Unbeaten Bullfrogs Have to Scramble to Edge San Diego

SAN DIEGO â€”  Victories don’t have to be pretty. Certainly, the Bullfrogs learned that Thursday night.

Skating for the first time this season on treated concrete, Anaheim overcame the poor puck-handling qualities of the surface, and, perhaps, a case of easing up on the road when it wasn’t prudent, to post a 9-8 victory over the San Diego Barracudas in front of an announced crowd of 3,914 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Rick Judson and Victor Gervais scored fourth-quarter goals to give the Bullfrogs to a two-goal lead that proved the difference. Gervais’ goal was short-handed. In improving its record to a Roller Hockey International best 6-0, Anaheim survived an all-out Barracuda attack by five skaters in the final 1:39.

San Diego fell to 3-4, six points behind the Bullfrogs in the Pacific Division, despite a three-goal, two-assist performance by Jason Krywulak.

Todd Wetzel and Daniel Shank each scored twice for Anaheim. Shank moved into a tie with Gervais, each with 21 points, as a team scoring leader. “The floor was quite a factor here tonight,� Wetzel said. “You slide a lot, even on turns, and it was hard to make drop passes because the puck gets up on an edge quicker.�

Anaheim opened cautiously, then Wetzel’s 30-foot bullet about 2 1/2 minutes into the game gave the Bullfrogs a 1-0 lead.

San Diego scored with 4:52 to go in the quarter when Krywulak deposited Oleg Yashin’s rebound in the net. But goals by Perkins, off a long pass from Gervais and Savo Mitrovic gave Anaheim a 3-1 advantage.

The Bullfrogs looked strong at the outset of the second quarter, forcing goalie Frank Ouellette to repel numerous shots. After being cross-checked hard to the surface on defense, Wetzel got up, took a flip-pass down the middle from Mark Ouimet and beat Ouellette five minutes into the period. A little more than a minute later, Mitrovic fed Frederick Jax for a score. That gave Anaheim a four-goal lead.

After that, the Bullfrogs, who have been averaging 12 goals per game, looked less confident.

“I thought we started well tonight,� Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier said. “We gave them some life with a few penalties in that second quarter. I give San Diego credit. They didn’t give up.�