FUTURE WATCH: Petrov scores first pro goal on Teddy Bear Toss Night in Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Unleash the bears in Bakersfield.

Forward Matvey Petrov scored his first professional goal to bring the stuffed animals down onto the ice in front of a record-setting Teddy Bear Toss crowd of 8,994 at Mechanics Bank Arena on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old is in the first year of a three-year entry-level contract with the Oilers and has a goal and assist in 12 AHL games this season after leading the OHL's North Bay Battalion in scoring with 27 goals, 66 assists and 93 points in 65 contests in 2022-23.

"It feels pretty good," Petrov said post-game. "[It took] 11 or 12 games to get to that point, but it feels good because my dad was here as well tonight, so that was a pretty special moment for me to get a goal in front of my dad."

The Condors rallied from 2-0 down to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the first period with Petrov's first in the AHL – a second-period snipe over the left shoulder of netminder Alex Stezka from the left circle – before Greg McKegg tied the game 1:31 later.

However, Bakersfield would fall 4-2 from a power-play goal by Kole Lind with 6:18 remaining and an empty-netter for Max McCormick with one minute left in regulation.

Netminder Jack Campbell started the game and made 33 saves on 36 shots, giving him a .954 save percentage in his last two starts after earning a shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights on Nov. 21.

Bakersfield owns a 5-7-0-0 record through 12 games heading into a Wednesday matchup with the Silver Knights in Henderson before hosting back-to-back home games against the Texas Stars to open up their December schedule.