2021-2022 Game 54: San Diego Gulls vs Ontario Reign

Hoping to continue their climb up the standings the Gulls faced a tough test against their cross-town rivals and second placed in the Pacific Ontario Reign. They would also be facing the Reign with one less veteran as Danny O’Regan was absent from the line-up without explanation but for what I could only assume was a call-up that had not been reported on AHL transactions yet.

Gates took O’Regans spot on the third line while Morgan Adams-Moisan (originally as per the line up above it was Jack Badini but that appears to have changed) drew back in to take the spot vacated by Gates on the fourth line. All other lines and pairings remained the same. Olle Eriksson Ek got the start in net with newly recalled from Tulsa Daniel Mannella backing up.

First Period:

Erikkson Ek had to look sharp as the Reign came out strong to start, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead in shots while Morgan Adams-Moisan renewed acquaintances with Jacob Doty in an attempt to get his team fired up and into the action.

It took until the thirteenth minute mark for the Gulls to finally get a shot on net and it counted as Brent Gates fired a shot coming off of the half-boards that bounced off Lucas Elvenes skate and by Matthew Villalta for the 1-0 Gulls lead.

With just under four minutes left in the period the Gulls got a lucky bounce once again as Alex Limoges found himself with a wide open net after Villalta ventured out to play a dump in that took a strange bounce to slide fortuitously for him to easily pop into the Reign net. 2-0 Gulls.

San Diego gave the Reign a golden opportunity to get back in the game when Brogan Rafferty was called for boarding while BO Groulx was also called for a face-off violation on the same shift to put the Gulls down by two men for a full two minutes. Through a mammoth effort they did manage to almost kill the entire set of minors but with under twenty seconds left on the kill and less than two minutes in the period the Reign were able to strike via rebound goal for Akil Thomas. 2-1 Gulls.

The Gulls taking a 2-1 lead and lagging in shots 12-4 at the first intermission.

Second Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – Ontario Reign 1

Despite the need for more shots and possession the Gulls started the second with relatively the same experience as the first although doing an amicable job clogging up the neutral zone and preventing the Reign from getting properly set in their zone, they did also frustratingly continue to give up possession by dumping it in the Ontario zone after each sequence.

After an exchange of Power Plays thing settled back into five on five with the Gulls applying a much better checking game which allowed them to pressure the Reign into some turnovers as well as creating some sustained possession.

Olle Eriksson Ek did not see as many shots as he had in the first but when the odd chance came his way he still needed to be sharp.

With just under three minutes left in the middle frame Bryce Kindopp gained the admiration of the Pechanga faithful with a punishing hit near the Reign blue line that created space for Hunter Drew to enter the Reign zone with time and space on the left side, the converted defender utilizing his powerful shot and beating Villalta for the 3-1 Gulls lead.

Time expired on the period with the Gulls clearly frustrating the Reign – taking a two goal lead to the second intermission but still trailing in shots 31-12.

Third Period: San Diego Gulls 3 – Ontario Reign 1

Bryce Kindopp drew another call as he was tripped chasing down a puck in the Ontario zone in the first minute of play and this time the Gulls looked dangerous with the man advantage, holding the Reign zone and opening lanes with patient passing. Hunter Drew thought he had another goal when he found time and space to drive the puck to the net. Replays showed the puck did squeak behind Villalta but it was inconclusive as to whether or not it fully crossed the line before being quickly swept back out by a defending Reign player.

The Gulls continued to frustrate the Reign while also seeing more opportunities arise as Ontario started to spread the ice and take risks to close the gap. Nik Brouillard showed great speed and hustle as he chased down a Reign player, winning the race and subsequent short-lived puck battle to then feed Bryce Kindopp who looked ever the former WHL 30 goal scorer as he wired a shot top corner en-route to the Reign net. 4-1 Gulls.

Ontario pulled Villalta for the extra attacker with over three minutes remaining and the hard working Jacob Perreault punished some sloppy play from TJ Tynan by chasing down and stealing the puck from him before firing it on the empty net. 5-1 Gulls.

San Diego taking the win with some clinical defensive play against their high-powered rivals for their third straight win and eighth in their last nine games.

Post Game Notes:

Putting The Pacific On Notice

The win puts the Gulls above .500 and officially in sixth place in the Pacific as they surpass the idle and trending-downward Silver Knights. They now sit ten points behind Abbotsford for the fifth spot as they set their sights on climbing further up the Pacific on this stretch run to the post-season. They have just fourteen games remaining so jumping over the Canucks and into that fifth spot might be a tall ask but is possible. More than likely though the Gulls will draw the Colorado Eagles in the first round as the sixth place finisher. Something I mentioned in my previous post game notes as possibly a good thing due to the Eagles parent club being a Stanley Cup favorite, but also a boring thing because the Eagles play a style that sucks all of the joy and life out of hockey.

Incoming?

The influx of Ducks draft picks finishing out their Collegiate careers should begin this week, hopefully starting with Henry Thrun – their fourth round selection in 2019. I wrote about him here. I will need to update that short write-up because the general consensus and noise surrounding Thrun is that he likely will sign his NHL entry level deal as this was his Junior year, last year did actually count for him even though he did not play for Harvard. The 6’2″ 190lbs left shooting defender has developed into a great all-rounder whose development has been trending upward every season. He finishes the year with 32 points in 35 games, setting career highs in all categories. Blake McLaughlin is the other draft selection to keep an eye on, finishing out his Senior year at Minnesota his Golden Gophers are one game away from the frozen four. He is the second to last Ducks selection from the 2018 draft that we have yet to see – (the last being his Minnesota team mate Jackson Perbix who has one more year left at College likely) and has made strides this year in all categories to become an important part of the Gophers offense. He has set career highs in assists and points this season – currently sitting at 32 points in 37 games with 20 assists. A tenacious fore-checking winger who developed more of an offensive touch this season, I am excited to see how he looks with the Gulls.

Look Out Larry

Bryce Kindopp is quietly having a year. Not only did he unexpectedly get his first NHL call up and game. He has also set career highs in assists and points, currently sitting eighth on the team in scoring with 25 points in 53 games while playing largely reduced minutes compared to last season when he was on the top line with Groulx and Limoges. This year the coaches seem to have recognized and rewarded his defensive game by making him a key part of the penalty killing unit but also relying on him for crucial moments when the Gulls are trying to close out a game. His goal tonight, as mentioned in the recap – was a 30-goal-scorers kind of goal; showing that he has that ability when given the opportunity.