FUTURE WATCH: Savoie's hat trick lifts Condors to 5-1 win over San Diego

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Edmonton Oilers prospect Carter Savoie recorded his first professional hat trick or the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday night in a 5-1 victory f over the San Diego Gulls.
The Oilers fourth-round pick (100th overall) at the 2020 NHL Draft found the back of the net in every period and now has four goals in his last three contests for the Condors after posting only four goals and three assists in his first 29 AHL games, including last season's two-game introduction to the pro level after finishing off his NCAA career with the University of Denver Pioneers as a national champion.
"I think I've learned a lot this year," the St. Albert, AB product said post-game. "Many things have been thrown at us, me individually and as a team, and I've just got to keep learning things, keep on growing my game, growing my confidence and all those little things. So just keep on building."
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James Hamblin and Brad Malone also beat San Diego starter Lukas Dostal, who fans will remember made 46 saves for the Anaheim Ducks in a 4-3 defeat for the Oilers back on Dec. 17 at Rogers Place. Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots for his fifth win in six games, outduelling Dostal who could only manage 20 saves on 24 shots this time around.
Savoie is one of a handful of young Oilers prospects currently making strides at the professional level, including forward Xavier Bourgault, who's second in Condors scoring behind veteran Seth Griffith with 18 points (9 G, 9 A) in 31 games.
Raphael Lavoie has two multi-point games and three goals and three assists in his last six contests, while Ty Tullio is beginning to click with three points in his last three.

"I thought the kids have made a ton of improvements, especially leading up to Christmas time in their confidence and decision-making," Condors head Coach Colin Chaulk said. "It's a work in progress. We win as a team, lose as a team, and it was a great team effort tonight."
The victory broke up a four-game losing streak, all one-goal losses, for Edmonton's AHL affiliate which finds itself on the outside of the Pacific Division playoff race in ninth place with a 13-19-2-1 record. This campaign, with the addition of the Coachella Valley Firebirds to the division, the top seven teams in the Pacific will qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Bakersfield defeated San Diego for the third time this season and will face the Gulls two more times in their next four games that all come against opponents below the .500 mark, representing a great opportunity for the Condors to make some ground in the Calder Cup playoff race.
"I do think that all the adversity we've gone through this year is a really great learning experience for everybody," Chaulk added. "We would've loved in those games where we were tied with 10 minutes left to at least get a point, and we'd probably be sitting pretty in a playoff spot right now, but those are valuable lessons and those are things we talk about trying to be mindful of some of the poor decisions we've made."