Gulls Fall 3-0 to Rival Reign
Mar 1, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls couldn’t quite connect the dots on the ice Friday night at Toyota Arena as they fell 3-0 in their sixth matchup with the Ontario Reign.
Tonight’s matchup saw changes in the lineup as defenseman Olen Zellweger was recalled by the Anaheim Ducks and the ice saw fresh San Diego skaters as the team gained left wing Blake McLaughlin and defenseman Luka Profaca from the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.
Despite chances on both ends in the opening frame, the teams skated through a scoreless first as the goaltenders were solid in net.
At 7:23 in the middle frame, Ontario’s Samuel Fagemo broke the seal to put the Reign on the scoreboard first as he found the back of the net with four seconds remaining on the power play.
With under a minute left in the second, T.J. Tynan cashed in on net, unloading a shot as the power play was expiring to stretch the Ontario lead to two.
In their push to answer back, San Diego remained determined but couldn’t get the offense rolling before the buzzer sounded to end 40 minutes of play.
To kick off the final frame, things got physical at the blue line as Hayden Hodgson boarded Colton White, leading to Trevor Carrick tossing the gloves to go a round with the Ontario forward.
At 17:31, Akil Thomas hit the back of an empty San Diego net to give Ontario a three-goal lead, sealing their win.
Calle Clang stopped all but two of 21 shots on the evening.
In their return to San Diego, the team will look to bounce back as they prepare for an upcoming six-game homestand. It all kicks off on Mar. 4 as the Gulls take on the Bakersfield Condors in a Monday matchup at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST).