San Diego, California. Hoping to bounce back from a frustrating 3-2 loss in which they controlled and largely outplayed their opposition the San Diego Gulls returned to Pechanga Arena on the back to back.
From the warm-ups it looked like Tomas Suchanek might get the back to back start which gave me further concerns for Clang but as the line-up was released I was relieved to see he was given the start.
The only change came on defense where Roman Kinal came in for Noah Warren.
Noah Warren was the only healthy scratch.
The fore-checking was frantic to start and the Gulls tried to get going but were overzealous in doing so as first Nikita Nesterenko was called for hooking at the Icehogs blue line and then Nico Myatovic took another hooking penalty just seconds into the kill at the San Diego blue line.
The trio of Carpenter, McKeown and Hinds did a great job of limiting shooting and passing lanes for the first minute and a half of the two man disadvantage and despite being unable to make two clears they managed to kill the first penalty. Just as Nikita Nesterenko stepped out of the box the Gulls got possession at the right time and a flip pass found him to head in alone on a breakaway. The speedy winger making no mistake and sending it five hole to open the scoring shorthanded. 1-0 Gulls.
Killing the remaining Myatovic penalty the Gulls found themselves under pressure in their zone and unable to get possession to make a clear. The IceHogs took advantage of space allowed at the blue line to load up a point shot that beat Clang via deflection with traffic in front. 1-1 tie game.
San Diego didn’t respond right away but the Pastujov line managed to get some good zone time and as they worked to cycle in the Rockford zone they drew a hooking call down low to give San Diego their first Power Play of the game.
With the season starting to dwindle and points getting more important the Power Play needed to convert and that it did as despite starting static – Sam Colangelo eventually took a feed and skated around the top of the formation before wiring a shot that Ryan Carpenter tipped in front. 2-1 Gulls.
Riding momentum San Diego kept pressuring the IceHogs zone and earned another call as Nik Brouillard was hooked after making a nice move to head toward the net.
It seemed too much to ask to immediately score another Power Play goal but it happened. This time Tristan Luneau walked the line and sent a mid to low shot on net that once again Carpenter deflected into the IceHogs net. 3-1 Gulls.
Just as San Diego continued to press the attack they once again were their own worst enemy as IceHogs Captain Brett Seney was found behind the Gulls defense and able to finish a clear cut breakaway. 3-2 Gulls.
Some post whistle hostilities as both Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo came to the defense of their linemate Nico Myatovic after he was roughed up behind the IceHogs net. Colangelo got his moneys worth as he one-punched the IceHogs Dominic Tonninato down to the ice during the scuffle. The altercation left the Gulls shorthanded and Calle Clang had to show some of his best work as he was called upon to make two huge stops during the two minute sequence to finish the period.
San Diego taking a narrow 3-2 lead into the first intermission with shots an even 11-11 and the shot map showing chances were relatively even also.
Rockford came out strong to start the second. Once again running the San Diego zone with too much space allowed at the point. Tristan Luneau eventually found guilty of slashing as he was just one of many Gulls desperately trying to regain possession of the puck.
San Diego killed the penalty without too much trouble and even generated two shorthanded rushes in the process.
Killing the minor seemed to settle the Gulls down but their back-check killed them once again as a seemingly harmless IceHogs rush ended in a game tying goal as nobody picked up the late man and he was fed a pass from behind the net. 3-3 tie game.
The importance of the points on the line saw game play shift to an almost playoff-like style – with neither team willing to make a mistake and scoring chances only coming in the form of coordinated group attacks.
San Diego started to take momentum and generate chances in the Rockford zone but were once again frustratingly unable to finish.
On one such opportunity as the Pastujov battled around the Rockford net – Matthew Phillips drew a call after getting denied in close. The first unit could not convert and it felt like it might be too much to ask to get three power play goals in one game but just as it felt like the Gulls might come up short a nice move from Judd Caulfield and pass to Roland McKeown in space saw the veteran defender skate into the slot – fake the shot and send a pass to Stian Solberg at the right side post. 4-3 Gulls.
Rockford pushed back right away but the Gulls were able to withstand the pressure this time, playing a much tighter man to man defense to allow less space for them to work.
San Diego taking the 4-3 lead into the final period after another even set of shot totals. Shots were nine a piece on the period and 20 each overall.
Needing a good start to the third the Gulls did just that as the fourth line made good on a nice power move from Nathan Gaucher as he drove the puck to the net and his line-mates followed up to put it home with Judd Caulfield smartly collecting and feeding the puck back out to a waiting Coulson Pitre. 5-3 Gulls just seconds into the third.
Rockford attempted a response but once again the Gulls defense appeared to have figured themselves out and they kept gaps tight and lanes to a minimum before collapsing down to break up any chances.
Again just as it seemed San Diego had things under control the IceHogs got one back – beating Clang with a point shot that he could not track through three layers of traffic. 5-4 Gulls.
The Gulls had to be careful and attentive in their own zone as the IceHogs continued to press after the goal.
San Diego appeared to be playing the ill advised conservative approach of defense through no offense until a nice right side rush and avoided check by Matthew Phillips lead to a two on one and then subsequent scrum in front of the IceHogs net with the puck somehow staying out. Phillips was cross checked in the pile and San Diego went to the Power Play with four minutes left.
San Diego were unable to convert on the man advantage and with under two minutes left the IceHogs pulled their goaltender to set up a tense final two minutes. Tyson Hinds attempted a Hail Mary shot from near his own goal line and he got so much strength on the shot that it hit off the right side post and then the other side post but amazingly stayed out.
Some debate over time left on the clock caused a long delay and after the IceHogs succeeded in adding an additional 9 seconds to the clock the Gulls won the next face-off, created space and allowed Nik Brouillard to aim for the empty net which he hit to ice the contest and become the Gulls all time leading goal scorer by defencemen. 6-4 Gulls win.
Defense Defense Defense
Despite the win the lack of defense in this game and those of late has been concerning. It was mentioned several times on the broadcast that the Gulls zone system was exposed whenever the opposing team took the puck up high to the point and used San Diego’s grouped defenders as an additional screen. They eventually figured it out in this game and closed gaps as well as more importantly pressuring the point but it’s something they should have figured out long ago.
Magic Number Watch
It is nice to be on the right side of the magic number watch this season. The Gulls currently have a magic number of 35, now likely 33 after this game. If you don’t know what that means – once their magic number reaches zero – they have clinched a playoff spot. By comparison – the current division leading Reign have a magic number of 19 while the teams closest to San Diego – Coachella Valley and Henderson have numbers 34 and 37 respectively. With a very tough March ahead featuring – as mentioned before – four straight games against the Colorado Eagles; the Gulls absolutely need to tough it out and play some disciplined defensive hockey to put up as many points as they can with their remaining 17 games.
The Good News and The Bad News
The Good News is at the same time the Gulls have been letting points slip away – so too have the Firebirds (however they did beat the Wranglers today). The Silver Knights lost to the Reign in overtime so still picked up a point but at least it wasn’t the full two. Bakersfield is currently beating Tucson – so here is hoping that score holds while the Eagles are down 3-0 to Abbotsford(?!) after two periods. Finally – the Power Play coming alive and clicking at 3/4 today is just what the Doctor ordered for this stretch drive. If that can stay hot and become a deadly deterrent it would be extremely helpful.
The Bad News is that the Gulls and Firebirds are essentially the only teams in the Pacific Division playoff picture that have been inconsistent of late, possibly the Condors as well. The division has been insanely tight all season and the playoff race will only make things astronomically tighter. Teams currently riding hot streaks are the Barracuda (who the Gulls face twice more before seasons end), the Reign (running away with the division right now) and the most concerning – Henderson who had won five straight before this loss and are on an eight game points streak.
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