2025-2026 Game 61: San Diego Gulls vs Bakersfield Condors

San Diego, California. Licking their wounds after a 5-1 defeat but still staying afloat in the playoff picture thanks to the split in the four game series with Colorado the San Diego Gulls came home to face a team with similar consistency issues in the Bakersfield Condors on Pride night.

Keeping all forward lines intact for the first time in a couple of games the only change came in net as Tomas Suchanek was once again given the start – coming in as the suddenly hot glove.

Roman Kinal and the recalled Drew Elliott were the healthy scratches.

First Period:

San Diego looked by far the more polished and hungry team to start as first the Nesterenko line caused issues on the forecheck and created chances – then followed by the fourth line as Nathan Gaucher was setup for a shot in front that was stopped but Judd Caulfield was right there to skillfully reach and sweep the rebound in. 1-0 Gulls.

The Condors hit right back – finding space in the neutral zone to get a pass ahead and a one on one opportunity with Nik Brouillard defending saw the Gulls veteran defender used as an inadvertent screen and a quick snap shot surprised Suchanek. 1-1 tie game.

The flurry of goals continued – this time the Colangelo line finding space to work in the Condors zone, creating layers of traffic and allowing a soft wrist shot from Stian Solberg to find the back of the net despite several sticks potentially making contact on the way. 2-1 Gulls.

Play calmed down for some time and the Gulls seemed to have things under control up until the eight minute mark when Quinn Hutson was on the receiving end of a miraculous spinorama pass from the side boards and Suchanek had no answer. 2-2 tie game.

Justin Bailey drew the first penalty of the game as he was slashed by Quinn Hutson in the Gulls defensive zone and as the first unit went to work they got some nice looks and setups at the point to the red-hot Tristan Luneau but it was Matthew Phillips who got the conversion. Receiving a pass just behind him he expertly moved it through his skates making an inside outside move in the process to get around a Condors defender then using the remaining defenders as a screen as he let fly from the high slot. 3-2 Gulls.

Keeping momentum moving forward the Gulls got another as some nice work and passing between Yegor Sidorov who took a lead breakout pass from Tristan Luneau, gained the zone, stopped up and send it down the boards while taking the hit to make the play. Nikita Nesterenko then picked it up, skated behind the net but saw Justin Bailey moving into position and made a blind backhand pass out front to him as he was skating behind the net. 4-2 Gulls.

The Gulls scoring four goals in the first period for the first time this season and taking a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. Shots were 12-6 Gulls and the shot map showing San Diego utterly dominant in the offensize zone but the Condors capitalizing on their chances.

Second Period: San Diego Gulls 4 – Bakersfield Condors 2

Condors came out with a push to start the second and drew Justin Bailey into a tripping penalty. San Diego was able to kill the minor and went back to the attack but could not keep the goal flow coming and before the midway mark of the period the Condors had quietly stolen momentum.

Tomas Suchanek was called upon to make some big stops while his overloaded squad in front of him were forced into multiple icing calls.

San Diego were eventually able to get the change but could not take back momentum and the Condors cut the score down to 4-3 as a point shot through traffic beat Suchanek clean. 4-3 Gulls.

The goal woke up the Gulls somewhat and they started to get some more chances in the Condors zone after essentially allowing Bakersfield to dominate the majority of the period thus far.

The physicality picked up and Matthew Phillips was found guilty of high sticking with less than five minutes left in the frame. Killing the minor and actually seeing the best scoring play during it on a shorthanded two on break featuring who else? Judd Caulfield and Nathan Gaucher. The Gulls went right back to the attack and got their two goal lead back thanks to their hottest player of the moment. Tristan Luneau making it yet another multi-point night as he wired a shot from the right side to make it 5-3. 5-3 Gulls.

San Diego played out the remaining two minutes back in control of the action and the final horn culminated a sequence of hitting in a tit for tat send and response between the Caulfield line and the Condors forwards.

Shots were 10-5 Bakersfield on the period and 17-16 Gulls overall with the shot map showing the Gulls took their foot off the gas once again to let their opponents back in the game in the middle frame.

Third Period: San Diego Gulls 5 – Bakersfield Condors 3

Starting the period with penalty trouble once again – Matthew Phillips made it extra hard as he was called for a double minor for high sticking.

Thankfully just over a minute into the four minutes Noah Warren evened things up as he was also high sticked behind the Gulls net.

The extra ice allowed at four on four only saw one real high danger chance as Sam Colangelo pounced on a Gulls bounce to head in alone on a breakaway but was stopped. San Diego killed the reminder of the double minor with relative ease.

San Diego kept the pressure on as time slowly crossed over the midway point thanks to a lot of stop – start sequences. Bakersfield also took advantage of some poor breakout play from the Gulls in their own zone.

An ongoing feud between Justin Bailey and the Bakersfield Condors squad at large saw him draw a call as he was held up and then dumped in the neutral zone whilst attempting to join a two man break.

With the first unit initially getting set only to lose the puck during some rushed passing around the perimeter and never able to gain the zone again the second unit did a better job of zone entry and set-up but could only create the one half-cocked one timer from Stian Solberg. As play returned to five on five some nice forechecking from Nico Myatovic after a long ally-oop dump in saw him force a turnover that allowed Nathan Gaucher to immediately hit Nikita Nesterenko streaking down the slot. 6-3 Gulls.

The Condors pulled their goaltender with under four minutes left and held the Gulls hemmed in for a good minute, getting one by Suchanek on a rebound play after an unfortunate bounce down low. 6-4 Gulls.

San Diego were relentless in holding their blue line and clogging the neutral zone as the Condors tried again with the extra attacker, Cal Burke was lucky recipient of the empty net score after multiple attempts from Nesterenko and Colangelo. Gulls 7-4.

There was a post final horn scuffle with Tyson Hinds at the center of it as the Condors chose to vent their frustration at him but the Gulls came to his rescue and skated away as a team with the 7-4 win.

Post Game Notes:

Good But Not Great

The recent uptick in play has been good and keeping the Gulls in the playoff picture but even if they do make the playoffs – I do worry for their staying power just based on the teams balance of offense and defense. Of all the teams in the playoffs as they currently stand – the Gulls are the only one with a negative goal differential. They have allowed the fifth most goals against, only Bakersfield and Henderson have allowed more and they are eighth worst in goals for – Tucson, who currently sit three points behind on the outside looking in – have scored more. San Diego need to get their offense going on a consistent basis and tidy up the defense down the stretch.

Unexpected Help Arriving

The Ducks announced they had signed the Swedish Judd Caulfield himself – Herman Traff to an entry level deal starting next season but that he would see out the remainder of this season with the Gulls on an ATO. This is an unexpected boon and I am VERY excited to see how he looks in the AHL. If you did not get my quip about the Swedish Judd Caulfield above – just read his draft profile and you will see why. He finished this year with 41 points in 51 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan – the second tier Swedish League, tied for eighth overall.

Where he slots in and who sits will be the question; my first guess is Coulson Pitre but I can see the lines being reshuffled again so that Traff can be placed with some vets to introduce him to the North American ice. The next question is what happens with Mysak comes back… does Burke sit again?

Magic Number Watch

The games are winding down and the magic numbers are getting smaller. Ontario is very close to being the first in the division to clinch. The Gulls are now sitting at 22, only four ahead of Tucson but just two behind Henderson. It is going to be a tight and close finish.

Meanwhile In Tulsa

If you didn’t see me share this on twitter/x – but uh Scott Neidermayers son is now playing for the Tulsa Oilers and scored his first professional goal.

He started as a Junior Duck, did a couple of years in the BCHL before going to Arizona State for three years. He transferred to Bowling Green in his sophmore year and did two more years there, finishing with a college career high 17 points in 32 games in his final year this season.

The middle brother at age 25, his younger brother Josh is at Colgate this season but seems to have followed a somewhat similar path of BCHL and Arizona State originally.