Gulls Headline in Coachella Valley

Apr 13, 2025

By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com 

The Gulls will take center stage tonight, as they face the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena (5 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network). 

The Gulls couldn’t get a grip against the Bakersfield Condors on Friday, as they fell 5-0. The loss officially eliminated the Gulls from playoff contention, but it wasn’t without a fight with just four games to play. 

"The push was great," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "It was a lot of fun for a lot of moments of it. I think when we look back at the last four, there's a sour taste that feels like we fell short, and an empty feeling. There's questions and trying to find the right solutions. But there's a lot of magic that happened during this push, and unfortunately, got away from the stuff that made us so successful." 

Now with four games left, the Gulls will look to get back to looking like the team that fought for so long during the season. 

"In pro hockey, there's always something to play for," McIlvane said. "And there's guys that are fighting for opportunities for the future. There's guys who are fighting to set up their next season with the way that they finish right here. And as a team, you want to be great all the time, bottom line. And so for us, we need to get back to our team game, we need to play with pride, and we're going to push."

After tonight’s set, the Gulls will drive the tour bus back down to Pechanga Arena for their penultimate home game of the 2024-25 season Wednesday night against the Abbotsford Canucks (7 p.m. PDT).