Gulls Grab Gritty 2-1 Win Against IceHogs
Dec 20, 2023By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls hogged the victory in tonight’s close 2-1 contest against the Rockford IceHogs Wednesday night at Pechanga Arena San Diego for their first of a two-game set together this week.
San Diego burst onto the rink tonight seeking offense, scoring just 32 seconds into the opening frame as Olen Zellweger found the back of the net, collecting his fifth goal of the season.
The back of the net was left untouched by both teams through the remainder of the first period of play as the skaters wrestled to reach momentum.
"Fast start… I liked probably our first half of the first period, then felt like we just had trouble with the puck," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "Rockford is a team that’s going to thrive in transition, and I thought we fueled it a little bit too much and that’s why we had to defend more than attack through phases of the game."
Calle Clang was under fire in the night’s clash as he deflected some close attempts, successfully stopping all 20 shots launched by Rockford by the end of the second. He ended the night with 28 saves on 29 shots in his first victory on home ice.
"I think, first of all, as a team, we did a good job letting me see the pucks and get the sticks from the defender," Clang said. "So, I think they made it pretty easy for me today, but then, of course, there's a couple good stops from me too. But yeah, overall, it's a good performance."
"I think that’s the best game I’ve seen Calle play this season," McIlvane added. "I just thought he looked so calm, composed. You know, that little trip he had up with the Ducks, you can get so much momentum and energy from that… It’s great to see a guy like Calle get rewarded."
That was until 1:37 into the third, when Jackson Cates of the IceHogs scooped one behind Clang to bring the score to a tie.
At 13:57, the San Diego squad took advantage of the power play opportunity when Trevor Carrick fired the puck past Jaxson Stauber for his fourth goal of the season.
"He shoots the puck so well and so often, and I thought he defended well," McIlvane said. "Getting into our special teams, I thought our penalty kill was pretty stingy the whole game, our pressure game was tight, and I thought that we kept the Rockford team mostly to the outside. Of course, the power play is the difference in the end."
With the lead back in their hands, the Gulls applied pressure on the IceHogs throughout the final frame of the game, sealing the victory before it could be forced into overtime for their third straight win over Rockford.
"We know that’s a good hockey club. The only thing that we can really control is us… You know, we did enough well that we want to keep and build on, but let’s keep getting better," McIlvane said.
Glenn Gawdin, Nikita Nesterenko, Brayden Tracey, and Jacob Perreault picked up assists on the night.
The Gulls get ready to rock the ice again with the IceHogs on Friday Dec. 22 at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST) for the final round of their 2023-2024 regular-season series together, before welcoming the Tucson Roadrunners at home on Saturday Dec. 23 (6 p.m.).