Pastujov Powers Gulls to 4-3 SO Win Over Firebirds
Mar 6, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
The Gulls ignited home ice Wednesday night as they took down the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a 4-3 shootout victory at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
At 7:48 in the opening frame, Coachella Valley broke the ice with a goal netted by Devin Shore to put the Firebirds in the score column first.
San Diego fired back at 14:08 as Andrew Agozzino found his 14th goal of the season (14-28=42), knotting up the score to end the first period.
Just before the two-minute mark of the middle frame, Brayden Tracey slammed in an unassisted puck to put the Gulls on top, collecting his eighth goal of the season (8-12=20).
San Diego kept Coachella Valley off the board in the second until 19:13 when Ryan Winterton landed one to tie it up.
With heightened tensions to ring in the final frame, Winterton would be the one to uneven the score at 12:07 with his second goal of the night, handing the Firebirds the lead.
That lead wouldn’t be safe for long as minutes later, the Gulls roared back on the power play with a game-tying goal launched by Sasha Pastujov. Pastujov also picked up a helper on the night (5-7=12).
"We got something good going right now, a lot of confidence in each other and we got that power play. I think everyone on the bench had a good feeling we’d tie it up," Pastujov said.
The showdown stretched into overtime, which saw neither team hit the back of the net, escalating into a shootout.
Pastujov continued his hot streak in the shootout, firing the puck past Chris Driedger to seal the deal for San Diego.
"We couldn’t have asked for a better start [to the homestand]," Pastujov said. "But, obviously, they’re first in the conference for a reason, and we’re going to expect to push on Friday, but we’re going to come in tomorrow, go over the tape, have a game plan for Friday, and just keep the momentum going."
Calle Clang was a solid shield in net, stopping 38 shots to set a new AHL career high in saves.
Tyson Hinds, Robert Hagg, and Nikita Nesterenko each tallied an assist on the night.
The Gulls will be back for more with the Coachella Valley Firebirds this Friday, Mar. 8 at Pechanga Arena San Diego to wrap up their first three of the six-game homestand (7 p.m. PST).