LIVE: Gulls Fall To Roadrunners On FOX 5 San Diego
Apr 28, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fell to the Tucson Roadrunners 6-2 in tonight's game at Tucson Arena Convention Center.
Third Period Recap
Stephen Harper restored Tucson's three-goal lead, finishing off a pass from Hudson Fasching with under six minutes left in regulation. After collecting an assist earlier in the game, Harper has his first multi-point performance of the season.
Cameron Hebig gave Tucson its largest lead of the game - a four-goal cushion - with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
Second Period Recap
Colin Theisen evened the score just 25 seconds into the middle frame.
The Roadrunners quickly transitioned from defense to offense, with Cole Hults finding the cutting Theisen in the neutral zone. The undrafted rookie came streaking down the wing, fighting through a stick check and whipping a shot top shelf for his fifth goal of the year.
He's scored in his last two games, both against San Diego.
Travis Barron gave Tucson its first lead of the game, scoring shorthanded with 7:55 left in the second frame.
The Roadrunners turned the puck over at the blue line and moved up the ice on a 2-on-1 rush. Cameron Hebig's aerial pass went over the stick of a prone Nikolas Brouillard and to Barron in front, who tapped the puck past Olle Eriksson Ek for his 12th goal of the season.
Terry Broadhurst would strike just 1:31 seconds later, pushing Tucson's lead to two.
The Roadrunners took advantage of a defensive zone turnover, with Theisen carrying the puck down the wing. He drew the attention of three Gulls, threading a pass by the oncoming defense and to a cutting Broadhurst. The left wing slid the puck past Eriksson Ek at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Tucson added on late in the period, with Ty Emberson scoring off the faceoff for the Roadrunners' fourth goal of the period. It matches a season-high for goals allowed in the second period, matching a four-goal output from the Ontario Reign on Feb. 4.
Greg Printz stopped the run, bringing the Gulls within two with 52.4 seconds remaining in the second. The forward forced a turnover from Cole Hults and worked around the defenseman, curling off the side boards and moving on net. He used a toe drag to maneuver past Doyle Somerby before finishing with a backhand shot past the diving Rasmus Korhonen for his 11th goal of the season.
First Period Recap
Alex Limoges opened the scoring with 9:02 remaining in the opening frame.
With the teams skating 4-on-4, Gulls defenseman Drew Helleson took charge, skating the puck through the neutral zone and into Tucson's end. He cut to the middle of the ice, finding Jacob Larsson cutting down from his defensive position. He froze the defense before sending a cross-ice pass to Limoges, who fired a one-timed shot past the sliding Korhonen for his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.
The tally also extends his point streak to four games (2-2=4) and gives him 40 points (23-17=40) this season. LImoges is the fourth rookie in the team's American Hockey League history to hit that mark and the first since the 2018-19 season (Sam Steel, Troy Terry - 41).
Pregame News And Notes
Tonight is the penultimate game of the regular season for both teams. The San Diego Gulls are playoff-bound, opening their First Round series with the Ontario Reign on Wednesday, May 4 at Toyota Arena. The Roadrunners did not qualify for the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Eriksson Ek is in net for the Gulls. The Swedish netminder is 7-14-2 with one shutout, a 3.33 goals-against average (GAA) and .884 save percentage (SV%). He's looking to snap a three-game losing streak (and a four-game winless stretch). He looked solid against the Roadrunners in his last start against them, stopping 30-of-33 shots in a 4-3 win on Mar. 23.
Korhonen is in net for the Roadrunners. The 19-year-old is starting his fourth game of the season and second against San Diego. Korhonen is 1-2-0 with a 3.30 GAA and .889 SV%. He allowed two goals on 18 shots on Apr. 23 against San Diego.
The Gulls took their most recent matchup with the Roadrunners, rallying for three goals in the final five minutes of regulation for a 3-1 come-from-behind win on Saturday, Apr. 23. San Diego is 4-2-0-0 against Tucson this season, which includes two straight victories. They’ve scored 25 goals in the six meetings and hope to create positive momentum heading into the First Round of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
This success should give the Gulls a boost of confidence following a 4-1 loss to the Stockton Heat in their final regular-season home game on Tuesday.
Brent Gates Jr. enters tonight with goals in back-to-back games while Limoges has a three-game point streak (1-2=3).
The Roadrunners haven’t played since they last saw the Gulls and enter tonight on a three-game losing streak.
Matais Maccelli continues to lead AHL rookies with 41 assists and his 14-41=55 points are the most on the Roadrunners. Jan Jenik, reassigned today by the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes, has 17-29=46 points in 50 games with Tucson.