Stockton was good early, the Condors were better late.

That was the difference on Friday night as the Condors rallied for a 3-2 victory at Rabobank Arena.

With time winding down and the Condors in desperate need of a game-tying goal on April 24, coach Troy Mann turned to Andrew Carroll.

When goaltender Laurent Brossoit raced to the bench, Carroll jumped onto the ice and immediately headed to the blue paint where he camped out in front of Utah goaltender Igor Bobkov.

In a game that started on Monday evening and ended early Tuesday morning, the Idaho Steelheads defeated the Colorado Eagles 3-2 in four overtimes, ending the longest game in ECHL history.

David de Kastrozza scored the game-winning goal at 17:18 of the fourth overtime, ending the game in 137:18. The previous record for longest game was Elmira defeating Trenton 5-4 in 126:10 on April 10, 2009.

Bring on the Thunder.

The Bakersfield Condors are headed to the second of of the playoffs for the first time in four years, thanks in part to a power play that came to life in the second period on Friday night before 5,040 at Rabobank Arena.

Cardiac finishes don't get any better than what transpired Thursday night at Rabobank Arena.

First, Bakersfield's Collin Bowman did the improbable, tying Game 4 of the ECHL Western Conference first-round series against Utah with less than one second left in regulation.

Condors captain Joel Broda likes the position his team is in -- leading its playoff series with Utah 2-1 in a best-of-seven series -- but knows that tonight's Game 4 could be the biggest battle yet.

"It's definitely a really good spot to be in," Broda said after scoring the overtime game-winner in a 4-3 victory on Tuesday. "They're going to be coming hard and we have to be ready. They're a good hockey team and they're going to come hard, play physical and be in our faces.

Two dramatic goals lifted the Condors to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Utah Grizzlies on Tuesday night at Rabobank Arena.

For Condors coach Troy Mann, it's time for adjustments.

The Condors flew home for Utah on Sunday, pleased to get a split against the Utah Grizzlies in the first two games of the best-of-seven playoffs series, but concerned for a fellow teammate Matt Thurber, left behind in a Salt Lake City hospital.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Michael Pelech scored off a rebound midway through the third period on Saturday night as the Utah Grizzlies rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Condors.

The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 as the teams head to Bakersfield for the next three games. Game 3 is Tuesday night at Rabobank Arena.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- In a series where hard-nosed physical play is going to be the norm, Bakersfield's "grind line" came up big on Friday night.

Andrew Carroll deflected a shot from Erik Burgdoerfer for the only goal 4:59 into the third period as the Condors opened the ECHL playoff with a 1-0 victory over the Utah Grizzlies.

When it comes to playoffs, Condors coach Troy Mann said there are really no surprises.

So when the puck drops tonight in West Valley City, Utah, for the Game 1 of the ECHL Western Conference first-round matchup between the Condors and Grizzlies, both teams know what they are in for.

When Erik Burgdoerfer left Bakersfield at the end of last season and headed back to his home in New York, he pretty much felt his playing days in Bakersfield were over.

He had played nowhere else in his three years of professional hockey, but after two straight sub-par seasons, he had a sour taste in his mouth.