With the announcement earlier in the day that Max Comtois would be assigned on a long-term 3 game conditioning loan and the Gulls riding the victory of the previous night, excitement levels were high.
They stayed high as Sam Steel drew a high sticking penalty and his shifty play down low in the Colorado zone resulted in an easy first goal for Max Comtois just two and a half minutes into the game.
Interestingly, Boyle was given the back-to-back start – perhaps suggesting that Eakins is ready to ride the hot hand. Far less surprising was the fact that Giovannie Fiore was scratched for Comtois rather than say Dostie or Sideroff, based off of his play the night before. It was wholly deserved and it wouldn’t be fair to scratch Dostie or Sideroff due to how well they have been playing.
Colorado managed to slow the Gulls’ torrid momentum to begin the game and generated a few chances on Boyle before Jo Blandisi drew another call, but the Gulls could not repeat their success of earlier and gave up a short handed chance that Boyle was equal to with the help of Jo Blandisi, clearing the puck off the line from behind him.
The teams traded power-plays to finish off the period (including two very questionable calls against the Gulls) and the period ended with the Gulls out-shooting the visitors 16-11.
The middle frame was deceptively uneventful in terms of scoring. Colorado continued to get chances with the man advantage – one of which San Diego got back to back breakaways on from Blandisi and Dostie, but the score remained 1-0 San Diego for the remainder of the period. Colorado were gaining momentum as time wound down, despite sloppy play by the Gulls in their own zone. Only fast work by Kevin Boyle kept them in it.
The third started with Colorado pressing once again, and even when the Gulls got a power play on what appeared to possibly should have been a five minute major elbowing penalty (but was only assessed the two). The Eagles took advantage of a haphazard San Diego power play and finally got one through Boyle to tie the game.
Max Jones took the lead right back on the following shift, diving and back-handing a rebound shot all in one motion for his second of the season.
Just over a minute later, the Gulls faced adversity when the officials elected to give the Eagles a five on three power play when Ben Thomson was deemed to be too physical protecting his net-minder. They wasted no time in bouncing a puck past Boyle off a skate in front to tie it back up again.
Four minutes later the Kossila, Terry, Jones line was buzzing in the Eagles zone again, with Kossila almost generating his own chance alone in front. The puck found itself to Jones, who put a shot on that the Eagles net-minder was equal to, but the rebound dropped below the goal line where Terry quickly pounced on it and threw it past the stranded goaltender.
San Diego controlled play for the remainder of the game, clinically disallowing Colorado the opportunity to add the extra attacker and finished off the victory.
3-2 Gulls
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