HENDERSON, N.V. – The Henderson Silver Knights will complete their series against the San Jose Barracuda with a matinee game at The Dollar Loan Center. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m.
The Silver Knights will be aiming for their fourth win in a row after Friday’s 5-4 defeat of the Barracuda. Brendan Brisson, Mason Morelli, Jakub Brabenec, Dysin Mayo, and Sheldon Rempal all scored for the Silver Knights in their opening night victory. Brabenec’s between-the-legs goal marked his first career AHL goal. Rempal’s game-winning goal and assist earned him his third straight first star award, while Morelli’s three points (1G, 2A) led the team.
MAJOR MILESTONE
Brabenec’s highlight-reel goal was the star of Friday’s victory and his third point in as many games. He’s enjoyed a strong first week of the AHL season, notching his first point in his league debut and his first goal in the home opener. But despite his impressive individual accomplishments, his focus remains on the wider Henderson team.
“The other guys here are really good and they try and help the young guys,” Brabenec said after Friday’s game. “We battled until the end and we won the game. So we want to just keep going tomorrow and win tomorrow. So I’m just excited and happy to be here, and I’m hoping it’s going to continue to go well.”
AHL veterans like Morelli are quick to step in and commend him for his accomplishments of the week, reflecting a wider strong locker room culture.
“What a slick goal, you have to give [Brabenec] a lot of credit. That was a pretty nice move,” Morelli said. “We were all really happy for him to get his first, and hopefully it’s the first of many. We like to support each other…all the guys in this locker room are really awesome, and it starts with our captain, [Jake Bischoff].”
COACH’S CORNER
Head Coach Ryan Craig couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Silver Knights’ season than he received. Henderson is 3-0-0, out-scoring opponents 16 to 9 over that timespan.
“We’re finding ways to win games, we’re having some really good spurts of hockey. Other things, we’ll find ways to correct,” he said after Friday’s game. “I give our guys a lot of credit. We have some new guys here, we have some young guys here…but I give those guys in the dressing room here. Because you can see the battle out there, you can see our compete level.”
Craig also noted the strong performance of goaltender Jiri Patera in the first three games of the Silver Knights’ season. Patera has started all three contests, making 30 or more saves in each one of them.
“Guys want to play for [Patera],” Craig said. “You can see that battle in front of him. Jiri’s done a really good job the first three games, and he’s been rewarded with three wins.”
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
- Forward Brandon Coe has tallied three points (2G, 1A) in three games for San Jose this season, with two of them (1G, 1A) coming from last night’s game. In 56 games with the Barracuda last season, he scored 16 points (5G, 11A). In 2021-22, he put up 101 points (34G, 67A) in 62 games.
- Forward Ryan Carpenter leads the Barracuda in both points and goals. He has scored 5 points (3G, 2A) so far this season. He tallied a goal and an assist in last night’s game against the Silver Knights.