Gulls Look to Extend Win Streak with Valentine Victory Over Barracuda
Feb 14, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
Roses are red, energy fills the rink, spend Valentine’s with us, a Gulls win is on the brink.
The San Diego Gulls are back in town and set for a Valentine’s Day faceoff with the San Jose Barracuda Wednesday night at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHL TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls are flying high into tonight’s showdown since returning from a victorious road trip where they swept the Calgary Wranglers two nights straight. After a dominant 5-0 win on Friday, San Diego clinched a 7-4 victory on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"It’s huge," Glenn Gawdin said. "It’s a team we haven’t beat in the last two years, so it’s a good confidence builder for us and we’re going to have to build on that and move forward."
The Gulls’ latest contest was a historic one as they scored five power-play goals, establishing a new franchise record for most PPG in a single game. San Diego also tied the franchise record for most penalties killed in a single game (8-of-9).
Gawdin recorded a career-high five points on a goal and four assists (1-4=5), tying the Gulls’ AHL franchise record for most points in a single game. Gawdin was also named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 11.
Gulls captain Chase De Leo earned his 64th goal in his Gulls career, moving him into a tie for second-most in Gulls AHL history.
Tomas Suchanek stopped an AHL career-high 45-of-49 shots for his seventh win in his last eight games (7-0-1). The goalie now co-leads all qualified AHL goaltenders in save percentage (.930).
"Our kill was great," head coach Matt McIlvane said. “[Suchanek] was great. We scored five on the power play. That’s a huge number and credit to the guys for finding a way.”
Stretching their road points streak to five games, the Gulls appear to have found a solid stride as they continue their playoff push. San Diego’s overall records stands at 18-18-7-0.
Fresh off that memorable road campaign, the Gulls will look to grab a fourth consecutive win tonight as they take on the Barracuda for their first duel since late November, which saw San Diego fall by a single goal at Tech CU Arena.
For their second contest with the Barracuda this season, the Gulls will aim to bring home the energy and momentum picked up while on the road to send the opponent back to the locker room heartbroken.
The Gulls will next gear up for a matchup with the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Pechanga Arena San Diego (6 p.m. PST).