Game 3: San Diego Gulls @ Stockton Heat

After dropping a very disappointing 5-1 stinker in San Jose the Gulls looked to regroup in Stockton on the second game of their back to back for the weekend. Kevin Boyle got his first start in net for the year and Coach Dineen made sweeping changes in what could only be a message sent to those he felt were not performing.

Out was Corey Tropp and Brent Gates Jr and in came Alex Broadhurst and Andreas Martinsen. Kloos and De Leo were re-united with Sherwood placed alongside them. Wideman was also scratched in favor of Scott Moldenhauer.

I missed the first eight minutes for personal reasons but did arrive just in time to see the Heat score on a five on three power-play to tie things up. Previously the Gulls had opened the scoring on a team-leading Keifer Sherwood goal. Chase De Leo stripped the puck from a Heat defender and fed him high slot just three and a half minutes into the opening action.

Things seemed to go more Stocktons way after that as they controlled play but never really threatened Boyle. While San Diego continued to look like a team that did not know each-other very well. Squandering a power-play chance late in the period when they failed to get setup in the Stockton zone due to seemingly having no plan whatsoever for how to get a clean zone entry. San Diego finished the period with just four shots on goal to the Heat’s ten. Jani Hakanpaa and Justin Kloos took the penalties that lead to the Heat five on three advantage and subsequent game-tying score.

Yes this Shot Map after the first twenty minutes is accurate, no I am not making it up.

Still with no audio on AHL TV (drink) it was hard to follow the play but both teams continued to battle for their share of time in the opponents zone and an element of chippiness crept into the game when I believe it was Zac Rinaldo (again I had no audio feed so I couldn’t be sure) tried to take off Justin Kloos’s head on what would should have been called on a clear cut charging play. Chase De Leo later stood up for his line-mate with a hard open ice hit to send (what I hoped was Rinaldo) flying at the Heat blueline.

With the hitting creating more space the game began to open up and the Gulls actually put together some chances on the Heat net but – as things have want to do thus far this season – Stockton came back with a chance of their own and finished a play in which the Gulls were unable to tidy up a rebound left after an odd man rush.

There was on opportunity for the Gulls in the final four minutes when Dostie had a chance in the low slot but couldn’t pull the trigger and Kopacka was close to retrieving the loose puck after it was knocked from Dostie’s stick. San Diego heading to the second intermission down 2-1 and shots 24-14 for the Heat.

Hoping to even things up to start the third the Gulls attempted to take control of things early, winning the opening period face-off and controlling the puck in the Heat zone – Justin Kloos eventually drawing an interference call to put the Gulls on the Power Play.

Despite getting setup they could not convert once again but did manage to carry momentum for a short period of time after the penalty had expired. However Stockton slowly but surely turned the tide and had the Gulls back on the heels on back to back shifts, scoring just before the halfway mark and again a few minutes later to make it 4-1.

At this point, I will admit that I completely lost interest in the game and spent more time looking at my phone and listening to the seven second delayed audio feed I had to use a VPN just to connect to (Thanks for not allowing people outside the US to listen Gulls?) so I completely missed Jack Kopackas beautiful backhand goal.

A minute later San Diego followed that up with a nice passing play down low to give Andrew Poturalski his first goal as a Gull. Sherwood and Carrick combining on the play and suddenly the score was 4-3 with four and a half minutes left.

But the more experienced or maybe more cohesive Stockton side re-exerted themselves to snuff out any hope of the Gulls game tying goal as they gained the San Diego zone and bled the clock.

Jani Hakanpaa took a needless interference penalty with just over two minutes remaining to kill any and all momentum San Diego might have had and Stockton were also called for slashing in the final minute but even with the extra man after pulling Boyle – the Gulls could not get the equalizer. Stockton finishing things off with an empty net goal as Daniel Sprong hilariously tried to play the part of last man back.

San Diego are now 0-3, the worst start in rebooted franchise history. They head home to face these same Stockton Heat in the home opener next Friday.

Post Game Notes:

Jack Kopacka is again, like I said, one of only a few Gulls to have shown up to start this season. His goal was beautiful and created seemingly completely on his own (no assist and from the replay I couldn’t see another Gulls in sight nearby, I am assuming he turned the puck over in the neutral zone). As much as this terrible start has dragged on my mental capacity to enjoy watching these games, he has been one of the very few bright sparks.

Keifer Sherwood is still doing what he does best. Hustling, making plays and scoring goals. What is concerning though – and this isn’t a knock on Sherwood – if someone had told me before the year started that the Gulls leading scorer to start the season would be Sherwood I would be hoping that he was just playing very well in relation to his peers. Which is kind of the case now but his peers (with the exception of Kopacka) are just not playing very good at all. With four points in three games Sherwood is trying to carry this team on his own.

What to do about Daniel Sprong? He followed up yesterdays uninspiring effort with something much worse tonight and I dont really know what the Ducks and Gulls can do with him. They can’t trade him – there isn’t much demand for a former second round pick with one assist and a tied for team worst -3 in three games in the AHL. But he clearly isn’t helping the team either, except when he decides to rush the puck himself and draw a hooking penalty because nobody can match his pace.

Pairing Hunter Drew and Simon Benoit seems to be the beginnings of a shutdown duo similar to that of Josh Manson and Hampus Lindholm – they were on ice for two of the Heats even strength goals but I would like to see them kept together to see what they can do for more than a game.