Preview: Gulls Seek Second Win Over Abbotsford

Jan 20, 2024

By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com  

The San Diego Gulls will run it back at Abbotsford Centre today at 4 p.m. PST for a Sunday showdown as they will look to capture another win over the Abbotsford Canucks on their back-to-back weekend.  

Saturday night’s game at Abbotsford saw San Diego put the pressure on early, collecting two goals in the opening frame. That energy carried throughout the battle to ultimately put them on top with a 4-3 victory. 

"Our start was excellent," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "I loved their pressure. I thought we were on top of them. We won a lot of pucks back and it led to some zone time. We were very stingy and we were very responsible with the puck at the beginning of the game." 

Olen Zellweger kicked off scoring in the opening frame and shot the final goal of the evening. Tallying an assist in addition to his pair of goals, Zellweger collected a season-tying three points (2-1=3). 

The third period saw Abbotsford tie the scoreboard, but Zellweger’s game-winning goal at 14:37 was enough to prove the Canucks out of luck. 

"It's great that he used his chances like he did," McIlvane said of Zellweger. "First goal, maybe a little bit lucky off of a skate, but I thought he was active the whole game with his skating. He was threatening at the blue line and down the wall. And I thought he was responsible defensively the whole game too. 

"We know they're threatening. We know they can score. They push but we push back and we just kind of had to stay patient with the game and eventually, we got rewarded." 

Chase De Leo also recorded an assist Saturday night, his 93rd as a Gull, tying him for second-most in Gulls AHL history.  

Tomas Suchanek shielded the net from all but three of 27 shots from Abbotsford.   

Heading into tonight’s round, the Gulls’ third time contesting the Canucks this season, they will aim to keep up the strong units from their play last night, while remaining focused on the game in front of them. 

"I think they’re probably going to want to move on and just come hard tomorrow, but same for us," Zellweger said. "We kind of got to take what we did good out of this game and learn a few things that we can work on. You know, it’s a brand new game tomorrow. Can’t worry about what happened in the past." 

For the Gulls, the hunt to strike balance between playing aggressively and avoiding time spent in the penalty box has been a season-long focus. San Diego showcased refinement in that domain Saturday night, taking just two penalties and killing them both. 

"I think just as a team we’re playing more mature," Zellweger said. "Everyone is maybe building a little more chemistry together. So, all those things starting to click, it’s a fresh sheet tomorrow so it’s going to be a great challenge for us."

The Gulls will welcome the Abbotsford Canucks to their building on Tuesday, Jan. 23 for their fourth and final stand of the regular season at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST).