Last Round for Rivals, Gulls Close Series with Reign
Apr 12, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
Tonight, the San Diego Gulls are renewing their rivalry with the Ontario Reign for the eighth time this season as they will meet for a final faceoff Friday night at Toyota Arena (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHL TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls kicked off their final five-game stint on the road by clinching a 4-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors Wednesday night to give a glimpse into their game plan for wrapping up the 2023-2024 season.
"We’re not just waiting this one out until the season end," Gulls captain Chase De Leo said. "We still have work to do and like I said, we’re getting paid to do a job and that doesn’t end until after April, so we got to keep showing up night in and night out... show that we belong and want to be here."
The Gulls did just that in their latest performance as San Diego skaters showed up and showed out in a strong team effort Wednesday night. It was a standout game for both De Leo and Andrew Agozzino, as they each gave their third multi-goal performance of the season to help power the Gulls to a win in the first game of the road trip.
The contest saw solid goaltending from Calle Clang who blocked 22-of-24 shots to earn his 10th win of the season. Clang was also a rock in net in the Gulls’ last action against the Reign on Mar. 14, where the 21-year-old Swede set a new AHL career-high in saves with 41.
Over seven games with the Reign this season, the Gulls have emerged victorious in four of those meetings. Tonight, they will look to make one last statement at Ontario to conclude the season series.
"For every opportunity, that’s our goal, is that we can show up and have a great team effort and try to keep learning, try to keep growing, try to keep getting better," head coach Matt McIlvane said.
San Diego will next faceoff with the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena on Sunday, Apr. 14 (3 p.m. PDT).