2021-2022 Playoffs Game 1: San Diego Gulls @ Ontario Reign

Facing down their cross-town rivals as the undisputed underdog the Gulls received some unexpected good news in the form of perhaps the Ducks most successful prospect this year having his season cut short when Olen Zellwegers’ Everett Silvertips were eliminated from the WHL playoffs.

With the addition of their returned players from the Ducks – including Simon Benoit – the Gulls were able to ice one of the more competitive line-ups that they have been able to in a month or so. Buddy Robinson was absent for the birth of a child while Greg Pateryn was announced as day to day with an injury. BO Groulx and Axel Andersson remained out with injuries.

First Period:

San Diego needed a quick start and did just that as right off the opening face-off Josh Lopina won the draw and the Gulls top line immediately pressured the Ontario net. Lopina rewarded by going right to the net and fishing out a loose puck then skillfully shelving it over the Reign net-minder Matt Villalta. 1-0 Gulls.

The Gulls kept up momentum for a few minutes after the goal before the Reign briefly took control via their dangerous trio featuring Gulls killer Martin Frk.

Surviving the deluge from the Reigns top line the Gulls got another early tally to pad their lead when Hunter Drew carried the puck in all the way to the Ontario goal-line and sent a shot that appeared to surprise Villalta. 2-0 Gulls.

Ontario again pushed back – edging closer and closer to the danger areas in front of Dostal until Sam Fagemo was given too much time and space to wire a shot from the high slot that beat Dostal clean. 2-1 Gulls.

With six minutes left in the period the Gulls were given the first Power Play of the game and series when Martin Frk was called for tripping. Winning the face-off in the Reign zone the Gulls got some good looks in before being chased and from there it was all Ontario – Nik Brouillard was forced back to the Gulls net not once but twice by some intense fore-checking from Austin Wagner, on the second occasion a forced pass was picked off by Wagner and he moved in on Dostal to make it a 2-2 tie game shorthanded.

Trevor Carrick was called for roughing in the final minutes of play to put the Gulls down a man against the leagues most potent Power Play and although they made a valiant effort of killing the majority of the two minutes, an open Sam Fagemo made them pay on a one-timer in the final seconds of the minor. 3-2 Reign.

San Diego heading to the first intermission having had their great start erased by the imposing Reign monster offense. Shots were 12-7 for the Reign by the end of the first frame with Dostal seeing far too many pucks in the slot.

Second Period: Ontario Reign 3 – San Diego Gulls 2

The Gulls managed to settle the pace of play down and appeared to be playing a slightly more structured and better man to man game for the second period.

Exchanging penalties approaching the midway point of the second frame, the Gulls were given their third man advantage of the game when Brent Gates was tripped into the Ontario zone.

The Gulls came frustratingly close on the man advantage – in a goal mouth scramble the puck bounced in all of the wrong directions and places. Brayden Tracey also had an opportunity to the side of the net toward the end of the same play but could not convert.

Another weird call that seemed overly soft went against the Gulls as Trevor Carrick was called for cross-checking during a puck battle behind the Gulls net.

San Diego did a very good job of preventing the Reign from gaining the zone and getting set but were let down toward the end of the minor when Vladimir Tkachev was given too much time and space to stick handle into the Gulls zone and to the net, making it 4-2 on a fluke play once the puck bounced off his stick near the goal.

Both teams exchanged minors for the remainder of the period as time quickly dwindled out. San Diego finding themselves down by two heading into the third but given some hope that they were still in the contest. Shots were 10-9 for the Reign on the period. 22-16 overall.

Third Period: Ontario Reign 4 – San Diego Gulls 2

San Diego once again started the period with a bang as Drew Helleson carried the puck down the Reign goal line – similar to the Drew goal in the first period but instead threw it in front where McLaughlin fired it on net and caused havoc in front fighting for a rebound while Helleson collected the puck and patiently found Trevor Carrick coming down to the slot. 4-3 Reign.

Ontario got one right back however as a Gulls turnover in their own zone saw the puck find Akil Thomas in the high slot, his perfect shot going bar-down behind Dostal. 5-3 Reign.

Another Gulls turnover saw the puck fed to the worst possible Reign player to have a partial break and Martin Frk unleashed a blistering slap shot from the right wing that Dostal had no chance on. 6-3 Reign and the end of Dostals night.

Eriksson Ek immediately stopped the bleeding, calmly turning aside a sequence of shots off back to back to back face-offs in the San Diego zone.

With under three minutes left San Diego pulled Eriksson Ek for the extra attacker but another Lucas Elevens turnover lead to another Akil Thomas goal. 7-3.

Alex Limoges was able to get another back in the final minute as a great rush and carry from Zellweger lead to a dump in that took a strange bounce off the end boards and allowed the the Gulls sniper to wire a shot from the low slot but that was all she wrote as San Diego dropped to 0-1 in the best of three series.

Post Game Notes:

Thoughts on Zellweger

Derek noted it on Twitter and kept track of his shifts to illustrate that the Ducks 2021 second round pick was given very sheltered minutes as he was slowly eased into the game. He did seem more than a little out of sorts at points in the defensive zone which is completely understandable given team systems and knowing who goes to which man or what to do in which situation. He almost pounced on a turnover in the neutral zone during a four on four in the second period but was just a step behind the play. That will come in time. He also stood out for his size – he isn’t a big guy but does appear to have a low center of gravity; which is good for puck protection. He was given more and more ice time as the game progressed – looking more confident in the process; some might question the decision to throw him in the deep end for his first ever professional game but win or lose this is all very valuable experience for an important part of both the Ducks and Gulls future. You could see his offensive instincts were there just not entirely in sync with this new team-mates.

SHOOT IT

The Gulls saw some of their best chances to score as a result of when they fired the puck on net. It isn’t really rocket science. I dont really understand why they didn’t just keep peppering Villalta after the Drew goal – which was a goal he probably shouldn’t have given up. He appeared to have trouble controlling rebounds all game leading to some tantalizingly close scoring opportunities.

TIGHTEN UP

Easier said than done, particularly against a team as speedy as the Reign but if I could sum up exactly why the Gulls lost this after starting out so well it is because they played too timid. They hesitated too much where they needed to commit. They didn’t stick to their men like glue. They passed when they should have fired it on net. The best and only way to beat the Reign is to take the game to them, put them back on their heels, take them out of their comfort zone. Zilch made a good point in the pre-game that Dostal went win less against the Reign this season while Olle Eriksson Ek had a shut out win. Olle did look better when he came in relief so you would have to expect he gets the start in tomorrows game.