LIVE: Gulls Fall To Reign 4-3
Feb 19, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fell to the Ontario Reign 4-3 in the third period of tonight's game at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
T.J. Tynan (1-2=3) and Martin Frk (2-1=3) powered the Reign to their fifth win in six games against the Gulls.
Bryce Kindopp, Brent Gates Jr. and Trevor Carrick scored for San Diego.
Third Period Recap
Gates Jr. brought San Diego within one, scoring his sixth goal of the season at 4:29 of the final frame.
Kodie Curran fed a puck from the slot toward the net. Villalta made the initial save, but left the puck in the slot, where Hunter Drew won a net-front battle. Gates Jr. quickly collected the puck and elevated it to continue his scorching-hot streak.
The Grand Rapids, MI. native stretched his goal streak to a career-high three games (4-0=4) and already surpassed his previous career-high for goals in a single season.
With the assist, Curran collected his second multi-point (and multi-assist) game this season. Drew extended his point streak to three games (2-1=3).
Tynan would score on the power play with 6:25 left in regulation, once again pushing Ontario's lead to two.
The reigning Les Cunningham Award winner (American Hockey League's most valuable player) collected his third point of the game (1-2=3). He leads all Reign skaters with 12 points (2-10=12) in six games against the Gulls.
Frk collected an assist for his third point of the night (2-1=3).
Carrick brought the Gulls within one late in regulation, slapping a shot from the point past Villalta for his fifth goal of the season.
Second Period Recap
Aidan Dudas doubled Ontario's advantage with his ninth goal of the season at 10:18 of the middle frame.
A long stretch pass from Jaret Anderson-Dolan sent the Reign in on a 2-on-1 rush. Dudas looked to move the puck across the ice, but it deflected off an oncoming Gulls defenseman and past Lukas Dostal for the goal.
Bryce Kindopp cut the deficit in half with 3:36 remaining in the second period.
Fresh off a penalty kill, the Gulls rushed into the Ontario zone on a 4-on-2 rush. Curran took a Nikolas Brouillard pass in the middle of the ice, firing a shot that Reign netminder Matthew Villalta stopped. He kicked the puck back out in front, where Kindopp chipped it into the open net for his sixth goal of the season.
Frk restored Ontario's two-goal advantage, scoring his second of the game with 1:52 left in the period, scoring on a hard wrist shot from the faceoff circle for his 24th goal of the season.
The Reign will begin the third period with 1:05 left on a 5-on-3 penalty kill.
First Period Recap
Frk opened the scoring at 4:18 of the first period, converting on a 3-on-2 rush for his 23rd goal of the season.
Tynan transitioned the team from defense to offense in the neutral zone, feeding the puck to Tyler Madden. The forward found Frk streaking toward the net, and Ontario's leading goal scorer slid his shot past Dostal for the game-opening tally.
Despite the early goal, Dostal stood tall, stopping 12-of-13 shots in the opening frame. Villalta turned aside several high-quality scoring chances, recording six saves.
Dostal enters tonight 9-7-0 with a 2.65 goals-against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV%). Dostal allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last six outings while posting a 4-1-0 record with a 1.87 GAA and a .944 SV%. With a win tonight, the third-round Anaheim Ducks selection from the 2018 NHL Draft will move into second on the club's all-time American Hockey League wins list.
Villalta is enjoying his best professional season, entering tonight with a 15-3-4 record, a 2.59 GAA and .917 SV%. The 15 wins represent a new career-high for the Kingston, ONT. native. He's allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his last nine games. He's perfect against San Diego this season, collecting three wins with a 1.67 GAA and .933 SV%.
Pregame News and Notes
Tonight marks San Diego's inaugural Casino Night, a new theme night for the 2021-22 season. The Gulls will wear a specialty jersey accented with red, black and the suits found on a deck of cards. The player-worn jerseys are available via an in-arena raffle and online auction here. Additionally, the team's foundation is also selling signed Surprise Pucks. All proceeds benefit the foundation as it works to support local ice rinks.
The Gulls are 41-25-4-2 overall against the Reign, including a 20-12-3-0 record at home. San Diego is 1-3-1-0 this season against their SoCal rivals and lost its most recent outing against Ontario, which ended in a 5-4 overtime defeat on Jan. 8. Brayden Tracey leads the Gulls in scoring against the Reign, with 2-3=5 points. Tynan is a thorn in the side for San Diego, entering tonight with 1-8=9 points in the season series.
San Diego enters tonight brimming with confidence, winning three of its last four games (3-1-0-0). The recent stretch puts them one point ahead of the Tucson Roadrunners for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Gulls also have two games in hand on their Arizona rivals.
Ontario - who sits second in the division - comes into tonight's game after a 5-1 loss to the Bakersfield Condors on Monday. Despite the setback, the Reign are 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games and trail the Stockton Heat by two points for the top spot in the division.