Gulls Put Up a Strong Fight, Fall to Condors in a Shootout
Nov 16, 2024By Samantha Mason/SanDiegoGulls.com
The Gulls fought hard against the Bakersfield Condors tonight, but ultimately fell short 8-7 in a shootout.
The first period was hard on the Gulls, although they scored first, coming from Ryan Carpenter. Bakersfield scored three goals unanswered, which resulted in goaltender Calle Clang being switched out for Oscar Dansk. Carpenter scored another goal, but the Condors scored two more to end the frame with a score of 5-2.
The second period saw two more goals from Bakersfield, and one from San Diego, scored by Pavol Regenda, assisted by Tristan Luneau.
However, the third period marked a shift in the Gulls’ energy. Both Sam Colangelo and Roland McKeown scored back-to-back goals on a power play, bringing the score up to 7-5.
"I just think the guys in the room, we're a little bit disappointed with our start, and wanted to make up for it," Carpenter said.
Josh Lopina scored San Diego’s sixth goal, assisted by Rodwin Dionicio. With less than one minute on the clock, Dionicio scored the seventh goal of the night for San Diego to force overtime, his second of the season.
Tonight marked the second time this season that the Gulls and Condors have gone to overtime. The 3-on-3 commenced, but neither team scored and forced the skills competition.
As even more excitement filled Pechanga Arena, Dansk saved the first shot from the Condors, but the Condors ultimately walked away with one more point, winning 8-7.
Although the Gulls did not bring home a win, they’re taking the momentum from tonight’s game into next week.
"We're capable of great things... our standard has to be that excellence that we've seen. We've seen what we can do when our backs are against the wall," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "And learning to develop the focus to be able to perform at our best from the start, is where we're at as a group right now. We admire our character and the resiliency and the comeback, but our job is to play 60 minutes."
The San Diego Gulls will take on the Calgary Wranglers this Wednesday at Pechanga Arena (7 pm PST).