Gulls Look For A Sixth Straight Win
Jan 21, 2020The Gulls will put their five game win streak on the line tonight when they host the Tucson Roadrunners for the second time in five days tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PT, TV: AHLTV, Radio: San Diego Gulls Audio Network). During their season-high five straight wins, the Gulls have outscored opponents 22-9 with four-or-more goals in each of the five contests. The Gulls win streak has come against five different clubs and is tied for the second-longest current such streak in the AHL (also Charlotte and Lehigh Valley), behind only Texas (six games).
San Diego (17-15-2-2, 38 pts.) has also earned points in six of their last seven games (5-1-0-1) and nine of their last 12 overall (7-3-1-1). The Gulls recent success has been boosted by forwards Sam Carrick and Troy Terry consistently finding their names on the score sheet.
Carrick has nine goals his last nine games (9-4=13, +13) and 16 goals his last 18 games (16-6=22, +22), with his 17 goals and 27 points leading the club. His next point with the Gulls will tie him with Kalle Kossila (141) for second on San Diego’s all-time points list.
For Troy Terry, all he’s done is put up points in each of his five games with the Gulls since being assigned by Anaheim Jan. 10 following a leg fracture. He enters tonight with a five-game point/assist streak (2-7=9, +10), and is coming off a career-tying three points Saturday at Bakersfield (1-2=3).
“As much as he brings a skillset to our team, he’s really brought a level of enthusiasm and sincerity,” said Gulls head coach Kevin Dineen regarding Terry. “He goes out there and practices hard, he plays hard, he’s excited to be here and be a part of this. We’ve had some great conversations. He’s a high-character kid. Let’s not kid ourselves, he’s a very dynamic player. He not only puts up points, but boy is he fun to watch.”
After only meeting twice in the first three-and-a-half months this season, San Diego and Tucson meet again after last Friday’s matchup in America’s Finest City where the Gulls took a decisive 4-1 win.
“It’s cliché to say, but everybody comes together at this time of year,” said Deven Sideroff following the win and his second goal of 2019-20. “We’ve been together long enough that we all know each other so well that everybody wants to fight for the next guy beside them.”
Tucson (27-9-1-0, 55 pts.) sits atop the league with a .743 points percentage and has led the Pacific Division for most of the season. The Gulls are one of a few clubs to have success vs. the Roadrunners, having won both games on home ice in the season series. San Diego is one of two clubs to have a winning record against Tucson (2-1) and the lone Pacific Division club to do so. To date, the Roadrunners have gone undefeated against multiple Western Conference clubs, including Bakersfield (1-0), Iowa (4-0), Ontario (5-0), Stockton (4-0) and Texas (2-0).
Tucson picked up a 2-1 overtime victory Saturday in Ontario to bookend the two games in San Diego, with Brayden Burke scoring with 21 seconds left in the extra session.
Tucson’s roster has been bolstered by the Arizona Coyotes’ mandatory five-day break. The Coyotes loaned forward Michael Chaput, defenseman Kyle Capobianco and goaltender Adin Hill on Saturday.
The Gulls roster was also boosted by the Ducks Saturday, with Chase De Leo, Max Jones and Daniel Sprong joining the club. De Leo appeared in Saturday’s contest at Bakersfield while the latter two did not dress.