PREVIEW: Gull Aim To Even Series With Wranglers

Dec 3, 2022

By Brett Pickler/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls battle the Calgary Wranglers in the second game of their eight-game season series at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV, RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).

The Gulls look to get a game back against the Wranglers tonight after falling 7-3 yesterday. Calgary is second the Pacific Division with a 12-6-1-0 record. Their success this year is a result of their high-octane offense, producing 77 goals on the season.

Meanwhile, the Gulls offense is starting to produce as they attempt to end a five-game losing streak. Last night, they registered three goals with one coming on the power play. Defenseman Nikolas Brouillard registered the power play goal (PPG) moving him into a tie for second in the American Hockey League (AHL) among defenseman in this category. Right wing Rocco Grimaldi extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, registering 4-0=4 points over this stretch. Additionally, left wing Justin Kirkland recorded his 100^th career AHL assist yesterday against his former organization.

The Wranglers offense continued its high level of production. Last night saw eight Calgary players record multi-point nights, with center Radim Zohorna leading the way with 1-2=3 points. Right wing Matthew Phillips extended his point streak to seven games (5-9=14) and now sits first in the AHL in goals (14) and points (28). His linemate Jakob Pelletier extended his point streak to 11 games, recording 7-12=19 points during this stretch.

"I mean, we liked our first period," defenseman Austin Strand said. "We tweaked a couple things in the d(efensive) zone. They really like to have that third guy high in the d(efensive) zone. They have two d(efensemen) and a forward who kind of stays out really high. We just have to make sure that we're there."

This will be the second game of four consecutive matchups against the Wranglers, with the teams splitting home series between San Diego and Calgary. This gives the Gulls an opportunity to make up points within the division if they can string together some wins.

"Yeah, definitely just trying to invest in every hit, even right to the end of the whistle, making sure you're kind of not doing anything sloppy," Strand said. "You know, so many periods in a row against these guys. You got to take it period by period, trying to win every period. Yes, we got these guys a few more times. Just trying to invest; little hits and just smart plays throughout the whole game."