Osipov Scores, Gulls Fall 6-1 To Rival Condors In Bakersfield

Feb 11, 2023

By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls fell, 6-1, to the Bakersfield Condors tonight at Mechanics Bank Arena.

James Hamblin led the charge for the Condors, scoring twice in the win. Michael Kesselring and Noah Philp each recorded a goal and assist, while 2023 American Hockey League All-Star Seth Griffith picked up two assists as the Condors pulled ahead of the San Jose Barracuda to keep their hold on the Pacific Division’s seventh and final playoff spot in the tightening postseason race.

Dmitry Osipov recorded the lone goal for the Gulls, who split the weekend's games after grabbing a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against the Coachella Valley Firebirds last night on home ice. Olle Eriksson Ek, reassigned by the Anaheim Ducks earlier today, stopped 29 shots.

San Diego keyed in on a quick start and saw it pay off early, with Osipov scoring his second goal of the season at 3:38 of the opening frame.

Nikolas Brouillard came down from the point, collecting a loose puck behind the goal line and skating toward the corner. The Gulls defenseman found an open Osipov in the slot, and he wasted no time firing a shot past Olivier Rodrigue for the game’s first goal.

The goal seemed to jolt Bakersfield to life, as they tied the game 10 seconds later with a goal from Kesselring. The defenseman ends the night with a season total of 13 tallies, the most among AHL blueliners.

The offense continued to flow for the Condors, with Bakersfield grabbing the lead on an Alex Peters goal with 9:37 left in the first period. He carried the puck down from the blue line, snapping a shot through traffic and past the Gulls netminder for his fifth goal of the season.

Bakersfield kept the pressure on in the middle frame, with a trio of goals pushing their lead to four.

Hamblin scored his first of the period early in the middle frame, taking advantage of a San Diego broken stick to find open ice. With a Gulls skater down his stick, Hamblin parked near the slot, collecting a pass from Griffith and firing a shot past Eriksson Ek for his sixth goal of the season.

Bakersfield received another break later in the frame, with Justin Bailey intercepting an Eriksson Ek clearing attempt. The Gulls netminder, far out of his crease, could not recover, and Bailey slid it into the open net.

Hamblin added his second of the game with 3:15 left on the period, converting on a breakaway chance with a backhand move through the legs of Eriksson Ek.

The Condors continued to add in the final frame, with Philp collecting the team’s sixth straight goal at 2:29 of the period. It would mark their final of the night, matching a season-high for goals in a game.

San Diego will return home to face the Tucson Roadrunners on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. PT.