If you’re part of hockey history, how would you sum it up?
“It’s something very special,” said Cooper Marody, a Bakersfield Condors forward — that’s perhaps the understatement of the season.
The Condors have won 17 games in a row and are tied for the second-longest winning streak in American Hockey League history.
On Monday night, they scored a 3-1 victory over the Tucson Roadrunners. They haven’t lost a game since Jan. 11.
“We’ve had players get called up. We’ve had players get injured. We’ve players get traded,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft. “For us, it’s that philosophy that it doesn’t matter. We rely on each other. We rely on who’s in the lineup.”
The Condors are tied for the fewest goals against in the AHL with just 134 allowed in 51 games.
“Defensively, we have a great structure that’s really tough to get offence against,” said Marody. “We play a whole, complete game. Our structure is really tough to beat and really frustrates teams.”
LISTEN: Cooper Marody with Reid and Rob
The Condors will go for their 18th straight win Friday when they host the Iowa Wild. The spotlight is on the team like it’s never been before, but the players aren’t getting blinded by it.
“In our locker room, we have a mindset of it’s a fresh start each game. We have to prove why we’ve been on the streak each and every game,” said Marody.
The Philadelphia Phantoms won 17 straight games in the 2004/05 season. The AHL record is 28 in a row set by the 2011/12 Norfolk Admirals.