Since our last update, the Bakersfield Condors played four games from March 20 to 28.

They lost the first game to the San Diego Gulls by a whopping 7-4 score, with Matt Tomkins fighting it that night. However, after that loss, the Condors have now won three straight games and sit fifth in the tight Pacific Division. Bakersfield is only two points back of the third-place San Jose Barracuda with nine games remaining in the season. Calvin Pickard got the start against the Wranglers the next night, and he shut the door completely. The former Oilers backup put up 22 saves for the 1-0 shutout win.

The Condors then welcomed the Texas Stars to Dignity Health Arena, and Bakersfield was able to come out with two wins in two games. The Condors also put up 44 and 40 shots in the games played. Right now, the main goal is to get home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs, and the rest of the regular-season games are all divisional games for the Oilers’ farm team. If they can rattle off a good record in the remaining games, they will put themselves in a good spot for Round 1.

Isaac Howard – Winger 

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? Isaac Howard continues to have a great year in the AHL with 20 goals and 42 points in 39 games played now. Throughout the recent four games, the top prospect put up four goals and three assists with a total of 19 shots, including his second game of the season, where Howard had a staggering nine shots on goal in the game. The ice man had an outstanding game on the 20th against the San Diego Gulls in a losing effort. Howard was all over the ice creating offence. The first clip below shows the goal he scored in that game with an excellent drag move to put the shot through the defender’s legs.

Although the shot didn’t come off as clean as Howard wanted it to it still went in and what I want to focus on is the thought process to use the defender as a screen. It completely caught the Gulls goaltender by surprise. Since we’re on the topic of his goalscoring the next two videos are the rest of the goals the former first-rounder scored (with a goalie in the net). The first goal is from the March 27 contest and the second clip is from the next night, both are excellent shots and both will lead us into the next topic.

Both of these........

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