Eagles' Late Rally Falls Short in 5-4 Shootout at Bakersfield

Sam Poulin’s extra-attacker goal late in the third forced a 4-4 tie and the Bakersfield Condors edged the Colorado Eagles 5-4 in a shootout on March 3, 2026, in front of 7,281 students at the team’s Field Trip Day game. The Condors converted in the shootout to seal the victory after a back-and-forth affair that featured special-teams swings and a flurry of third-period scoring.

Quinn Hutson opened the scoring for Bakersfield on the power play with a short-side shot under the crossbar, marked as Hutson’s second of the season. Colorado answered that marker when Tye Felhaber netted a shorthanded wraparound to make it 1-1 after the first period. The opening 20 minutes set the tone for a physical, opportunistic game where penalties and power-play looks determined momentum.

The middle frame saw both teams trade crucial goals and penalties. Bakersfield got a go-ahead tally from James Hamblin — part of a multi-goal night for Hamblin — off a slick passing sequence involving Rem Pitlick and Seth Griffith. Colorado then struck twice on the power play in the final five minutes of the second period to take the lead into the third, setting the stage for the late dramatics that followed.

Colorado’s third-period surge and Bakersfield’s late response produced the game’s most dramatic moments. The regulation period produced multiple goals in quick succession as Colorado erased a deficit to knot the game, then Poulin scored with the goalie pulled in the dying seconds to force extra time. With the contest tied 4-4 after 60 minutes, Bakersfield ultimately prevailed in the shootout. Seth Griffith finished among the game’s top contributors with a four-point night, and Poulin’s equalizer was recorded as the Condors’ sixth extra-attacker goal of the season.

Beyond the boxscore, the game underscored several larger trends in the AHL landscape. Bakersfield’s power play continued its recent string of success - the Condors have notched at least one power-play goal in six straight games - and special teams played a decisive role in a matchup that went beyond regulation for the sixth time in the last nine meetings between these clubs. The shootout victory also kept Bakersfield within striking distance in the standings; the Condors moved to 29-17-9 for 67 points while Colorado sits at 32-13-8 with 72 points.

Culturally the Field Trip Day turnout of 7,281 students amplified the league’s youth-facing outreach and reinforced minor-league hockey’s role in community development and fan cultivation. From a business perspective, a sellout crowd for a weekday promotion strengthens Bakersfield’s case for enhanced sponsorship packages and local partnerships as the Condors chase playoff traction. The two clubs wrap the series with a rematch tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Loveland, Colo., with the game available on AHLTV via FloHockey and AM 800 Fox Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app.