2023-2024 Game 15: San Diego Gulls vs Chicago Wolves

Having won their first two games of the season and then lost the next twelve the San Diego Gulls once again desperately hoped to break the skid and get their first win of the season in front of their fans at Pechanga Arena as they welcomed in the usually dominant but also strangely inconsistent Chicago Wolves. It was also revealed by the broadcast that Ducks GM Pat Verbeek was in the building to view the game in person.

Captain Chase De Leo returned from injury sustained in the preseason at the hands of the Kings Arthur Kaliyev but did not appear ready for game-time so remained a scratch, Jacob Perreault slotted in on the second line while the Gaucher and Caulfield pairing remained consistent with Pastujov joining them on the wing.

Calle Clang was given the start in net with Suchanek backing up.

First Period:

After spending the first eight minutes or so feeling each-other out the Gulls struck first as Ben King was awarded a penalty shot after being denied an opportunity on a clear cut breakaway.

The first year pro made good on the attempt to give San Diego the lead as he swooped in from the left and beat Keith Kinkaid to the glove side. 1-0 Gulls.

The old penalty issues beast reared its ugly head as first Blake McLaughlin was called for holding on Rocco Grimaldi and then Josh Lopina was called for tripping soon after. With the extended five on three the Gulls looked close to killing both minors until a cross crease pass made it by a diving Trevor Carrick and Chris Terry buried it by Clang. Officials reviewed the play to ensure the puck did not go out of play on a blocked shot from Drew Helleson previous to the shot attempt but after review it was deemed good. 1-1 tie game.

A too many men penalty to Chicago sent San Diego to the Power Play soon after the goal and the Gulls set about attempting to take back momentum and the lead. They failed miserably at that as Chicago maintained possession for the first minute of it and then as play returned to five on five some suspect 50/50 passes coming from the neutral zone lead to a turnover and some even more suspect back-checking ended in a 2-1 lead to Chicago as Rocco Grimaldi finished off a rush with a flailing Trevor Carrick desperately trying to prevent the final pass.

The visitors taking a 2-1 lead to the first intermission with the Gulls looking the worst off the two most disappointing-start-to-the-season teams, trailing in shots 11-3 and the game shot map depicting an accurate portrayal of just how the Gulls have fared thus far this season.

Second Period: Chicago Wolves 2 – San Diego Gulls 1

Starting the period with some uncertainty the Gulls slowly started to find their feet and by the six minute mark had generated back to back grade A chances that were only stopped by an unlucky bounce or a stellar save from Kinkaid.

Refusing to give in the Gulls kept up their barrage and finally broke through as Olen Zellweger showed what he needs to do much more of and more often as he wired a shot from the point through traffic that Kinkaid struggled to control and Pavol Regenda was able to collect the rebound and deposit to the side of the net. 2-2 tie game.

Chicago hit right back – as Nikita Nesterenko was called for high sticking and as the visitors got set in the San Diego zone a point to point pass one-timer beat Clang through traffic. 3-2 Wolves.

Olen Zellweger was determined to send a message to Ducks GM Pat Verbeek as he lead the Gulls response and hit right back, receiving a drop pass from Jacob Perreault in the Chicago zone and looking to use the defense as a screen to wire a shot that was at first blocked and then came right back to him for a second attempt that fooled Kinkaid. 3-3 tie game.

In another symbol of their season thus far the Gulls gave up the lead once again as Ben King finished off a perfect passing play by Chicago into his own net. 4-3 Chicago.

Then quickly fell behind 5-3 as a redirect in-front of Clang off of a point shot completely took the air out of Pechanga arena.

Despite time being against them the Gulls did not give up and spent the final two minutes of the period in the Chicago zone, getting rewarded with another tally as Jacob Perreault wound up and wired a shot from the point that beat Kinkaid clean. 5-4 Wolves.

Chicago attempted to respond right after the goal and forced Drew Helleson to take a holding penalty to prevent a bulldozing Max Comtois. Resulting in the Gulls spending the final ten seconds of the frame on the penalty kill and carrying over the man disadvantage into the third as they played a much much better period but still trailed by a goal going into the second intermission. San Diego having the better of the shots on the frame 11-6 but behind overall 17-14. The shot map indicating the Gulls doing a much better job of preventing high danger chances but also needing to establish themselves more in front of the Chicago net themselves.

Third Period: Chicago Wolves 5 – San Diego Gulls 4

After killing the minor to Helleson at the start of the period, San Diego went to the attack and Sasha Pastujov almost tied things up as he intercepted a pass from Kinkaid behind the Chicago net but couldn’t quite get it out in front and into the opposing net in time.

A Wolves cycle in the San Diego zone led to a Jacob Perreault tripping call and as the Gulls killed most of the minor Max Comtois evened things up by slashing Calle Clang after he made a save in front.

The resulting Gulls Power Play was a non event as the Wolves stretched the ice by committing a fore-checker down low and then using the rest of their personnel to guard the blue line, confusing the Gulls completely as they failed to adapt to the tactic and were unable to do their usual rush and drop-pass. It made me wonder if they had even been shown any tape of this Wolves team and their game-play.

The Gulls luck went from bad to worse as a Wolves intrusion in the San Diego zone added to their lead as a point shot that was going wide was inadvertently deflected by Robert Hagg onto the Gulls net and forced Calle Clang to make a stop that popped a rebound out front that was instantly pounced on. 6-4 Wolves.

A Gulls face-off in the Chicago zone saw Olen Zellweger send a point shot on net that was deflected by Regenda and past Kinkaid but the Wolves instantly challenged it for a high stick on the play. The replay showed the puck hitting Regendas body and not his stick but the goal was still overruled because nothing can go right for San Diego apparently.

The Gulls didn’t give up and pulled Clang with under two minutes remaining but the score remained 6-4, setting a new record for longest losing streak for the club in what should have been one of their strongest years.

Post Game Notes:

Changes Coming?

A club record thirteen game losing streak cannot be easily ignored and so it was good to hear that Verbeek was taking in the game in person tonight. Here is hoping this means the Ducks act quicker in making changes and providing more support to right the ship than they have in the previous two seasons. I have it on good authority that a lot of vets that have come in at previous trade deadlines and then been allowed to walk at the conclusion of the season, have actually wanted to stay, but for whatever reason the Ducks either didn’t offer them a contract or did not offer them enough. Every successful AHL club has a good mix of youthful talent and established but consistently-able-to-contribute veterans, I will admit I thought this incoming crop of talent would be able to make up for the lack of the Grimaldis, Priskies and Sikuras but clearly I was very wrong. Here is hoping the Ducks have realized this too and actually do something about it. On the note of veterans and AHL clubs…

The Chicago Experiment

If you didn’t already know, the Chicago Wolves are the only independent club in the AHL this season after a slightly messy breakup with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of last season. What that means is the Wolves are relying solely on a mix up vets trying to produce enough to garner the notice of NHL clubs and some undrafted youngsters that were unable to secure try-outs in the preseason. It’s a unique dynamic as the vets are clearly only out for themselves while the youngsters are just hoping to learn the game at the next level in their first year as pros. Given so much uncertainty about getting a shot at the big show you can kind of see why the Wolves haven’t been as good as they usually are this season.

I Just…. No Words

Nobody thought the Gulls could get any worse than they were last season and yet somehow they are. There are so many questions surrounding this team. Is it the players? The coaching? Bad luck and now under-confident and mentally unprepared youngsters? I don’t think McIlvane is in the firing line given how Verbeek coveted him for so long. One has to wonder if DiMaio might be though. After all; I can count the amount of good he has done for the team during his tenure on one hand. All I can say is the same thing I have said over and over and over again. The team was playing at its best after the trade deadline the last two years, once the Ducks made moves to bring in help but doing it way way way too late for it to really matter and then letting those veterans that they brought in walk in the off-season. I don’t really have anything else to say other than – like you dear reader, I am sick and tired of it. I’m just glad its only hurting me in the form of a yearly AHL TV subscription and not a season ticket sized dent in my budget like the rest of you.