Gulls, Reign Meet In Hockey Day SoCal Matinee
Feb 1, 2020The Gulls conclude a two-game homestand today with an afternoon matinee against the Ontario Reign at Pechanga Arena San Diego (4 p.m. PT, TV: FOX Sports San Diego, Radio: San Diego Gulls Audio Network). San Diego will host its fifth annual Pink in the Rink, partnering with Susan G. Komen San Diego to promote women’s health initiatives, cancer research and awareness.
The Gulls came away with a 5-3 victory on Friday night against the San Jose Barracuda. Kiefer Sherwood tallied three goals, including two shorthanded goals, as the Gulls improve to 19-16-3-2 (43 pts.). Chase De Leo and Sam Carrick each registered two assists in the game.
However, head coach Kevin Dineen found areas of improvement for tonight's game.
“We don’t want to give up 42 shots,” he said following the big win. “Anthony Stolarz was stellar, he really was. There were areas of our game that we continue to talk about. The play along the boards. Our play on our rush coverage, we have to tighten some areas up.”
Sherwood now has 7-0=7 points in his last seven games and ranks second on the team in goals (13), trailing only Carrick, who leads the team in goals and points.
In the most recent matchup between the Gulls and the Reign on Jan. 11, San Diego came away with a 6-1 victory. Tied 1-1, the Gulls scored the next five goals to defeat their Southern California rival. San Diego killed all six Ontario power plays, while also netting a shorthanded goal in the contest.
The Gulls lead the season series with the Reign 4-3-1-0, as well as the all-time series 33-19-2-2, which includes a 16-10-2-0 mark in San Diego. Additionally, San Diego holds a 177-152 advantage in goals scored across 56 contests between the clubs.
Ontario defeated the Bakersfield Condors 4-3 on Friday night. With the win, the Reign better their record to 21-18-4-1 (47 pts.), while maintaining a four point advantage over the Gulls. However, San Diego played four fewer games than Ontario.
Martin Frk scored the Reign’s first goal in Friday’s game, marking his team-high 21st tally of the season. He has posted 7-1=8 points in his last eight games.
The forward set the AHL record in the Hardest Shot competition at the 2020 AHL All-Star Skills Competition, clocking in a shot at 109.2 miles per hour (MPH). The previous AHL record was held by Colin Miller (105.5 MPH), while also beating the NHL record set by Zdeno Chara (108.8 MPH).
Ontario netminder Cal Petersen has played the most minutes of all AHL goaltenders with 2078:40. He leads AHL goalies in saves with 1146, while posting a 17-15-4 record with a 3.43 goals-against average (GAA) and a .906 save percentage (SV%). The Waterloo, Iowa native’s 17 victories are tied for second most in the league. Against the Gulls, Petersen is 3-3-0 and has stopped 188 of 209 shots in the six games (.899 SV%).
Matthew Villalta has made 12 appearances for the Reign, registering a 4-3-1 record with a 3.46 GAA and a .891 SV%. In two starts against San Diego, Villalta is 1-1-0 with a 3.92 GAA and a .882 SV%.