Preview: Gulls Return From Break For Road Matchup With Firebirds
Dec 27, 2023By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
With the holiday break behind them, the San Diego Gulls are ready end 2023 on a high note in their final three games of the year, beginning with a matchup with the Coachella Valley Firebirds tonight at Acrisure Arena (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHL TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls entered the break with back-to-back one-goal losses on home ice to the Rockford IceHogs and Tucson Roadrunners. Despite its streak of bad luck, San Diego is still 5-3-2-0 over the past 10 games and are seven points out of a playoff spot in the Pacific.
"I think the big thing for us is, let's grab the lessons from these first 26 games in the season because we're going into another phase now," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "We're going to want to make a push. Our growth of our group is real. It's undeniable and I think that there's some lessons that we need, that we understand are the blueprint for our success, as we move forward."
A big boost to the Gulls’ recent success has been the line of Brayden Tracey, Nathan Gaucher and Judd Caulfield. The three have combined for 10-17=27 points in nine games since the start of December, including 1-3=4 points last Saturday against Tucson. Caulfield picked up his first multi-assist effort in his professional career, while Tracey netted his sixth goal and Gaucher tallied his sixth assist.
"Judd drives so much play with his work and the size and [Brayden] has great poise and vision," McIlvane said. "Nathan's been a nice complement, giving stability through the middle of the ice for them. They've got real good chemistry together."
Saturday also marked the return of goaltender Alex Stalock. Stalock was terrific in net in his first appearance since Nov. 17, making a season-high 41 saves.
"That was an unbelievable effort from him tonight," Caulfield said after Saturday’s game. "If it weren’t for him, it could have been really ugly there. I don’t even know if I can count on my hands how many breakaways he stopped there in the first and second period for us. He really kept us in the game and it’s unbelievable, being away from the game for that long and just having the mental capacity to stick in there when times aren’t going well for us and just battle like that."
The three-day holiday break should prove fruitful for San Diego, who have dealt with the absence of a few key players over the past few weeks, including Pavol Regenda (lower-body injury) and Chase De Leo (illness).
"We know that energy is going to be a big factor, so just taking care of our bodies and take [the] time to kind of get away from the game mentally a little bit too," Caulfield said. "That’s always a big thing because we’re going to have a big push here before the All-Star break, and we’ll have another little break before the end of the season."
There will be no days off between games for the Gulls this time around, though, as they turn around and head straight back to Pechanga Arena San Diego tomorrow for a bout with the Ontario Reign (7 p.m. PST).