Gulls Biweekly Report 2

By Thomas Harrington

The San Diego Gulls played six games over the past two weeks and won two of them. Two of those games were at home, meaning that despite having played in 12 games so far this season, the Gulls have only played in three home games. The Gulls’ record isn’t great, but it’s definitely a step up from where it was at this time last season.

Gulls Dropped Both Games Against The Wranglers

San Diego started out with two games in Calgary against the Wranglers. Tyson Hinds scored his second goal of the season in the first period, equaling what he did in 71 games last year. Calgary tied the game before the period was over, but Sam Colangelo put the Gulls back on top early in the second period. The Wranglers then scored twice more in the middle frame to take the lead. Jan Mysak scored his first goal of the season to tie it in the third, but Calgary scored late in the final frame and won 4-3.

The next game went much worse for the Gulls. The Wranglers scored twice in the first, but Colangelo put the Gulls on the board early in the second. The Wranglers scored one more time in the second, and then scored three straight goals in the third period. Carson Meyer scored late and San Diego lost 6-2.

Gulls Earn Split Against Canucks

The Gulls then returned home for a pair of games against the Abbotsford Canucks. In the first game, the Canucks scored a goal in the first, second, and third period to take a 3-0 lead. Roland McKeown scored late, and the Gulls lost 3-1. This was Tristan Luneau’s first game back with San Diego since being reassigned from Anaheim.

The next game was probably the most exciting game of the season for the Gulls so far. The Canucks scored twice in the first period and once early in the second before Nikita Nesterenko scored for the Gulls. In the third, Abbotsford scored just 47 seconds into the period to take a 4-1 lead, but San Diego took over from there. Halfway through the third, Rodwin Dionicio scored his first career professional goal, and then Ryan Carpenter and McKeown both scored less than a minute apart to tie the game. Late in the period Colangelo scored to give the Gulls the lead, and Nesterenko scored into the empty net to give San Diego a 6-4 win. Jansen Harkins recorded five assists in this game.

San Diego Also Earned A Split Against Tucson

The Gulls then traveled to Tucson for a pair of games. The Roadrunners scored the only goal of the first period, but Josh Lopina and Harkins both scored in the second to make it a 2-1 game. Tucson took over in the third period, scoring five straight goals, and won 5-2.

The next night, Lopina and Harkins both scored in the first period to give the Gulls the early lead. Tucson struck back early in the second, but Colangelo restored the two-goal lead late in the period. In the third the Roadrunners made it a one-goal game again, but Nesterenko scored into the empty net and the Gulls won 4-2.

Final Thoughts

San Diego will play five games over the next two weeks. They’ll start by facing the Barracuda in San Jose before returning home to play the Bakersfield Condors, followed by the Calgary Wranglers. The Gulls will then go to Coachella Valley to face the Firebirds before returning home to host the Ontario Reign.

At forward, Colangelo continues to shine for the Gulls. He leads all AHL rookies in goals and is second in points. With James Reimer being placed on waivers today, maybe Anaheim brings up Colangelo to give the offense a spark. Harkins has already been called up for a game in Anaheim this season and he likely will again if he continues to play at this level. On defense, I’m certain that at some point Luneau will find himself called back up to Anaheim. However, I think he’ll stay in the AHL for a little while before he comes back up. Instead, if the Ducks need help on the backend, I think McKeown is the early favorite to get called up from the Gulls.

The Gulls have struggled early in the season, but are definitely playing better than a year ago at this time. Last year, San Diego was already well out of the playoff race at this point. The Gulls will have to play much better going forward to make the playoffs, but the important thing is they haven’t already played their way out of playoff contention the way they had last season.

Listen to our show by clicking below or visiting us at Podomatic, Rumble, Spreaker, or YouTube.

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

November 12th, 2024