Gulls Bi-Weekly Report 8

By Thomas Harrington

The San Diego Gulls played four games over the past two weeks and picked up only one win. As has often been the case, they are able to score goals, scoring 14 goals in those four games, but their defensive game continues to struggle.

The Gulls started off with two games in Calgary, and the first was a high-scoring affair. In the first period, Carson Meyer and Tristan Luneau scored, and Sam Colangelo made it 3-0 early in the second. Calgary then responded with four straight goals before Sasha Pastujov tied the game at 4-4. In the third, the Wranglers scored twice before Ryan Carpenter made it a one-goal game. Calgary then scored into the empty net and won 7-5. In the second game, the Wranglers got on the board first before Jan Mysak tied the game. Calgary retook the lead early in the second, but Rodwin Dionicio and Nico Myatovic scored to give the Gulls the lead. The Wranglers then tied the game in the third, but Luneau put San Diego back on top. Calgary tied the game again and the contest went to overtime. In the extra session, Carpenter scored a powerplay goal and the Gulls won 5-4.

San Diego then hosted the Toronto Marlies for a pair of games. In the first game, Toronto scored the only goal of the opening period, but Pastujov tied the game early in the second. The Marlies then retook the lead before Justine Bailey tied the game late in the middle frame. This was Bailey’s first goal with San Diego since being acquired from San Jose. In the third period, Toronto scored twice, but Dionicio scored a powerplay goal to make it a one-goal game again. The Marlies scored into the empty net and won 5-3. In the final game, neither team scored in the first, but Toronto scored twice in the second. Less than 10 seconds after their second goal, Mysak made it a one-goal game. Pastujov picked up an assist on the goal, extending his point streak to a career-high 11 games, currently the longest point streak in the AHL. The Marlies then scored the only goal in the third and won 3-1.

The Gulls will play six games over the next two weeks. They’ll start out by hosting Coachella Valley and then hit the road for four games. They’ll visit Ontario, then head to Abbotsford for a pair of games, and then finish the trip in Coachella Valley. They’ll then return home to face the San Jose Barracuda.

Right now, there is no hotter player than Pastujov. Despite starting the season in the ECHL, he now leads the Gulls with 17 assists and 29 points. Colangelo continues to lead the team in goals, and either one of them could be called up to Anaheim if needed. Another player who has been hot of late is Mysak; his 11 goals are now third on the team, and he has an outside shot to get called up to the Ducks. The Gulls also recalled Jeremie Biakabutuka from Tulsa.

On defense, Luneau has been one of the team’s few bright spots and has been playing very well lately. Dionicio continues to play well offensively but struggles defensively. As a result, he was assigned to the ECHL. Following his demotion, it was decided that he’d head to the Swiss league to finish the season there instead.

San Diego’s rough two week stretch has dropped them to last in the Pacific Division. They are just behind the Henderson Silver Knights and have a better winning percentage, so hopefully the Gulls will be able to get back in front of them before season’s end.

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February 7th, 2025