Gulls Fall Short to Canucks at Home
Nov 2, 2024By Samantha Mason/SanDiegoGulls.com
The Gulls sustained a painful loss to the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday night, falling short 3-1.
This defeat is especially tough after San Diego was victorious after their last meeting with Abbotsford. The first goal of the match came from center John Stevens at nine minutes even into the first period, assisted by center Aatu Räty and right wing Jonathan Lekkerimäki.
Abbotsford made way with another goal scored by Aatu Räty in the second period, with an assist from John Stevens.
The second period did not see any vast improvement from the Gulls. Goaltender Calle Clang, however, was solid in net, turning away 25-of-27 shots.
"He did a heck of a job," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "He’s the backstop we needed to give us a chance today."
A third goal came from Aatu Räty in the third period when Clang had been pulled for an extra skater.
"We’re a new group together," McIlvane said. "There’s time required in order to be able to find our way. This is more time than we all would have hoped, for sure on that…really what we’re searching for right now is consistency."
There was a positive turn in the final moments of the match. San Diego’s first and only goal of the night came from defenseman Roland McKeown with only one minute left on the clock, assisted by Ryan Carpenter. America’s finest fans made sure to show their excitement for the goal, regardless of how the game had been going.
Although the Gulls did not leave this match with the results they had in mind, there is room for improvement for their next meeting with the Canucks.
"We can build on the competitiveness. It was good in spurts of the game," McIlvane said. "To get a result, we have to be a little bit smarter."
The Gulls will face the Canucks again tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. PST at Pechanga Arena.