Bakersfield and Victoria Split first two games

VICTORIA , B.C. – The Victoria Salmon Kings and Bakersfield Condors split games one and two at the Save-On Foods Memorial Center in Victoria.   The teams head to Bakersfield, for the remaining games, as needed, in the Western Division Quarter-Finals.
 
In game one, Victoria’s Milan Gajic, Chad Klassen and Chad Painchaud all managed goals in the 3-1 win over the Condors before a crowd of 2,314.   Gajic scored the loan goal in the first period at 9:23.   The Salmon Kings pounded away at the net, outshooting the Condors 24-7 in the first, but netminder Brian Stewart held fast. The second period remained scoreless and shots decreased to a more even exchange of shots in single digits.
 
The third period led to a power play goal by Klassen in the opening minute, with assists by Gajic and Rob Hennigar.   The third goal for Victoria came at 5:03, from     Painchaud, assisted again by Hennigar. Condor’s Guillaume Lefebvre was able to finally beat David Shantz on a power play goal, with less than a minute remaining in the game.   The goal was assisted by Adam Naglich.
 
Stewart had 36 saves for the loss in the net for Bakersfield, while Shantz had 25 saves.    Victoria was one for nine on the power play, while Bakersfield was one for six.  
 
In game two, Bakersfield’s Pascal Morency, back from AHL, scored a natural hat-trick to boost the Condors to a 6-3 final to take the game, before 3,274 fans.
 
Erick Burgdoerfer scored early in the first period with assists by Bobby Robins and Joel Broda.   At 5:23, Salmon Kings Chad Klassen scored to even the game.   Milan Gajic scored on a power play goal at 15:10, to put Victoria up 2-1 going into the first break.  
 
Stephane Goulet scored the lone goal of the second period, with an assist to Jean-Marc Beaudoin and Andrew Ianiero, to even the score.
 
The third period belonged to Bakersfield’s Morency, as he scored two power play goals, at 3:42 and again at 9:07; followed by his third goal at 13:53, to lengthen the spread 5-2, and earn the natural hat-trick.   Victoria’s Ryan Dingle scored at 16:52 unassisted, but the empty net goal by Guillaume Lefebvre at 19:27 sealed their fate.   The Condors took game two, with a final score of 6-3.
 
In all three periods, the Condors hammered away at the net. Shantz had 38 saves for the loss, while Brian Stewart took the win with 31 saves.    Lefebvre posted a three point game.
 
The teams head to Bakersfield for game three with the series split at one a-piece on Friday, April 8 at Rabobank Arena.
 
Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com