Gulls Set to Take on Silver Knights

Dec 11, 2024

By Samantha Mason/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls are ready to take on the Henderson Silver Knights tonight at Pechanga Arena (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network). 

Tonight is the first time this season San Diego and Henderson will go head-to-head. The Gulls saw success last week, with two wins against San Jose and Bakersfield and a narrow loss to Ontario in a shootout, giving them five of six possible standings points. 

Strong competitiveness from the Gulls shone through in these games. Coulson Pitre scored his first career AHL goal and the game-winner on Friday against the Condors.  

"It’s a great feeling," said Pitre. "I think it was a long time coming for me. I really wanted it. To do that for the team, get the win like that, I think as a group, it was a big thing for us."

Similarly, Saturday’s contest against the Ontario Reign saw goaltender Oscar Dansk stop a season-high matching 36-of-37 shots in regulation and OT.  

"Oscar was solid," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "It's why you bring a guy like that in, to give you some veteran leadership and create calm in the net, and that's what he provided for us."

The Gulls and Silver Knights begin their eight-game season series tonight. Last season, Henderson took home all four wins of the series. The Gulls are hoping to use last week’s advancements in their matchups this week. 

"Our focus going into this year was that we wanted to be the best team at getting better," assistant coach Kris Sparre said. "We feel like we’re continuing to do that. With growth, it doesn’t always go on a trajectory that everybody wants. Sometimes there are downturns and we’ve seen a couple of those. I would say overall our team has progressed in a nice way. It’s our job now to make sure that it continues on. You get better every day. It’s a cliché but you’re going to like where we are towards the end of the season."

After tonight’s contest, the Gulls will finish out their four-game homestead on Saturday against San Jose Barracuda (6 p.m. PST).