PREVIEW: Scorching-Hot Gulls Face League-Leading Stockton Heat On Community Night At Pechanga Arena
Mar 27, 2022By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com
Tonight’s opponent is the Heat, but San Diego is bringing the fire.
The Gulls enter this Sunday matchup with Stockton riding an impressive eight game point streak as they look to keep their second-half surge going against the American Hockey League’s top team (5 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
Last night, the Gulls earned their third consecutive victory with a 5-1 win over the Ontario Reign, extending their point streak to eight games (7-0-0-1). The run ties the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in the team’s AHL history.
Additionally, San Diego is riding a six-game unbeaten streak on home ice, tied for the club’s third-longest home win streak.
"Well, I think every position showed up and Olle (Eriksson Ek) showed up today in a nice way," Gulls head coach Joel Bouchard said. "Our d-men (defensemen) showed up and adjusted as the game went on versus a really good team. You’ve got to credit to Ontario, and I think our team progressed the whole game. I’m very proud.So, I think our growth in this game was important and the guys were playing on instinct and habits and knowing what give us success so that’s why we’re building that kind of momentum right now."
San Diego holds an all-time record of 21-25-4-3 against the league-leading Heat, including a 12-10-2-1 marker in San Diego.
Leading the Gulls in scoring against the Heat are Brent Gates Jr. (2-2=4) and Bryce Kindopp (1-3=4). Additionally, Lucas Elvenes enjoyed a three-point game against Stockton on Jan. 19.
The trio played a large role in last night’s win. Elvenes scored a first-period goal to push his point streak to three games (1-2=3), while Kindopp earned his 10th goal of the season, matching a career-high for goals in a season. Gates Jr. also notched an assist for helpers in back-to-back games (0-2=2).
"I think just play(ed) our game, obviously our rival there," Kindopp said about the team’s win over Ontario. "They’re a really good team, so I think just stick to the systems, do all the little things and some big saves from Olle (Eriksson Ek) and we buried on our chances. Just stuck to the systems, played them hard, and it worked out for us."
It was a big night for Olle Eriksson Ek, as he stopped a career-high 42-of-43 shots for his second consecutive victory and seventh win of the season.
"“He looked good, he feels good," Bouchard said of Eriksson Ek. "I think that it’s a season where he had to go to the NHL because of the taxi squad. He came back with us, he worked hard so we’re very proud of him and pro careers are tough. You’re gonna go through ups and downs like we talk about a lot and we’re really proud of his attitude, and the way he compete through adversity and I think tonight is, again, a good showing of guys learning the game and learning how to manage things and he’s done really well tonight. I’m very proud of him."
The Swedish netminder is riding an impressive hot streak, posting a 1.71 goals-against average (GAA) and a .944 save percentage (SV%) in his last four contests.
"He was awesome," Kindopp said about Eriksson Ek. "He’s been awesome all year. You know if there’s a breakdown, he’s there to bail us out, so you can play with confidence. You know if you make a mistake he’ll be there. So, it’s really easy to play when he’s playing good."
Alex Limoges also established a new career high goal-scoring streak with his 18th tally of the season to mark goals in four consecutive games (6-1=7) and game-winning goals in his last two outings. He also tied his career best point streak of six games (6-4=10) with the marker. Limoges has 7-7=14 points over his last 10 games.
San Diego will need its offensive firing as the Heat enter tonight’s game on a three-game win streak, which began with a 10-3 win over Colorado on Mar. 19. The win clinched Stockton’s first playoff berth since the 2016-17 season.
Sixteen members of Stockton’s roster contributed to the scoresheet, with Jakob Pelletier putting up 2-1=3 points on his own. The rookie leads all first-year skaters with 26 goals and ranks first with 54 points among active first-year players.
Additionally, Pelletier paces the Heat with 4-6=10 points against the Gulls this season after earning a hat trick in the most recent meeting, a 5-2 San Diego loss on Mar. 9.
"Well, like I told the players, ‘I’m giving you praise right now, but we go right back at it. I’m gonna to be on top of you, I’m gonna be over you,'" Bouchard said. "They know right now what we’re asking, it’s instinctive. I can feel it’s way more natural and it’s getting more natural and we work on stuff since the beginning of the year and we’ve added stuff since February and we see that it’s working on every level. So, it’s gonna be to go back at it…success is not a magic trick. You’ve got to go back and you’ve got to get your rest tonight, get your fluid, and get your food and come back tomorrow and we’re playing like top team in, probably, the AHL or way up there so it’s gonna be tough."
Stockton is also led by rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, who continues his excellent first AHL season. He’s played in every game of the Heat’s win streak and leads all American Hockey League goaltenders with 29 wins, ranks third with a .925 save percentage (SV%) and fourth with a 2.30 goals against average (GAA).
Nonetheless, the Gulls know the key to their success is to keep progressing down the path they’re already on.
"Another really good team coming in, so I don’t think we change anything," Kindopp said about playing the Heat. "Stick to our systems, play them really hard, have a good start, and like you said the third period just play them deep, just be simple and if we keep that up we should get a good result."