Gulls Go Wild in Win Over Iowa
Jan 8, 2025By Samantha Mason/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls have kicked off their five-game homestand with a win tonight, defeating the Iowa Wild 5-1.
Tonight marks the first of a four-game season series between the Gulls and the Wild. San Diego earned points in all four games against Iowa last season, going 3-0-0-1.
The Gulls came in hot, with Carson Meyer netting the first goal of the night just 17 seconds in, assisted by Sasha Pastujov and Tristan Luneau. It marks the first game in the last nine where San Diego has scored first and also marks Meyer’s first game back after injury.
"Carson picked up right where he left off," said head coach Matt McIlvane. "You can't even tell that he's missed any time. And, you know, getting on the board that early, that quick, and then finding a way to score another one. He had an impact on the game all the way through."
Yegor Sidorov scored a power play goal during the second, assisted by Ryan Carpenter and Pastujov, his 10th goal and 21st point so far this season.
The Gulls made sure to keep their momentum going in the middle frame, as Meyer netted his second of the game, making tonight his first multi-goal game of the season, bringing the score up to 3-0.
In the third period, Rodwin Dionicio scored with an assist from Pastujov and Noah Warren. Jan Mysak also got one assisted by Pasutjov and Judd Caulfield. Tonight saw an AHL career-high four assists and career-tying four points from Pastujov.
"I think we did a good job today," said Calle Clang. "We kept them on the outside. We also controlled their sticks in a very good way, so we didn't allow any tips and rebounds. It was a great team effort today."
Tonight was a milestone for Clang, who stopped a season-high 38 shots.
"I think it's great," said Meyer. "You score five goals, you're going to win a lot of games, especially when your goalie is playing the way Clang did tonight. You know, 38 saves and, combine those two, you're going to win a lot of games. So, it's a great way to start the homestand here. And I think it's something, something to build off of."
San Diego continues their homestand this weekend, where they will face the Tucson Roadrunners in back-to-back contests this Friday and Saturday night at Pechanga Arena.