San Diego Clashes with Tucson on Emo Night
Apr 6, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
Saturday nights don’t have to be lonely. Join us for Emo Night!
Tonight, the San Diego Gulls get ready to rock the rink as they kick off the final set of back-to-back games with the Tucson Roadrunners at Pechanga Arena San Diego for San Diego’s first ever Emo Night, presented by Cal Coast Credit Union (6 p.m. PDT; TV: AHL TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls were in high spirits after bringing home a hard-fought 6-5 shootout victory in their latest duel at home Wednesday night as they took down the San Jose Barracuda in their series final.
Wednesday was a multi-point game for Sam Colangelo who recorded his first AHL goal and assist in his professional debut. The contest saw San Diego skaters battle until the very end, with a terrific 22-save performance by Gulls goaltender Alex Stalock.
"The guys rallied around him and they love him so much," head coach Matt McIlvane said of the goaltender. "The way that the guys played in front of him today was inspiring. For him to be able to come up with those saves at the end, it just honestly puts an exclamation point on the story."
San Diego’s last action with Tucson was at the end of March in the Roadrunner’s building where the teams split the wins in back-to-back clashes. Mar. 29 saw the Gulls shut out Tucson in a historic 4-0 victory with a solid Tomas Suchanek in net, his third shutout of the season. The Roadrunners rebounded on Mar. 30, but it was another night of San Diego history in the making as captain Chase De Leo became the franchise’s all-time points leader.
Tonight, San Diego will sport special Emo Night-themed jerseys as they skate through the heartache of playing without left wing Nikita Nesterenko who was recalled by the Anaheim Ducks Friday, while aiming to build off the electric energy of Wednesday night’s win as they prepare for another tight battle.
"It’ll be a great hard-fought game the next two at home, and we will respond," assistant coach Kris Sparre said. "Just stick to what we do best. For us, we’ve found an identity that works. When we play like that, we give ourselves a chance. So, that’ll be keeping us connected as a group going forward."
The Gulls enter the final stand with the Roadrunners tomorrow, Sunday Apr. 7 at Pechanga Arena San Diego (5 p.m. PST).