Gulls Biweekly Report 1

By Thomas Harrington

Welcome to the first San Diego Gulls biweekly report of the season. Every two weeks, I’ll check in and see how the Gulls are doing. I’ll go over each individual game and what the next two weeks hold. I’ll also list the players who I think could be called up to the NHL based on their recent play. As the year progresses, I’ll eventually take a look at the playoff race as well.

San Diego is off to a 2-4-0 start, mirroring their record through the first six games of last season. However, five of their first six games have been on the road, and the Gulls have scored the first goal several times. If they can tighten up defensively, things could turn around for them quickly.

The Gulls started the season off with their first ever trip to Toronto, where they faced the Marlies for a pair of games. Nikita Nesterenko scored the first goal of the season, just over a minute into the contest. In the second, Toronto took over, scoring three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead. Less than a minute into the third, Carson Meyer made it a one-goal game and then Jansen Harkins tied it up. However, with less than two minutes to go in regulation, Toronto scored and won 4-3. In the second game, neither team scored in the first period, but Tyson Hinds opened the scoring early in the second. Toronto tied the game before the period was over. In the third, the Marlies scored three times, including an empty net goal, and won 4-1.

San Diego then had their first and only home game of the season where they hosted Coachella Valley. The Firebirds scored three goals before Roland McKeown put the Gulls on the board late in the first. In the second, Coachella Valley scored three goals to take a commanding 6-1 lead. However, the Gulls didn’t give up, and Sam Colangelo scored early in the third. Then Ryan Carpenter scored to make it 6-3. In the final two minutes of regulation, Pavol Regenda scored and Colangelo scored his second of the period, but San Diego couldn’t find the tying goal and lost 6-5. The Gulls then traveled to Bakersfield to take on the Condors. Neither team scored in the first. Yegor Sidorov scored his first career AHL goal to open the scoring in the second. The Condors tied the game late in the second and then took the lead in the third. Meyer tied the game a couple minutes later and the contest went to overtime. In the extra session, Sidorov found the gamewinner and the Gulls won 3-2.

The Gulls then traveled to Abbotsford for a pair of games. Less than three minutes into the first period, Sidorov scored his third goal in two games to give San Diego the early lead. The Canucks scored two unanswered goals in the first to take the lead, and then again in the second to make it a 3-1 game. Neither team scored in the third, and the Gulls lost. In the second game, Colangelo scored the only goal of the first period, and then the Gulls exploded in the second. McKeown made it 2-0, and then Harkins scored two goals in the final minutes of the period to make it 4-0. Both of Harkins’ goals came on the powerplay, with the first being on a two-man advantage. In the third, Abbotsford scored a shorthanded penalty shot goal, and San Diego won 4-1.

The Gulls will play six games over the next two weeks. They’ll start out with a pair of games in Calgary, before coming home to host Abbotsford for two games. San Diego will then go on the road to Tucson for two games.

We’ve already seen Harkins called up to Anaheim for a game, and given how well he played against Abbotsford, he figures to be the most likely forward called up. He and Meyer lead the team with six points each, and Meyer is another veteran who could get the call. Colangelo and Sidorov both have three goals early in the season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Colangelo called up too. Sidorov would be a little more surprising, but if he keeps having two-goal games, he could get a chance as well. On the backend, McKeown is probably the most likely to get called up. Rodwin Dionicio has yet to score this season and has been scratched for a couple of games, but he may have the highest ceiling of any current San Diego defenseman. He had an absolutely amazing shift against the Canucks. If he can clean up his defensive game, he could get the call as well at some point this season.

The Gulls aren’t off to a great start, but they haven’t been playing poorly. There’s plenty of time to turn things around, but that needs to happen quickly. Last year, after their 2-4 start, the Gulls didn’t pick up their third win of the season until late November, essentially ending their season as it began. For San Diego to get back to the playoffs, that simply can’t happen this year.

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October 29th, 2024