Gulls Bi-Weekly Report 9

Logo: San Diego Gulls

By Thomas Harrington

The San Diego Gulls played in five games over the last two weeks and had a record of 4-0-1. Their recent hot streak has seen them rise to fifth in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Ontario Reign for fourth place and six points behind Colorado and Stockton for second and third.

Gulls Take Down Barracuda

The Gulls started things out by hosting the San Jose Barracuda. San Jose took the lead just over a minute into the contest, but Kiefer Sherwood tied the game just 20 seconds later on a penalty shot. Chris Mueller then gave San Diego the lead, but San Jose responded with a goal of their own to make it 2-2. With seconds left in the opening frame, Sherwood scored his second of the game, this one a shorthanded goal, to make it a 3-2 game. In the second, Justin Kloos was the only player to score, doubling San Diego’s lead to 4-2. In the final period, Sherwood scored his second shorthanded goal of the night to give him a hat trick. The Barracuda did score one more time, but the Gulls won 5-3.

Gulls Lose To Reign In OT

San Diego then hosted Ontario for a high scoring affair. Andrew Poturalski and Blake Pietila scored in the first to give the Gulls a 2-0 lead. In the second, Ontario scored twice, but Pietila struck again and San Diego had a 3-2 lead after two. Early in the third, the Reign tied the game, but Daniel Sprong put them back on top a minute later. With 21 seconds to go, Ontario tied the game with the goalie pulled. With less than a minute to go in overtime, Ontario scored to win the game 5-4.

Gulls Edge Barracuda

The Gulls then traveled to San Jose for another matchup with the Barracuda. Mueller scored early in the game, but San Jose tied it up a few minutes later. In the second, Simon Benoit gave the Gulls a 2-1 lead. In the third, Brendan Guhle made it 3-1. San Jose made it 3-2, but Alex Dostie scored into the empty net to give the Gulls the 4-2 win.

San Diego Doubles Up Tucson

The Gulls then returned home to host Tucson, the top team in the Pacific. The Roadrunners scored twice in the first to take a 2-0 lead, but Chase De Leo, Sam Carrick, and Kloos all scored in the second to give the Gulls a 3-2 lead. Tucson tied the game early in the third, but Mueller and Isac Lundestrom scored to give the Gulls a 5-3 win.

Strong Start Carries San Diego Past Bakersfield

The Gulls finished things up by hosting Bakersfield. Mueller scored the only goal of the first, and then Alex Broadhurst, Sprong, and Jack Kopacka all scored in the second to make it a 4-0 game. Bakersfield made it 4-1 before the second was over, and scored late in the third, and the Gulls won 4-2.

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Over the next two weeks, the Gulls will play in six games. They’ll start out on the road with a pair of games in Iowa. The Gulls will then travel to Stockton to take on the Heat before returning home to face the Heat again. San Diego will then travel to Bakersfield before returning home to face San Jose to finish the next two weeks off.

With the trade deadline close, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a number of players from San Diego travel to Anaheim and then come back. Josh Mahura has been called up and then returned to Anaheim, as was Sherwood. Guhle has been called up and is with the Ducks for now. Depending on who is traded from Anaheim could really impact who is called up. Also, players who Anaheim wants in San Diego for a potential Calder Cup run will have a big impact on who is called up to the Ducks over the next few weeks.

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The Gulls are on a three-game winning streak and seven-game point streak. They’ve already climbed one spot in the standings and could be another spot up in two weeks if this kind of play keeps up. However, if they go cold at any point, Bakersfield is not far behind. The Gulls’ margin for error is razor thin if they want to get back to the playoffs and have another long trip in the postseason.

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February 12th, 2020