Gulls Make The CW San Diego Debut Against Tucson
Mar 27, 2021The San Diego Gulls continue their four-game homestand tonight when they host the Tucson Roadrunners at FivePoint Arena (7:00 p.m. PT; TV: CW San Diego; Radio: Gulls Audio Network). The game marks the first on The CW San Diego and opens a five-game schedule on the local television station. The Gulls are riding a three-game win streak, the team’s second-longest stretch of wins this season.
San Diego continued its strong play with a commanding 4-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors last night. Nikolas Brouillard (2-0=2) and Bryce Kindopp (0-2=2) powered the team offensively, while Olle Eriksson Ek stopped 23-of-24 shots to record his fourth win of the season.
“Composed is one way to put it,” said Gulls head coach Kevin Dineen on the win. “We played the right way. Systems were strong and a little emotion mixed in. I liked our overall game.”
Chase De Leo netted the game-winning goal to mark his 200th career AHL point. Josh Mahura scored a power-play goal for his sixth point in his last six games (2-4=6). Sam Carrick recorded the primary assist on the play, extending his point streak into a third game (3-2=5) to match his season high.
It was also a night of firsts for a couple of players. Alex Limoges, who recently signed a professional tryout (PTO) with San Diego, collected his first career AHL point (assist) in his professional debut. The 6-1, 201-pound center has collected 51-74=125 points with 36 penalty minutes (PIM) and a +26 rating in 128 career NCAA games with Penn State.
“It’s been a lot of fun actually,” said Limoges. “I didn’t know, everything happened so fast, but I got here and everybody is so nice and welcoming. I felt like the transition was easy.”
San Diego remains one of the league’s best teams on home ice. The Gulls are tied with Bakersfield for the most wins on home ice (9), sit second in the league in home points (18) and tied for third in home goals (38).
San Diego and Tucson meet for the fourth contest of an eight-game season series. Tucson won the first two matchups between the clubs before the Gulls won the third, a 4-2 win on the road on March 21.
In games against Tucson this season, Andrew Poturalski leads San Diego in points (1-3=4) and assists, while Sam Carrick (2-0=2) and Benoit-Olivier Groulx (2-1=3) each pace the team in goals. San Diego owns an all-time record of 22-18-2-1 against Tucson, including 11-8-1-1 on home ice.
Following the game, the Gulls will host division rival Ontario Reign on Wednesday, Mar. 31 (7 p.m.) at FivePoint Arena.