Gulls Set for Back-to-Back Matchups with Roadrunners
Mar 29, 2024By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
Tonight, the San Diego Gulls gear up for a Friday faceoff with the Tucson Roadrunners in the first of back-to-back duels at Tucson Convention Center to close out the month of March (7 p.m. PST).
The competition between the Gulls and Roadrunners thus far has been marked by tight contests, as San Diego has dropped the previous four meetings all by one goal. Despite solid starts and battling until the bitter end to even the scoreboard, San Diego has wound up with the short end of the stick.
"For me, it looks like we’ve been focused going into games, and then the ability to sustain it is always the challenge," head coach Matt McIlvane said.
The Gulls’ latest game followed that tune as Wednesday’s tilt featured a promising launch of the first frame as Robert Hagg was quick to kick off the scoring. In response to the Bakersfield Condors finding some momentum, Sasha Pastujov fired back to tie up the score, though San Diego ultimately fell a goal short in a 3-2 final.
"I think it’s been a big emphasis of ours, coming out of the gates hot and trying to imply our identity on the other teams," Pastujov said.
Looking to make the most of the road trip opportunity, the Gulls will aim to stick to their identity and change the narrative against the Roadrunners as they hit the rink at Tucson. San Diego will host the Roadrunners twice on home ice the first weekend of April to close out the season series.
"We feel like we’ve got a good hang of these guys now, as far as their game plan, and it’s just a matter of executing ours again," McIlvane said.
San Diego will be back on the ice with the Roadrunners at Tucson Convention Center tomorrow night, Saturday, Mar. 30 (7 p.m. PST).