With no news on Terry during the week – it was a relief to see his name featured on the top line for the pregame line up. But the Gulls had more than his potential absence to worry about as they were suddenly down three blue-liners. Chris Forney and Scott Moldenhauer were recalled from Tulsa, but with Schenn coming back only Forney was required and he slotted alongside Keaton Thompson while Schenn played with Oleksy. Other line up changes made by Eakins included swapping out Sideroff for Fiore. Perhaps to the Gulls advantage – the Reign had the freshly signed to a PTO Michael Leighton in net, owing to the Kings losing both Quick and Campbell to injury and forcing the recall of Peterson.
To start the game, the Gulls haphazardly pieced together defense had noticeable difficulty getting out of their own zone for parts of the first four minutes, and it was looking like Kevin Boyle might have a long night ahead of him- until Jo Blandisi and Sam Steel executed a cross ice pass on the rush with Corey Tropp driving the net. Steel scored his first AHL goal to put San Diego ahead 1-0.
At the twelve minute mark, the top line had a golden opportunity as Lundestrom made a nice move around the net to get a shot on Leighton that the veteran goaltender was forced to scramble to keep out, but Terry and Jones could not get the rebound.
With seven and a half minutes left, Max Jones made some deft moves from the right circle and almost got a decent chance alone with the goaltender, but over skated the puck.
Four minutes later, Sam Carrick was tripped coming through the neutral zone, and a ho-hum Gulls power-play was seemingly going nowhere when Max Jones received a pass coming off the left boards, made a quick toe drag to use the defender as a screen, and flipped a low wrist shot by Leighton for the 2-0 lead.
The Reign attempted to respond with heavy hitting, but only succeeded in giving the Gulls another power-play as Imama was sent to the box for boarding Oleksy. San Diego had good movement with the man advantage and used wide open passing lanes with ease until Troy Terry was given too much space and waltzed in from the right side to easily beat Leighton five hole for the 3-0 lead.
San Diego began the middle frame on yet another power-play, but failed to convert on this one. They did control play for much of the first five minutes until a Reign rush into the San Diego zone ended with an outnumbered attack on Boyle down low as Keaton Thompson over committed to the right side and the Reign got one back.
Ontario carried momentum for the next four minutes and generated chance after chance on Boyle- mostly off of uncharacteristic mistakes committed by the seemingly now half asleep Gulls. A puck battle by the left point drew Sam Steel away from his assignment and when the puck got free it made its way to the open Sutter who sent a hard wrist shot by Boyle.
San Diego regained a semblance of momentum with back to back power-plays, but with only Benoit available as a quarterback Eakins’ risky use of five forwards on the first unit came back to bite him as a breakdown lead to a Reign equalizer short handed.
San Diego had some chances to start the third, including some close ones on a power-play, but a bad turnover by Chris Forney in the Gulls’ zone allowed Ontario to pass back to the open man who sent a hard shot over Boyle’s left shoulder for the lead.
Ontario then proceeded to choke the life out of the game – playing the most boring hockey imaginable.
There was one last hope when San Diego had a final chance with the man advantage, but it was not to be as Ontario- in their typical slumber inducing style – lulled the Gulls to sleep with zero octane all defense hockey, ending San Diego’s seven game home point streak.
2024-2025 Game 12: San Diego Gulls at Tucson Roadrunners
Tucson, Arizona. After yet another disappointing last few minute loss the San Diego Gulls …