Grimaldi Scores Twice, Gulls Fall To The Silver Knights | San Diego Gulls

Nov 27, 2022

By Brett Pickler/SanDiegoGulls.com

Regardless of a two-goal efficiency from Rocco Grimaldi, the San Diego Gulls noticed their nine-game standings factors streak towards the Henderson Silver Knights finish in a 5-2 loss at The Greenback Mortgage Middle.

The Gulls got here into tonight’s recreation with little relaxation, heading straight to Henderson after a tricky 4-1 loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds final evening. This, blended with accidents and non-COVID sicknesses, created a novel lineup and a hurdle for San Diego. The workforce skated with 12 forwards and simply 5 defensemen, together with Dmitry Osipov switching from ahead to the blue line. As well as, the workforce welcomed two new faces in Logan Nijhoff and Max Golod, who each arrived from the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers earlier within the day.

“They battled and, you already know, fairly depleted lineup proper now,” head coach Roy Sommer stated relating to the tough place the workforce was in heading into tonight’s contest. “We had 4 D(efensemen) left and we really put Osipov on the again, and I believed he did a terrific job again there. He moved parks, he was bodily and stored it easy and was efficient for us.”

The sport began with the Gulls taking two penalties throughout the first 1:01 of the sport. This gave the Silver Knights an early probability to determine their offense and acquire some confidence with the puck. San Diego managed to kill off the 5-on-3 assault, because of the efforts of goaltender Lukas Dostal. Throughout the penalty kill, Henderson peppered him with photographs, forcing the Brno, Czech Republic native to make a desperation kick save on a again door probability.

It regarded just like the Gulls have been gaining momentum, instantly happening the ability play after the 5-on-3. They have been capable of win the draw and arrange within the zone, however Silver Knights’ proper wing Spencer Foo picked up a unfastened puck went down the ice to attain a shorthanded breakaway objective. From right here, Henderson began to manage the interval.

The Silver Knights tallied two extra objectives within the opening interval. Colt Conrad transformed on a 2-on-1 probability at 8:51 of the interval, and Mason Primeau adopted up with a power-play tally simply 80 seconds later.

On the finish of the interval, the Gulls began to seek out their rhythm. Grimaldi took management and commenced the comeback effort. Whereas on the ability play, he acquired the puck on the faceoff dot after the Gulls labored it across the prime of the zone. He settled the puck and fired it five-hole to make it 3-1.

Grimaldi continued to steer the offense within the second interval. The Gulls earned one other energy play just below three minutes into the interval. The puck discovered its method onto Grimaldi’s stick within the slot, and he ripped a shot bar down, slicing Henderson’s result in one. It marks Grimaldi’s first multi-goal recreation since Feb. 2, 2022, when he scored twice towards the Manitoba Moose as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals. Moreover, the objective moved him into second for power-play objectives amongst all American Hockey League skaters. Gulls heart Danny O’Regan picked up his second help of the sport on the objective, ending the evening main San Diego in each assists (13) and energy play assists (8).

“We modified the models just a little bit, so we had totally different appears on the market and we scored two,” ahead Benoit-Olivier Groulx stated in regards to the workforce’s success on the ability play. “We’re fairly proud of that. We had actually good probabilities that would have modified the sport, however that they had big breaks, large blocks. I believe the ability play was actually good in the present day.”

San Diego managed the motion all through the interval. After the tough opening body, the Gulls appeared to settle into their new-look lineup. They have been higher in all three zone and Dostal shut down any scoring probability the Silver Knights created.

The Gulls regarded to make use of their momentum to tie the sport within the third interval. A possibility arose when the Gulls went on the ability play. With two objectives on the man-advantage already, this gave San Diego a major probability to tie the sport. They put pucks on web however couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing probabilities.

San Diego discovered themselves again on the penalty kill, making their comeback try a lot more durable. Nonetheless, Dostal stood tall, making a number of large saves to maintain the Gulls within the recreation. His efforts helped kill off the penalty and provides his workforce the prospect to tie the sport.

Henderson, nonetheless, would snuff out the comeback bid with a late objective from Jonas Rondbjerg, who capitalized on a 2-on-1 probability with simply over two minutes remaining in regulation. Foo would web his second of the sport with an empty-net tally, sending the Gulls to their third consecutive loss.