PREVIEW: Gulls, Reign Resume Rivalry Tonight At Pechanga Arena
Mar 25, 2022By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are ready to wrangle in the Reign as the team continues its club record-tying six game homestand tonight at Pechanga Arena (7 p.m. PT; TV: FOX 5 San Diego; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
In the last meeting between the two Pacific Division rivals, San Diego earned a 4-0 victory over their SoCal foes. Overall, the Gulls hold a 41-27-4-2 regular season record against the Reign, including a 20-13-3-0 in San Diego.
This win over the Reign is just one piece of the Gulls current season-high seven game (6-0-0-1) point streak. San Diego enters tonight seventh in the division standings with 53 points, just one point shy of the Henderson Silver Knights’ sixth-place spot in the Pacific Division.
"The team’s been playing really well," Gulls left wing Alex Limoges said. "So honestly, it’s we come to the rink for a game day and we know it’s going to be good night. We’re going to find our legs and we are going to find pucks and make plays. Coming in and we’re confident, we’re shooting the puck, and everybody’s having a lot of fun."
The Gulls most recent contest was a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Tucson Roadrunners fueled by a high-flying Limoges, who registered his first career hat trick and his first career fight in the win.
"It just seemed like everything was going my way and I didn’t think I did too bad in my first fight, so that’s also a bonus," Limoges said. "And we got the win. It was close there at the end, but we found a way to win and that’s what good teams do."
The three-point night matched his career high and extended his point streak into a season-high fifth game (5-4=9). He leads the team with 17 goals and has points in eight of his last nine games (6-7=13) as well as 9-7=16 points in his last 13 games.
Moreover, Limoges completed his hat trick in the final frame with what would be the game-winning goal on the power-play, expanding his team-leading power-play goal total to nine.
"We cling on really nicely with good habits, and the power play, I think at the end, is showing that, " head coach Joel Bouchard said. "There was a lot of good execution there for a team that was a little tired in the third period in a 3-3 game and the guys connected. Everybody connected and we finished off with a big goal like you said, but it was well-designed and well-executed by the guys."
The power play is a major factor in the Gulls recent success, with the team notching six man-advantage goals in its last five games. Additionally, two of these goals have been game-winning goals (Limoges’ goal on Mar. 23 and Brayden Tracey’s goal on Mar. 16).
The Gulls power play is key to their ability to close out wins in regulation. It will loom even larger tonight as it competes with Ontario’s league-leading man advantage (27.5%).
"It’s really important," Limoges said about winning in regulation. "Especially we’re gearing up for playoffs and you know sometimes you’re not always going to be feeling 100% going into games. So, you really need to stick to our game plan, which is set for a lot of mental toughness and doing the right things every shift."
The Reign enter tonight’s game with a playoff spot clinched, earning their spot in the postseason with a 6-2 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday. Martin Frk (2-2=4) and T.J. Tynan (2-2=4) posted four-point efforts in the outing. Tynan is first in the American Hockey League with 66 assists and is second in points with 79, while Frk is ranked second in goals with 33.
Tynan also leads all Ontario skaters in scoring against San Diego, averaging two points per game, with 2-12=14 points in seven games.
Frk and Tynan are an intimidating offensive duo, but Gulls netminder Olle Eriksson Ek wasn’t fazed in the team’s last meeting, stopping 22 shots to earn the first shutout of his AHL career. The Swedish netminder also backstopped San Diego to its win on Wednesday and has a 1.95 goals-against average (GAA) and .926 save percentage (SV%) in his last three games.