2024-2025 Game 49: San Diego Gulls at Bakersfield Condors

Bakersfield, California. After winning four in a row and five of their last six games the San Diego Gulls hope to make it five in a row in a pivotal match against a team seven points a head of them and hovering around the final playoff spot.

After being awarded the first star in the previous win with his multi goal and multi point effort Coulson Pitre joined the injury list, announced as day to day with an upper body injury. Thankfully Yegor Sidorov returned from his ailment and took his spot on the second line. No other changes were made to the line up.

Oscar Dansk was given his fifth straight start on the back to back with Buteyets backing up while Calle Clang, Travis Howe, Jaxsen Wiebe, Coulson Pitre, Noah Warren and Carson Meyer were the listed players with injuries.

First Period:

Given the surprising lack of recent history between the two squads it took the first few minutes of action for them to feel each other out. The Condors gifted the games first quality chance by a bad turnover from Jeramie Biakabatuka.

The Gulls were able to threaten the Condors zone via some nice work from the Colangelo line but were also seemingly unable to find an answer for the Bakersfield fourth line which created turnovers down-low at will.

A hooking call to Tristan Luneau gave the Condors the first man advantage of the game, but the Gulls did a good job at holding the blue line and prevented Bakersfield from getting a single shot on goal during the two minute infraction.

Time crawled by on the period with chances largely favoring the Condors and the majority of which created off turnovers or from tips in front. The Gulls in contrast struggled to find much open ice to deploy their speed game.

With just under four minutes remaining with Bakersfield largely in control and in possession of the puck in the San Diego zone, Nathan Gaucher was prevented from getting to a loose puck by a clear interference call and the Gulls headed to the Power Play.

A Sasha Pastujov zone entry fed Justin Bailey down the right side with space who elected to spin-o-rama a pass across to the left side where it was sent on net and then bounced to the right side where it appeared to either go in or hit the cross bar but Officials had to wait until play was stopped at the next whistle to review the play. Upon review it was deemed no goal.

A rather less than exciting opening frame ending with Bakersfield largely in control as they outshot and out-chanced the Gulls. Shots were 11-7 Condors with the shot map showing San Diego needing to work on their transition in order to get their speed game going.

Second Period: San Diego Gulls 0 – Bakersfield Condors 0

Some behind the play testiness saw Justin Bailey and Carl Berglund go for roughing and the ice immediately opened up as teams traded chances at four a piece. Bakersfield generated the better of the opportunities and as play returned to five on five the battle of wills to score the games first goal continued.

Bakersfield once again carried play and kept San Diego from exiting their zone with speed or possession for the next few minutes of play until the Pastujov line was able to jump the boards and launch a brief counter attack.

The Gaucher line drew another call on the Condors to give the Gulls their second man advantage of the action as time passed over the midway point of the period.

The first unit were unable to really get set and were almost too relaxed about controlling the puck to their detriment but as the second unit came on, some great work by Jan Mysak to dig out a loose puck at the boards and then immediately find a wide open Yegor Sidorov in the high slot saw the recently returned from injury forward wire a shot that beat Olivier Rodrigue clean. 1-0 Gulls.

Who thought it was a good idea to leave Sido that open??#LetsGoGulls | #SDvsBAK pic.twitter.com/mFdk8YM604

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) February 22, 2025

Bakersfield hit right back – taking advantage of the Gulls suddenly mistake ridden breakout to force a turnover and wire a point shot from Blake Caggiula that beat Dansk low to the glove side. 1-1 tie game.

Sensing things opening up the Gulls responded with a point shot of their own as Roland McKeown one-timed a shot from the blue line that was deflected by Condors players on its way past Rodrigue. 2-1 Gulls.

🚀🚀🚀#LetsGoGulls | #SDvsBAK pic.twitter.com/QGfI2jTQ1F

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) February 22, 2025

Bakersfield tried to respond but San Diego locked things down and clung to their one goal lead as the second intermission ended. Shots were 15-10 on the period and 26-17 overall.

Third Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – Bakersfield Condors 1

Bakersfield came out with a predicted push to start the third but San Diego were dialed in and kept all that they could to the perimeter.

Dillon Heatherington gave the Condors an easy opportunity as he air-mailed a clearance over the glass on the full but the Bakersfield man advantage was dead on arrival much to the chagrin of the home play by play guy that I was forced to listen to. Having dispatched the minor San Diego headed back to the attack and started to throw the body in an effort to wear the Condors down.

Bakersfield continued to press and drew another call as Dillon Heatherington was penalised yet again, this time for tripping and the Condors headed back to the Power Play. Again the Gulls killed it with relative ease as the Condors were their own enemies, sending errant passes to nowhere and standing static to allow San Diego to seal off all shooting lanes.

At the 8:41 mark the Gulls registered their first shot on the Condors net courtesy of a two on one break but San Diego were unable to hold the zone after that and went right back to defending their own zone as the clock slowly ticked away.

Justin Bailey chased down and finished a hit on a Condors player that fell awkwardly as Bailey initiated the hit and once the dust settled the Gulls were awarded the Power Play. The minor was erased without a shot on net for San Diego as the Gulls were happy to continue to run the time down and time approached just three minutes left in the period.

Justin Bailey was goaded into a cross checking penalty with just over two minutes left and as the Condors pulled Olivier Rodrigue for the extra attacker, another terrible zone entry from Bakersfield allowed San Diego to immediately turn the puck over and Dillon Heatherington fired a shot from his own zone into the Condors empty net. 3-1 Gulls.

With two minutes left – the party wasn’t over as Captain Ryan Carpenter also found a loose puck in the neutral zone and struck the empty net to make it 4-1.

San Diego taking the 4-1 win in a game that did not feel that they gave their one hundred percent full commitment to.

Post Game Notes:

Contagious Confidence

San Diego did not completely deserve to win this game, they did play a very good defensive game but they have also looked a hell of a lot better in more recent outings. It is as if the Condors just gave up and went through the motions after the Gulls took the lead in the second. When you are winning you are doing everything right and even when you aren’t doing things right you still somehow find a way to win. It is nice to be on that side of things for a change, the Condors looked just like the Gulls did in the middle of a losing streak – lifeless and without direction. No complaints from me – if San Diego can strike and take advantage of a Conors squad at an all time low then that is extremely fortuitous timing.

Concern In The Crease

As noted by Charlie Meredith in my twitter mentions, the Gulls really do not have any confidence in Buteyets as Dansk is given start after start but it does beg the question. What will they do on a back to back such as this and how can they expect to do this for the rest of the season given Clang is likely out for another month or so. Do they make a move for another goaltender at the deadline? Or just wait it out and hope that Clang or Suchanek returns soon and can help shoulder the load. Suchanek is due back in March and that is not very far away, there are just three games remaining for the month of February…

Standings Update

This win puts San Diego just five points back from Bakersfield now and the final playoff spot though as the Condors play by play guy was quick to point out tonight on the broadcast – they “are still underwater” and I tend to agree with his assessment that you would have to think that a .500 record is a minimum requirement to make the post-season. The Gulls need six more wins to reach this mark and have 23 games remaining. The final playoff spot is within reach but it is going to mean that San Diego drop at minimum I would say six losses in their remaining slate of games. Buckle in folks – we are in for a wild ride to the finish.