Game 55: San Diego Gulls vs Colorado Eagles – Mar 8

With Sam Steel and Kevin Roy being returned to the Gulls in time for this weekend tilt but with the remaining injured Gulls (Boyle, Dotchin, Sideroff, Gazdic, Eaves?) still hurt – San Diego welcomed back the two forwards to begin a tough back to back against a division rival.

The veteran line had a chance early as Adam Cracknell received a good setup pass down low but hit the post just twenty seconds in.

San Diego drew back to back penalties but were thwarted on both opportunities by the overly aggressive Colorado penalty kill. The Eagles were quick to pressure once the Gulls were set up and did not allow them any time or space whatsoever.

Colorado continued to play the perfect road game, clogging up the neutral zone and pressuring passes, the veteran line got close again in the final minute of the first when an Adam Cracknell shot-pass was deflected just wide by Sam Carrick but both teams headed to the first intermission empty handed with shots even at eight a-piece.

The second began with the Gulls on their heels as the Eagles pushed the issue early, a shot got through Glass but Patrick Sieloff was there to clear it from the line at the last moment. The play then shifted the other way and Jack Kopacka was sprung on a partial breakaway but was held before he could get a shot away, giving the Gulls their third straight power play in a row.

They looked much better with this man advantage, getting some good looks including a chance that Sam Steel couldn’t quite put away as a bouncing and deflected puck made its way to him at the back door. Overall the Gulls looked much better but could still not convert.

Play seemed to open up slightly after the power play as the teams slowly began to find more open ice, exchanging perimeter chances. Andy Welinski coughed the puck up at the red line with no defenders back and the Eagles had a clear cut breakaway but Glass came up big to keep the game scoreless.

Kalle Kossila was assessed a dubious slashing call in the final minute as Colorado kept up the pressure and teams headed to the second intermission still scoreless with shots 21-15 in favor of the Eagles.

The Gulls started the third needing to kill a minute and fifteen seconds of the Kossila penalty that carried over from the end of the second period.

It shouldn’t have been surprising that once the Gulls killed the penalty, the game proceeded to move along with little to no excitement but for a few short forays into the Eagles zone for the Gulls. On the defensive side the Eagles did manage to hem San Diego in their own zone for a full two minute shift but the Gulls were able to clear.

The rest of the game was a textbox – chapter by chapter lesson in how to win a game on the road by the Eagles. They kept every shot to the perimeter and pressured Gulls players into making mistakes or flubbing any chances they might have had.

Colorado then took the lead with seven minutes left off of a wrist shot from the point that deflected on its way past Glass.

The writing was on the wall for the Gulls from there, they did generate some further momentum and managed to get another power play with four minutes left as Chase De Leo drew a holding call but you just got the sense that things were not going to go their way and sure enough they did not. Colorado ran out the remainder of the time while I struggled to keep awake through watching a style of hockey that was so boring it brought back less than fond memories of the 90s era New Jersey Devils.

San Diego has a rematch with the Eagles tomorrow – here is hoping they can somehow break out of the spell of slumber that Colorado seems to put them under whenever they face them.

Colorado Eagles 1 – San Diego Gulls 0