Gulls Go Quiet In 3-1 Loss To Coachella Valley
Dec 27, 2023By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls couldn’t find any offense in their first game out of the holiday break, as they fell 3-1 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena.
Tomas Suchanek was a bright spot for San Diego, stopping 41-of-44 shots, the most in his young AHL career.
"It's a great asset with our depth that we have in the net," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "These last two games didn't need to be this close even if it wasn't for the goalies."
Shane Wright started the scoring for Coachella Valley with a power-play tally at 5:48 in the first. There was no action for the rest of the period, as both Suchanek and Ales Stezka were solid in net.
The second didn’t have much offense to start either until Marian Studenic deposited a loose puck after the Gulls got caught in their own zone at 17:30 in the middle frame.
The third started with another Coachella Valley goal, as Ryan Winterton extended the lead to three.
Chase De Leo spoiled the shutout bid with 1:11 left, as he netted his fourth goal of the season. Judd Caulfield picked up the lone assist, giving him three helpers in his last two games (0-3=3).
"Judd brings it every single game," De Leo said. "He plays the exact same way. It's consistent and, I mean, what more can you ask for than that. I was happy to get rewarded. I think he got rewarded so hard work pays off. Like I said, we just got to simplify and good things happen. So, we need to be mad about this right now. But quick turnaround. Obviously, we play tomorrow night at home, so just got to be pissed off but forget about it. Short term memory and figure it out tomorrow."
The Gulls were without Brayden Tracey (illness) for the night. Jacob Perreault missed the final frame to add insult to injury for a San Diego squad on the mend.
"Lineup changes, injuries, breaks are excuses, and we didn't perform like we can, and that's on us," McIlvane said.
"I think we can easily clean up the way we managed the puck. I thought it was real poor today and bring a little bit more energy and intensity to the game. This game is meant to be played with energy and emotion. We sure can bring a whole lot more."
The San Diego Gulls return to Pechanga Arena San Diego tomorrow night for their final home game of 2023 against the Ontario Reign (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).