Dropping their last five games the Gulls and with the playoffs more than out of reach the Gulls had only pride to play for as they ventured east to the desert. They also welcomed in their first black ace in the form of 2023 second round selection Nico Myatovic.
Mysak moved to center for the fourth line with Brayden Tracey drawing back to take the spot on the right side and the newest Gull Myatovic making his debut on the left side. All other lines and pairings remained the same from the last game.
Suchanek was given the start with Calle Clang backing up.
Colton White was the only player being listed as out injured. Nick Wolff, Josh Lopina, Alex Stalock and Travis Howe were the healthy scratches.
First Period:
Play was conservative to start with each team playing a mix of dump and chase and occasional zone entry game.
Nico Myatovic saw his first shift come three minutes into action, an offensive zone draw that Mysak lost but that the young Myatovic did not look out of place on as he harassed down low to almost cause a turnover with some good fore-checking.
The action began to open up and a great dish from the side-boards from Judd Caulfield after Luca Profaca had broken up a Roadrunners entry gave Nathan Gaucher and Sasha Pastujov a two on one break. The later finishing off a beautiful inside pass from Gaucher as he out-waited the sliding defender. 1-0 Gulls.
Tucson came back with an immediate response to put the Gulls under pressure in their own zone, as they frantically worked to recover pucks and make line-changes Judd Cauflield would again prove to be the hero as he dove to block a shot at an empty net with Tomas Suchanek down and out of position.
San Diego were awarded the first Power Play of the game as the Roadrunners were called for having one too many men. The first unit had an initial hiccup as they some how lost a Roadrunner down low who was able to take the puck right in on Suchanek alone but they soon made up for the gaff by setting up back to back chances in the Tucson zone with speed. The Gulls eventually netting the games second goal as Andrew Agozino finished off a puck scramble after a blast from Chase De Leo. 2-0 Gulls.
San Diego taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission with shots 12-11 for the Roadrunners, the shot map showing play being relatively even with a slight edge going to the Gulls.
Second Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – Tucson Roadrunners 0
Play was free flowing for the first half of the middle frame with the first break not coming until eight minutes into the action. San Diego played a much better game than they have of late – keeping composed and clinical as they locked down the neutral zone and caused turnovers at their blue line with ease to send rushes back the other way.
Not even a Tucson Power Play could break their resolve and when a pass went awry to give the Roadrunners an open man, Suchanek was there to challenge aggressively and make the stop.
It really did feel like a game the Gulls had no chance of losing as another Power Play awarded to them quickly saw the score tick up to 3-0 as Ben King saw the puck deflect in off him and into the near side of the net off of a Glenn Gawdin blast. 3-0 Gulls.
The game started to open up slightly after the goal – featuring three to four back to back rushes but the Gulls got things back under control and went back to their clinical puck possession game. Taking the 3-0 lead into the second intermission while taking the 9-8 shot edge on the period. Shots were an even 20-20 after forty minutes and the shot map telling the story of a much better defensive game from the Gulls.
Third Period: San Diego Gulls 3 – Tucson Roadrunner 0
Again the opening sequence of the third saw some lengthy non-stop play with stoppages few and far between.
A holding penalty to Luca Profaca saw the Roadrunners looked the closest they had to getting on the board as they kept the puck in the San Diego zone for almost of all of the entire two minutes but the Gulls were again able to escape unscathed – Trevor Carrick this time playing the hero with a last minute sweep of the puck out of the crease.
With just under eight minutes left in the period some relentless and physical play from Captain Chase De Leo down low saw Ben King able to create a turnover at the near side boards and skate in two on one with Glenn Gawdin. The Gulls most recent goal scorer setting up his line-mate for the fourth tally. Gulls 4-0.
The Roadrunners finally managed to settle into their game and cycle in the Gulls zone for the final few minutes of the game but San Diego kept any and all chances to the perimeter to wind the clock down.
The Gulls taking the deserved 4-0 win on a game which frustratingly would have seen them make the playoffs if they had just played this well consistently throughout the year.
Post Game Notes:
Congrats Chase
With his assist on the fourth goal – Chase De Leo tied Sam Carrick as the all time leader in points for the Gulls. He needs just one more on the season to take the lead. Suchanek also became the Gulls first rookie goaltender to record three shutouts in a season.
First Myatovic Now Colangelo
Sam Colangelo has played his last game of College Hockey as his Western Michigan Mustangs were eliminated in the first round. Look for him to sign his ELC and also join the Gulls on an ATO either tomorrow or in the coming week. The question now is where does Colangelo fit in the line-up? Does Tracey come back out? Or does somebody higher up in the line-up draw out? Given Colangelo is primarily a scorer I am guessing he takes somebody’s spot in the top six – possibly King?
Myatovic Impressions
As noted in the recap – Myatovic looked good on his first shift, showing some tenacious work on the fore-check that has been described as a central facet of his game. Throughout the game he showed some good smarts and poise – holding the puck pack during a line-change then getting it to his defense in order to make the change himself. His size stood out the most to me – his 6’3″ frame was imposing yet still needs some bulk added to it, once he does add some more muscle his development should follow the grinding two-way power forward type.
It should be noted that this is also the transition period for Myatovic – he will be with the Gulls next season as he turns 20 in December.
Development Positives P2
Following on from what I noted in the previous games post game notes. Nathan Gaucher has also showed huge strides in the development of his offensive game. He is now tenth on the Gulls in scoring and has four points in his last five games including three goals. His line-mate Pastujov is also continuing to enjoy his breakout totaling five points in his last six games with three of those being goals. I think a lot of Ducks fans are going to impressed with Pastujovs development come next training camp. The concerns about his skating are no longer there or at least I feel, he is turning off checks with ease and chasing down pucks with speed to match even some of the faster of his line-mates. Anthony Costantini is also turning into another pleasant surprise of the late season – he appears to have been ear-marked as an offensive pairing defender and his recent play is earning him that last spot in the rotation over the more rugged Nick Wolff. He has two points through seven games of action – not bad for an ECHL call-up but also well deserved given how his vision has created some great scoring chances. The Hamilton, Ontario native went undrafted after four seasons in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s and his right shot combined with offensive instincts and vision could prove another diamond in the rough find for the Ducks. Watch this space.
2023-2024 Game 72: San Diego Gulls at Coachella Valley Firebirds
In the final game of the season after surrendering a three goal lead to go down 5-4 in ove…