PREVIEW: Gulls, Wranglers Open Weekend Series In Calgary

Mar 24, 2023

By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls open a two-game set in Calgary tonight, facing the Wranglers at Scotiabank Saddledome at 6 p.m. PT (TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).

The Gulls enter tonight looking to snap a recent three-game losing skid, which includes a 4-3 shootout setback on Tuesday against the Iowa Wild. San Diego raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on the strength of two Justin Kirkland tallies but saw the Wild respond with three goals in the second frame. The teams stayed even until the shootout, where the Wild grabbed the extra point.

"Obviously, it was tough," Gulls defenseman Nikolas Brouillard said. "We had a really good first period. I thought we were all around them; we were controlling the game. In the second period, they came back. They had two power-play goals on their side that hurt us for sure. On the overtime, it went both ways, I felt like. We had two 2-on-1s, they had two breakaways. Gage (Alexander) made two nice saves. Obviously, you never want to see it end in the shootout. It's always nice to end on a 5-on-5 or 3-on-3, but it was tough. We played pretty good. It's just one of those games that didn't go our way."

Despite the setback, the team is proud of the effort.

"I think the first thing is, the word that comes to mind is response," Gulls assistant coach Kris Sparre said. "We didn't play well down in Coachella and right away, we didn't let that slide two or three games. It was addressed right away and the guys responded well. That's a testament to our leadership and the quality of people we have in the locker room."

This weekend marks the first meeting between the two division foes since a four-game set from Dec. 2 – Dec. 11. Calgary won all four meetings, including two on home ice, and blanked the Gulls in back-to-back games on Dec. 3 and Dec. 9. Brouillard and Kirkland pace San Diego with 1-1=2 points in those previous matchups.

"They're systematic; they do everything really well," Brouillard said. "They know what they're doing in the d-zone, in the o-zone. They have the third man really high and it's hard to get chances in the slot. So, we really have to play be simple, we have to be systematic - us too - and I think that's what we did in the past couple of games and it's going to help us. We only played them at beginning of the season while we were still trying to improve on a lot of stuff, and I think we did over the past couple of weeks. It's going to be tough games, but I think we're up for the challenge now."

One of San Diego’s improved areas is the power play, which has four goals in its last three games.

"I think we're finding the chemistry within the units, which is good," Sparre said about the team’s power play. "The personnel that we've added, you know, I've said it before. (Dylan) Sikura, (Chase) Priskie, these are guys that can shoot the puck. They have really good deception on the power play, and I think you need that. And the attention to detail on breakouts and seeing the value on getting set up in zone so the skill can take over. They're buying into it, and it's fun to watch."

Calgary remains locked in a tight race with Coachella Valley for the top spot in the league, conference and division standings. Entering play tonight, the Wranglers sit at 90 points, two ahead of the Firebirds, but played two more games than their division foes. Matthew Phillips is leading the charge offensively, sitting second among all skaters with 29 goals and fifth with 29-33=62 points. In net, Dustin Wolf continues his excellent season, leading all American Hockey League goaltenders in wins (36), goals-against average (2.17), save percentage (.930) and shutouts (6).

San Diego feels its recent play, despite the results, provides the blueprint for finding success north of the border.

"We want to put them on their heels more than they're put us on our heels," Sparre said. "They're a really good skating team, they forecheck well. So do we. But if we can dictate the game, we're always at our best. We're at our best when we're physical and everyone is moving their feet, and we have four lines going. We're not missing a line or two, it's four lines digging in and trying to put their best foot forward. With that, we can skate with anyone in this league. We have the skill that can put the puck in the back of the net. That will be the challenge for us."