Gulls Open Weekend Back-To-Back Against Condors At FivePoint Arena
Mar 25, 2021The San Diego Gulls return home fresh off two back-to-back wins to host the Bakersfield Condors tonight at FivePoint Arena (7 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV, RADIO: Gulls Audio Network). San Diego owns a 28-19-1-2 record all-time against Bakersfield, including a 15-9-0-1 mark on home ice.
The Gulls will look to continue their home-ice success this year. San Diego ranks second in the American Hockey League in home wins (8) and points (16) and tied for third in goals scored at home (34).
The Gulls enter tonight's contest after a narrow road victory over the rival Ontario Reign on Wednesday, Mar. 23 in El Segundo, CA. San Diego jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as the team continues to focus on strong starts.
“The energy we had in warmups and before the game, it seemed like we couldn’t lose,” said Gulls forward Maxim Golod, who scored his first career AHL goal - and the game-winning tally - in the win. “All the boys were buzzing right before the game. When all four lines are going and our momentum is rolling, it’s hard to beat us.”
Andrew Poturalski also recorded three points (1-2=3), and enters tonight riding a five-game point streak (3-5=8). The Buffalo, NY native has 3-10=13 points in his last ten appearances.
Poturalski ranks first among AHL leaders in assists (16) and is tied for second in scoring (5-16=21). Poturalski also paces San Diego in points, assists, power-play points (6) and power-play assists (6).
The Gulls and Condors meet for the sixth matchup of an eight-game season series tonight. San Diego owns a 3-2-0-0 record, winning all three games at FivePoint Arena.
Trevor Zegras powered the Gulls to consecutive wins over Bakersfield to open the season, posting 2-3=5 points en route to being named CCM/AHL Player of the Week. Chase De Leo leads active Gulls skaters in scoring against Bakersfield this season, recording 2-2=4 points in three games.
The Condors head to Irvine, California as one of the hottest teams in the AHL.
Bakersfield owned a nine-game winning streak from Feb. 19 to Mar. 17 and has won 11 of its last 13 games overall. The Condors currently sit second in the Pacific Division by points (23, 11-6-0-1) and point percentage (.639).
The Condors are paced by the AHL’s two leading scorers, forwards Cooper Marody and Tyler Benson. Marody tops the league in points (14-10=24) and goals. Benson ranks tied for second in points and third in assists. Former Gull Adam Cracknell owns 5-10=15 points in 18 games and leads the team in shots (59).