Preview: Gulls Take on Canucks in Trio of Battles
Jan 20, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com 
After an action-packed homestand, the San Diego Gulls are headed to Abbotsford Centre tonight to commence a back-to-back weekend as they take on the Abbotsford Canucks in three straight games (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
Tonight, the Gulls will look to right the ship against the Canucks to establish the tone for their three upcoming battles in the next four days. Following the weekend, the Canucks will then travel to Pechanga Arena San Diego for a final round on Tuesday in the Gulls’ building.
"They’re fast, and they play fast," head coach Matt McIlvane said of Abbotsford. "They hunt extremely hard. They play really disciplined and organized. They’re not going to give you much. So, you have to be able to have that patient mentality and be extremely, extremely tight in our own game play."
In their last game with the Canucks in late October, the Gulls dropped a 5-2 decision.
San Diego has come a long way since Abbotsford saw them last. The Gulls are fresh off a three-game homestand earning five of six possible standings points, including a win over the defending Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds.
In gritty back-to-back matches with the Iowa Wild at home last weekend, the Gulls showcased aggressive and competitive play, seizing the victory in a shootout on Friday, while dropping an overtime game to Iowa on Saturday.
"It's huge. It’s so important, all these points," Gulls captain Chase De Leo said. "I thought the boys followed up with good energy, and a lot of pace, and to be able to get some points is huge, although we want all of them.
"Our coach talks about being consistent and just playing with consistency and I think that we’re going to struggle with that obviously with all the penalties we’ve been taking... Wish we could’ve got to win, but happy with the point at least. I like the way our team is working right now."
Saturday’s contest saw Glenn Gawdin score San Diego’s lone goal of the evening, a shorthanded goal at 6:06 in the third, earning his 10th of the season. He now has points in three straight games (2-1=3).
Calle Clang was a solid shield in net, stopping 35-of-37 shots.
Over the weekend, San Diego played competitively and with intense emotion on the ice, though that didn’t come with the absence of penalties.
"[We] got to figure out a way to stay out of the box and give ourselves a chance," De Leo said.
"We looked pretty competitive to me, really all the way through," McIlvane said. "The challenge is how smart can we play all the time… It’s tough. We were incredibly competitive. What we have to do is find that line with composure, because you can be relentlessly competitive, and be in total control of the whole game. I think that’s what we’ve got to stay focused on, and not put ourselves in situations for the ref to put their hand in the air. We don’t have to run the risk in a lot of these situations and that’s got to be our focus.
"I thought that there’s so many positives to come out of the weekend. It starts with all the effort that so many people put into getting that rink ready to play. That was a valiant effort."
Heading into this evening’s battle, the Gulls will aim to build momentum on the ice early and continue their streak of highly competitive play, while searching to strike balance to avoid time spent in the box.
"We’ve got a week to prepare for one opponent, to play them three times," McIlvane said. "So, let’s zoom in on them and see if we can treat this like a playoff series."
Tomorrow, the Gulls return to the rink at Abbotsford Centre for a Sunday showdown (4 p.m. PST) before preparing to host the Canucks on home ice at Pechanga Arena San Diego on Tuesday, Jan. 23 (7 p.m. PST).