Apr 16, 2022

By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls return house tonight to shut out their 12-game season sequence in opposition to the Ontario Reign at Pechanga Area San Diego (7 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Community).

The Gulls misplaced 3-0 to the Reign final night time at Toyota Area, marking their second straight loss to Ontario and fourth in a row. Regardless of their string of setbacks, the Gulls stay two factors away from clinching a spot in  the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs, and the group is aware of simply how shut it’s to reaching the postseason. 

“Yeah, it’s arduous,” Gulls heart Danny O’Regan stated. “We’re going to be taught from the loss and transfer on fast. No cause to waste power over the loss. I imply, we’re studying some beneficial issues that may assist us within the playoff run. You understand, it’s only a bunch of little issues. I don’t assume we’re too fearful and simply tighten up a pair issues and we’ll be okay.”

One lesson the Gulls discovered in opposition to the Reign is the significance of scoring the primary objective. The group scoring first gained 9 of the earlier 11 video games within the season sequence. 

San Diego is aware of nabbing the sport’s first tally comes right down to the group capitalizing on its early scoring alternatives, irrespective of how ugly they could be. 

“I believe it’s simply bearing down,” O’Regan stated. “I believe not overthinking it, attempting to intention the puck, simply hitting it arduous and crashing the online. Attempt to get some second probabilities. There’s positively generally the place we, me and a few guys, (are) on the lookout for that further move perhaps as a substitute of simply pounding them on internet. So let’s get again to capturing some pucks and crashing the online and being a bit of gritty.”

The Reign opened the scoring in every of their final two wins over the Gulls, with each targets coming from a deadly Ontario energy play that transformed on 3-of-7 alternatives in its final two video games and tops the American Hockey League at a 26.9% success fee. 

“I believe we’ve simply obtained to maintain getting higher and higher and like I stated, they’re a hell of a group,” head coach Joel Bouchard stated. “They’re actually good, they’re actually good on the ability play and we performed with them. Let’s play, we’ve beat them a number of instances this yr and I believe we held our personal and I can not coach the scoreboard, like I stated. If I try this, it’s not truthful to the gamers. May we’ve been higher? Oh yeah. Are we going to work (from right here)? Oh yeah, for certain, however let’s see how we go.”

Limiting journeys to the penalty field is essential for the Gulls success, particularly since it would assist curb the effectiveness of Martin Frk and T.J. Tynan, who lead each Ontario’s energy play and their offensive success in opposition to the Gulls. 

“They’re a superb group and so they reap the benefits of their alternatives,” Bouchard stated. “I believe we’re holding our personal, we’re rising, we’re studying. They’re an amazing group, don’t get me incorrect. They’ve the highest main scorer within the league, they’ve obtained actually good gamers, they’ve finished a superb job, however I believe our guys are doing superb. We’re working arduous, we’re there. Continue learning and rising.”

Frk scored his thirty eighth objective of the season final night time for 4-1=5 factors in his final two video games and a team-leading 9 targets in opposition to the Gulls this season. He enters tonight main the league with 15 power-play targets. 

Tynan leads the AHL with 91 factors after accumulating 0-4=4 assists in his final two video games in opposition to the Gulls, incomes half of his helpers on the ability play. He additionally leads the Reign in opposition to the Gulls with 2-17=19 factors in opposition to San Diego this season.  

“Yeah, I imply they’ve a extremely good energy play,” O’Regan stated. “They’ve a variety of good gamers and so they transfer the puck round nicely. So it’s clearly simpler if we take zero or a pair penalties relatively than 4 or 5. It’s simply a part of the sport. I believe our penalty kill’s up for it.”

The Gulls allowed only one power-play objective final night time, protecting Frk and Tynan at bay on the person benefit. Key to this effort tonight is the play of the goaltenders, Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson Ek.

Dostal put up an unimaginable effort in opposition to the Reign final night time, stopping 26-of-28 pictures whereas Eriksson Ek earned wins in every of his final two video games in opposition to the Reign (5-1 on Mar. 26 and 4-0 on Mar. 12). 

“We obtained Dos (Lukas Dostal) or Olle (Eriksson Ek) between the pipes,” O’Regan stated. “It’s by no means one thing we’re dreading or attempting to not take penalties or something. We all know they’ve an amazing unit and (are) an amazing offensive group, but it surely’s nothing to dread or something like that.”