who had a plus rating at evens. His backtrack on the puck tonight was really strong.

Noah Philp

Philp had another excellent effort tonight. His line with Engaras and Tullio had another strong effort relative to the efforts of other Condor lines. I thought his speed was really noticeable tonight as evidenced by this clip.

He also continues to try and create offense. It is the aspect of his game that will need to develop in order for him to advance his professional career. Nevertheless, he does create chances.

Ty Tullio

Another persistent effort by Tullio this evening. The speed in his game is really starting to show up in both his forecheck and backtrack. Also, becoming a fan of his transitional skating. There are no big loops in his game. It’s a lot of start/stop hockey, which is a big plus for a player of his size and speed. It allows him to take space away more quickly than other players of his size usually can.. This clip below which is quite complimentary of the entire line is a good illustration of Tullio’s skills.

Darien Kielb

Kielb started fast last year in his late season tryout with the Condors Given that he had come from the ECHL this was an encouraging sign. This year has been a slower start.for Kielb. Playing third pairing minutes, he has struggled to generate offense which is his game. Kielb sat last night which added to his slow start. He was back in the lineup tonight and looked much better. The first period was a challenge for him and his partner Adam Brubacher. However, from the second period on, Kielb really started to play well. Interestingly, his game developed at a time when Micahel Kesselring missed the first five minutes of the second period. This gave Kielb a chance to play with Jason Demers and he flourished. His attack game both skating and passing were on display. He topped it off by showing off his tremendous shot scoring his first of the year.

The rest of his game was more confident in terms of decision making and defending, which is the part of his game that needs development.

Klim Kostin

Most of this prospect watch has been focused on the positive developments of younger players. Tonight, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Klim Kostin’s very poor performance tonight. Starting on a line with Malone and Griffith. Kostin (along with his linemates) were simply poor tonight. Kostin in particular lacked effort for the most part. He also spent a great deal of his time on the perimeter of the game. He finished the game on the ice for three goals against at evens. What is more exasperating is that Kostin and his line played more than five of the last ten minutes of this game almost exclusively at the expense of the far more effective Philp-Engaras-Tullio line. The path for this player to get NHL looks is there. More nights like this will not make that an easy journey..

Bakersfield is off until next Saturday when they play the Ontario Reign on the last of this five game road trip.