Hoping to get their first back to back win of the season the Gulls changed things up a bit by re-inserting Vincent Marleau and Morgan Adams-Moisan back into the line up.
The top line remained intact while the others were switched around somewhat as Jack Badini and Hunter Drew were sat to make room. Defensive pairings remained the same while Olle Eriksson Ek was given the start on the back to back.
Axel Andersson and Kodie Curran remained out with injuries.
First Period:
Much like the night before a good chunk of the first period was spent watching both teams work their way through a feeling out process with minimal to no shots. Then Greg Printz got the Gulls first real chance and the follow up allowed almost all four lines to roll through the San Jose zone, peppering shots on the Barracuda net.
San Diego continued their momentum from there with what felt like an inevitable opening score coming at the hands of Niklas Brouillard, gathering the puck near the blue line, pulling in a defender then wiring a shot through the screen set by said defender that beat Melnichuk clean. 1-0 Gulls.
The Barracuda managed to hold the Gulls at bay for the next few minutes before San Diego broke through again on a play that likely should have been a penalty against them as Greg Printz got his stick in the feet of a Barracuda player who subsequently went down. Nik Brouillard then collected the puck skated down the wing, making a nifty inside-outside move before feeding Printz at the right side of the net. 2-0 Gulls. Thanks refs?
San Diego continued to generate the better of the chances on the period before Buddy Robinson was called for holding with three and a half minutes left.
The Barracuda Power Play looked dangerous for the first minute, getting back to back one-timers on the San Diego net – the second of which Olle Eriksson Ek had to be very quick to stop. Vinni Lettieri forced a turnover and a breakaway but could not get the puck to settle and Kindopp did the same again almost a minute later.
San Diego was able to kill the minor then wind down time in the period to skate into the first intermission up by two and ahead in shots 11-6. The shot map indicating that even with the Barracuda having a late period Power Play, they still limited shots and high danger chances with some very strong defence.
Second Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – San Jose Barracuda 0
San Diego started the period well but then found themselves on the penalty kill once again as Greg Pateryn was goaded into a stupid and somewhat dangerous holding penalty by Adam Raska.
San Jose wasted no time capitalising on the man advantage on the rush and catching the Gulls flat footed in their own zone, beating Olle Eriksson Ek on a passing play in the slot and a perfect shot to the far post. 2-1 Gulls.
The Barracuda carried momentum forward from the goal, slowly but surely gaining territory with each successive shift in the San Diego zone.
Jacob Perreault continued his campaign of annoyance drawing another call when Mark Alt boarded him by the San Jose bench and drew a crowd as the Gulls came to their young wingers defence. The Gulls Power Play did manage some chances in front but could not get another by Melnichuk. Rolling with the momentum San Diego set up in the San Jose zone and continued to try to find another way to solve the Barracuda netminder before Morgan Adams-Moisan shifted momentum back the other way by taking himself out of the play and the game when he attempted a hit on Adam Raska but missed and appeared to hurt his shoulder in the process. The Barracuda were then able to take advantage of the overlap in numbers and put some pressure on the San Diego net before Jacob Larsson was called for tripping during the brief battle.
The Gulls killed what little of the minor remained in the period and headed to the second intermission up by one but now even on shots 17-17. The shot map showing the significant momentum shift in the period.
Third Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – San Jose Barracuda 1
The start of the final frame could be easily mistaken for the previous nights as the Gulls began by playing a conservative cat and mouse game with possession. Forcing the Barracuda to dump the puck in then retrieving and breaking it out before lightly dumping it back for a quick change. Again I did not feel this was a good strategy and sure enough San Jose found a way to create a high danger chance on Eriksson Ek that the Ducks 2017 draft selection was forced to make a huge cross-crease lunging stop on.
San Diego appeared to wake up after that, getting some time in the San Jose zone but never looking particularly threatening while the the Barracuda counter attack came closer and closer to tying things up.
As things briefly opened up in the final four minutes Limoges and Groulx were stopped on a two on one and Eriksson Ek then made the stop on the follow-up counter rush.
The Barracuda pulled Melnichuk with a minute and a half left but the Gulls held off the last ditch barrage to hold on for their second straight win and their first winning streak of the season.
The win moved the Gulls into a tie with San Jose for second to last in the division and just points away from overtaking Colorado and tying Abbotsford for fifth.
Post Game Notes:
Nik “The Honey Badher” Brouillard
I realise I haven’t given Brouillard a nickname yet and this week I thought of the perfect one. If you haven’t already seen the infamous youtube video – the Honey Badger is an animal that quite frankly “does not give a shit”. It will straight up eat poisonous snakes, fight lions and Cheetah Cubs have genetically developed to resemble a Honey Badger as a natural defense mechanism. Anyway, Brouillard is on a three game point streak with five points in that span and is all of a sudden second on the Gulls in scoring with nine points in ten games. If you are wondering why the nickname, well its because he is 5-11 but doesn’t let that phase him, always looking for and tussling with the biggest guy on the other team. He doesn’t give a shit.
Somebody Going Up Again...Oh and Perreault is top ten in league scoring.
It was announced this morning that Mason McTavish had been returned to his Junior team in the OHL, leaving the Ducks with no forwards in reserve right now and McTavish’s spot seemingly about to be filled by the returning-from-injury Rickard Rakell. So the writing is on the wall that at least one forward will need to be called up but who? Jacob Perreault does deserve the next call-up but only if he is actually going to see game-time otherwise, whats the point? This spot – if Rickard Rakell is indeed good to go – would just be as injury cover; so the more logical choice would be Vinni Lettieri. Oh and by the way. Jacob Perreault is now tied for sixth in league scoring with 15 points in 12 games. So the Gulls are going to lose a forward and a good one, but its not all bad news…
The Good News
As mentioned – this win brings the Gulls up to tied with San Jose for second to last in the division. Which may not sound that great. But the thing is – the Pacific has actually been pretty bad thus far. Apart from Stockton and Ontario – currently second and third in the league overall – the rest of the Pacific has been not so great. The remaining seven clubs are all a couple of games either side of .500 which means the Gulls can leapfrog themselves into playoff contention by stringing just a few more wins together.
In A Perfect World
Greg Pateryns most idiotic penalty in the second period set me to wishful thinking about how best the Gulls could do without him in the line-up. It also made me wonder how long Kodie Curran would be out for and what exactly it is that is keeping him out. Ideally the perfect defensive set of six would have Axel Andersson coming back to take Pateryns spot and Kodie Curran taking Brendan Guhles. Guhle hasn’t actually been that bad lately but of the three left-side defenders, he is the most likely to commit the odd brain-fart. He is generally good for at least one per game.
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