Gulls Come Up Short in Tight Tussle with Silver Knights
Dec 16, 2023By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fought until the finish but ultimately came up short in their shot at redemption against the Henderson Silver Knights at Pechanga Arena San Diego on Saturday night, dropping tonight’s game 3-1 to discontinue their three-game winning streak.
The teams competed tightly throughout the first frame as the back of the net was unreachable for both sides.
Tomas Suchanek was under fire in the first, defending all 15 shots to start the game.
"He’s great, he’s just so calm back there, you know, he’s going to make the saves," Nathan Gaucher said. "You just gotta play in front of him better, that’s for sure."
At 9:25 in the second, Mason Morelli of Henderson finally broke the seal, taking control of the puck unaccompanied and depositing his sixth goal of the season.
San Diego devoted an energetic effort on the ice but was unable to generate offense that could cut back Henderson’s lead, which remained steady throughout the end of the second period of play.
On the other end of the rink as the Gulls’ last line of defense, goaltender Suchanek was powerful in net, stopping all but two of 34 shots throughout the evening’s entirety.
To kick off the third, Brayden Tracey sent the teddy bears flying as he flicked one into the net 25 seconds into the final frame. The goal marked Tracey’s fifth of the season, giving him his tenth point (5-5=10).
"It’s good to see the puck go in. We didn’t have the start we wanted, for sure, we weren’t playing great, but we got the goal, and the teddy bears on the ice. We had a great crowd today, it was really fun," Gaucher said.
The Silver Knights seized a power play opportunity at 8:59 in the third, with a goal by Jonas Rondbjerg putting the team back in the lead.
Morelli put one into the empty net with 19:54 on the clock in the final period to end it.
Gaucher and Judd Caulfield both picked up assists on the night.
The Gulls will next face the Silver Knights on January 3 in Henderson for another chance at redemption.
"We didn’t give the game we wanted, that’s for sure. But we just put this one behind, learn from it," Gaucher added. "Having a better start, playing a bit better defensively, putting more pucks in the net, so, we just use this game to fuel our game and play better on Wednesday."
The Gulls will return to the rink next week to host a familiar opponent, the Rockford IceHogs, for matchups on Wednesday, Dec. 20 (7 p.m. PST) and Friday, Dec. 22 (7 p.m.), this time at home at Pechanga Arena San Diego.