2023-2024 Game 28: San Diego Gulls vs Ontario Reign

After finding some form in their last eleven game stretch but still remaining inconsistent in the win column the San Diego Gulls welcomed their closest and most fiercest rival to Pechanga arena to revive old animosities.

With the forward core ravaged by injury and illness Coach McIlvane was forced to insert Nick Wolff and Luca Profaca on the wings of the fourth line. Ben King was elevated to the first line in the absence of Jacob Perreault, Josh Lopina found himself on the second line wing and Travis Howe was given the fourth line centering responsibilities.

Brayden Tracey (sick), Perreault (injured), Regenda (injured), Pastujov (injured), McLaughlin (injured) and Jaxsen Wiebe (personal reasons) were the scratches.

Calle Clang was given the start with Thomas Suchanek backing up.

First Period:

Despite being undermanned the Gulls generated the first two high dangers chances of the game courtesy of Olen Zellweger and then Judd Caulfield as the first two lines caught the Reign on their heels by stretching the ice and providing a relentless forecheck. The early pressure earned a Power Play but the Reign were able to kill the minor and carried forward momentum to the games opening goal as Sam Fagemo beat Calle Clang after his line out worked a tired trio of Nathan Gaucher, Travis Howe and Kyle Crnkovic. 1-0 Reign.

Ontario smelled blood and went in for the kill, converting again on the very next shift as their depth at forward became a deciding factor. Samuel Helenius collecting a loose puck and sliding it through the legs of Clang to make it 2-0 Reign. The Gulls mismatched fourth line looking very out of their depth.

San Diego managed to settle things down for the remainder of the period as the first three lines were able to minimize the Reign zone entry and turn opportunities the other way with the odd helter skelter scramble to keep things at 2-0 from the fourth line.

Finishing the period with the first line pressing in the Ontario zone and keeping the shot total to an almost even 9-8 lead for the Reign. The Gulls down 2-0 heading to the first intermission and the shot map showing their first period play only let down by the fourth lines inability to prevent chances in close.

Second Period: Ontario Reign 2 – San Diego Gulls 0

Starting the second as they did the first the Gulls were relentless on attack and hit pay dirt less than two minutes in as Olen Zellweger showed great tenacity as he pounced on a loose puck behind the goal line after a chance from Judd Caulfield was denied, shifted and shimmied behind the Reign net before bouncing it off the back of Ontario netminder Erik Portillo from the left side. The Ducks prospect defender showing just another tool in his seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. 2-1 Reign.

The pace was frantic after the goal as the Reign attempted a response while the Gulls also met that with added momentum. As play switched back and forth across the red line it would be San Diego who got the edge as Trevor Carrick intercepted a pass in the neutral zone during a Reign rush and immediately sent it to a curling Josh Lopina. The Ducks 2021 fourth round pick looking off each of his trailing wingers to wire a shot that handcuffed Portillo enough to allow the puck to trickle behind him which Lopina then made sure of as he slammed the rebound in on the follow through. 2-2 tie game.

The San Diego push after the goal was tempered somewhat by a high sticking call to Captain Chase De Leo but the Gulls penalty kill did well to frustrate the Reign man-advantage by shifting around their diamond shape so that their quarterback had less time and space to find his trigger-man. Killing the minor, San Diego went back to the attack but it was Ontario that would strike next as a face-off in the Gulls zone was won back to Brandt Clarke who had enough time to settle the bouncing puck and wire a shot through traffic to beat Clang. 3-2 Reign.

The Reign used the goal to send the Gulls back on their heels as they cycled around their zone for a full two minute span, looking for an opening that thankfully Calle Clang was able to snuff.

After avoiding the close encounter with a two goal deficit the Gulls hit back and once again tied things up through some hard work by the Gaucher-Lopina-Crnkovic line. Josh Lopina once again finding the back of the net as he dived at the last moment to convert a loose puck that Nathan Gaucher swept to the side after a blast from Tyson Hinds sat in the crease. 3-3 tie game.

The first line got a tad over excited on the follow up and saw Andrew Agozzino found guilty of taking a penalty in the Reign zone for tripping which halted any progress at taking the lead and as the Gulls fought to keep things at two a piece time expired on the frame to send both teams to the second intermission all even. With the Reign once again holding just the narrow one shot lead in shots 19-18. The shot map showing the Gulls owning the high danger chances in the middle frame.

Third Period: San Diego Gulls 3 – Ontario Reign 3

It was a fast and furious start to the third with the Gulls once again controlling the play and earning a Power Play as a result. However; the Reign countered with an expertly executed penalty kill on the road to counteract all of the momentum San Diego had worked so hard to generate.

Play was back and forth for the next few minutes as time approached the halfway point of the final regulation frame.

With five minutes remaining it was clear the officials had misplaced their whistles as the bodies flew and those that were not airborne were obstructed at each and every opportunity by clutching hands and sticks.

With the lack of calls in evidence both the pace and punishment escalated to a crescendo in the final minute with both teams throwing everything they had at each-other but neither able to break the stalemate. This game would be decided with the extra session.

Overtime:

It was only fitting that the overtime session would play out just as the first sixty minutes did with both teams trading chances throughout the entire five minutes and San Diego holding the edge in possession. However it would be the Gulls turn to finally come away the victors in the sudden death period as in the final minute of the session a lead pass to Josh Lopina allowed the UMass alum to approach the Reign zone with speed, pull up while drawing two attackers and then feed the veteran Glen Gawdin who made no mistake. 4-3 Gulls win in overtime.

Post Game Notes:

Keep An Eye On

Kyle Crynkovic ain’t going back to Tulsa. He may not be showing it on the scoresheet just yet – but this kid is here to stay and my earlier prediction that he would be given a look while Sasha Pastujov is sent to the ECHL to gain some confidence is looking more and more likely once he comes back from injury.

Standings Update

I have been slightly distracted since just before Christmas so haven’t exactly been on top of how the Gulls are faring now after their recent winning road trip and then sporadic “here and there” set of wins and losses thereafter. They are currently still last in the Pacific with a 9-15-5 record but are only one point behind San Jose, four points behind Bakersfield and nine points behind Colorado for the final playoff spot. It is still possible, they just need to put together some more win-streaks – a tough ask with the team currently beset by injuries. So where to from here?

Moving Forward

At this point I don’t think any help is coming from the Ducks unless it is in the form of a conditioning loan. All of the depth players are no longer waiver exempt and those players that are exempt are too good/important to Anaheim to send down. I still see some deals being made because there will come a time where everyone will be healthy they will need to shed some weight, we haven’t seen Verbeek lose an asset on waivers like his predecessor did one too many times. So it feels like this story will play out much like it did last season and the one before that. With the Ducks getting the Gulls some help at the deadline or if not just before it. It’s whether or not that help will come too little too late. That said – with how the Gulls played in this game – with essentially three lines of forwards; it bodes well for when the likes of Brayden Tracey, Jacob Perreault and Pavol Regenda all return from injury.