Lukas Dostal's Excellent Effort Falls Short As Gulls Blanked By Rival Reign
Apr 15, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls will need to wait another day to punch their postseason ticket.
The Gulls dropped a rivalry matchup against the Ontario Reign, falling 3-0 to their Southern California rival at Toyota Arena. They remain in the seventh – and final – playoff spot in the Pacific Division and need two points to clinch a berth in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
"We’ve lost four in a row and I don’t think we’ve played terrible and it’s fine," Gulls head coach Joel Bouchard said. "We’ve had a lot of good games lately and there’s some games that I’ve got here after games and I said, ‘Well, we won, but it’s wasn’t perfect,' and you know, we’ll never have a perfect game. I don’t think we’re getting dominated. They’re a good team and they take advantage of their opportunities. I don’ t think with a bunch of young guys and we have to move the lineup because of injury. I think we’re holding our own, we’re growing, we’re learning.
"They’re a great team, don’t get me wrong. They have the top leading scorer in the league, they’ve got really good players, they’ve done a good job, but I think our guys are doing fine. We’re working hard, we’re there. Keep learning and growing."
Gulls goaltender Lukas Dostal played exceptionally well in the loss, stopping 26-of-28 shots in the loss.
Cameron Gaunce led all skater with 1-1=2 points while Martin Frk and Taylor Ward scored for the Reign, who guaranteed themselves no lower than a second-place seeding following their win and a loss by the Colorado Eagles. Ontario sits five points back of the Stockton Heat for first in the Pacific Division.
Ontario's rookie netminder David Hrenak made his American Hockey League debut, stopping all 25 San Diego shots to record his first professional win and shutout.
Dostal made the play of the game early, shutting down Frk on power-play chance in the first period. The Gulls goaltender read a cross-ice pass, sliding to get his body in front of Frk's one-time bid. The puck squeaked through, sitting dangerously on the goal line before Trevor Carrick swiped it out of the way.
Moments later, he rose to the occasion again, turning aside T.J. Tynan’s chance at the far post.
Ontario wouldn’t be denied, eventually cashing in on a Ward power-play goal at 8:34 of the opening frame.
"Yeah, and I think he’s been a little bit unlucky lately too," Bouchard said of his goaltender. "I think it’s finding a way and when we give some chances, they’re decent ones and he made some saves and sometimes they go in. You look at the first goal - it actually goes through Brouillard’s legs and then deflected down and it goes in. They don’t go in all the time, those ones, (sometimes) go in."
The man advantage continues to play a role in this three-game rivalry series. Ontario is 3-for-7 while the Gulls are scoreless in nine power-play opportunities.
"Yeah, I mean they have a really good power play," Gulls center Danny O'Regan said. "They have a lot of good players and they move the puck around well. So it’s obviously easier if we take zero or a couple penalties rather than four or five. It’s just part of the game. I think our penalty kill’s up for it. We got Dos (Lukas Dostal) or Olle (Eriksson Ek) between the pipes. It’s never something we’re dreading or trying not to take penalties or anything. We know they have a great unit and (are) a great offensive team, but it’s nothing to dread or anything like that."
Frk - a perpetual thorn in San Diego's side - doubled Ontario's lead at 5:03 of the middle frame. The AHL’s second-leading goal scorer accepted a pass from Gaunce at the red line, splitting the Gulls defense and snapping a shot through the legs of Dostal for his 38th goal of the season.
Frk has four goals in his last two games against San Diego and leads all skaters with nine goals in the season series.
The Gulls third-period push looked to get them on the board, as Buddy Robinson beat the rookie Hrenak late in regulation. Officials on the ice immediately waved off the goal, ruling the San Diego right wing tipped the puck in with a high stick.
"I think it’s just bearing down," O'Regan said when asked about finding more goal scoring. "I think not overthinking it, trying to aim the puck, just hitting it hard and crashing the net. Try to get some second chances. There’s definitely sometimes where we, me and some guys, (are) looking for that extra pass maybe instead of just pounding them on net. So let’s get back to shooting some pucks and crashing the net and being a little gritty."
Ontario would end the comeback hopes shortly after, with Gaunce hitting the empty net from his own end after a Reign faceoff win.
The two teams will close their regular-season series tomorrow night at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
"We’re going to learn from the loss and move on quick," O'Regan said. "No reason to waste energy over the loss. I mean, we’re learning some valuable things that will help us in the playoff run. You know, it’s just a bunch of little things. I don’t think we’re too worried and just tighten up a couple things and we’ll be okay."