Gulls Look For Fifth Straight Win As Rival Reign Visit Irvine
Mar 30, 2021The San Diego Gulls looks to extend their four-game win streak as they host the Ontario Reign tonight at FivePoint Arena (7 p.m.; TV: AHL.TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls look to continue their success against their Southern California rival. San Diego earned narrow victories in each of the first three meetings between the clubs, including both games on home ice.
In the first matchup, rookie netminder Lukas Dostal made 40 saves to notch his third career victory and defenseman Keegan Lowe scored the game-winning goal with five seconds remaining in regulation to deliver the Gulls a 2-1 win.
The second contest went past 60 minutes, as Chase De Leo scored his second career overtime goal to give San Diego a 5-4 win.
San Diego’s win streak against Ontario hit three games last week (3-0-0-0) with a 5-3 win at Toyota Sports Performance Center. Andrew Poturalski leads the season-series in scoring, posting 1-5=6 points.
“We know coming into these games it’s going to be a gritty one,” said Gulls forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx. “It doesn’t disappoint us, for sure. The last three games there has been a lot of battling. A lot of tripping. Those are games we like. We have some character players with a lot of grit. It suits us very well.”
The Gulls own a seven-game point streak against the Reign (5-0-2-0) and earned points in nine of the last ten meetings (7-1-2-0). San Diego owns a 36-19-3-2 all-time record against Ontario and hasn't lost to the Reign in 424 days (Feb. 1, 2020).
“I’ve just liked our composure throughout the games,” said Gulls head coach Kevin Dineen. “I think there are a lot of times where that has stuck out as a positive, we found a way to stay with the program. Play the right way. It was nice to see us rewarded.”
The Gulls will look to continue the success they’ve found in the first half of their four-game homestand, with victories over the Bakersfield Condors and Tucson Roadrunners. With a 10-3-0-0 mark at FivePoint Arena this season, San Diego leads the AHL in home wins (10) and points (20).
“It’s going to be a simple one," Groulx said. "We’re going to have to forecheck. We’re going to have to put pucks on the net and bodies at the net. We’re going to be successful when we’re playing that way. We’re really tough to play against when we’re playing with speed. We’re really tough to handle, especially offensively. That’s how we’ve been playing lately.”
Gulls netminder Olle Eriksson Ek is riding a personal four-game win streak, including wins on back-to-back nights, stopping 48-of-50 shots. The Swedish rookie ranks fifth among qualified AHL goaltenders in goals-against-average (2.02) and save percentage (.927).
“He’s been huge for us back there,” said Gulls forward Matt Lorito. “I think it’s a big help having him back there. It gives our defense confidence that he’s back there. He’s really got that calm demeanor and calm presence that goes a long way for our team.”
Ontario enters tonight's matchup with seven wins in its past ten games (7-3-0-0), but sits last in the Pacific Division by point percentage (.409).
The 2020 National Hockey League draft's second overall pick, Quinton Byfield, found his stride with points in seven straight games (5-4=9) and paces the team in scoring (6-10=16).