LIVE: Gulls Win Streak Ends In Colorado
Mar 4, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fell to the Colorado Eagles 7-4 in tonight's game at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, CO.
Jacob Perreault (1-1=2), Nikolas Brouillard (0-2=2) and Vinni Lettieri (0-2=2) collected multi-point nights in the loss. Lukas Dostal allowed four goals on 13 shots before getting pulled for Olle Eriksson Ek. The Swedish netminder stopped 14 shots in relief.
Former Gull Kiefer Sherwood continued to torment his former team, leading all skaters with three points (1-2=3). Dylan Sikura added two goals and 11 other Eagles found the scoresheet to support Hunter Miska, who stopped 15 shots for his third win of the season.
Third Period Recap
Perreault pulled San Diego within two, scoring on the power play just 1:22 into the final frame.
Brouillard took a puck from Lettieri in the circle, skating hard toward the faceoff dot before sliding the puck to an open Perreault. The rookie winger quickly one-timed a shot past the sliding Hunter Miska for his ninth goal of the season.
Brouillard collected yet another multi-assist performance, his second in as many games. The defenseman has four points (0-4=4) in his last two games. Perreault (1-1=2) earned his first multi-point game since Nov. 19 @ SJ while Lettieri (0-2=2) collected his fifth point (1-4=5) in the last four games.
Sikura scored on a goal-mouth scramble, collecting his second goal of the game to push Colorado's lead to three. Sherwood collected an assist, giving him a team-leading three points (1-2=3).
Second Period Recap
Justin Barron extended Colorado's lead, scoring their fourth straight goal at 1:45 of the middle period. The defenseman picked a corner, wiring the shot over Dostal and just under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the season.
Sherwood and Mikhail Maltsev collected assists, posting multi-point nights.
The score chased Dostal, who allowed four goals on 13 shots.
Andreas Wingerli scored Colorado's fifth straight goal, winning a foot race and sliding a shot through the legs of Eriksson Ek for his eighth goal of the season.
Jacob MacDonald recorded the Eagles sixth straight goal with 9:16 remaining in the period, taking advantage of a five-minute boarding major penalty on Brayden Tracey. It marked the third special teams goal for the Colorado in the game.
The Gulls would fight back, scoring twice shorthanded in 55 seconds to pull within three.
Buddy Robinson started the scoring spree, collecting a shorthanded goal with 8:15 left in the second. Lettieri cleared the puck up ice, where Robinson snuck behind the Colorado defense and moved in alone on Hunter Miska. Robinson faked a shot with his forehand as he moved toward the net, pulling the puck to his backhand and sliding it past a sliding Miska for his third goal of the season.
Bryce Kindopp scored San Diego's second shorthanded goal with 7:20 left, Colorado misplayed a puck in the offensive zone and Kindopp pounced, leading a 2-on-1 rush through the neutral zone and into the Eagles end. He tricked Miska, looking off the goaltender for the pass before firing it home for his seventh goal of the season.
It marks the first time San Diego recorded two shorthanded tallies since a 5-3 win over the San Jose Barracuda on Jan. 31, 2020.
First Period Recap
Danny O'Regan opened the scoring just 2:05 into regulation, taking advantage of San Diego's first power-play chance to push the Gulls ahead.
Brouillard held the puck at the point, sending it past the stick of an oncoming Eagle and to an open Perreault across the ice. The rookie continued the puck to O'Regan, who found a soft spot in the high slot. With no one around, he took the time to pick his spot, rifling a wrist shot past Hunter Miska for the game's first goal.
O'Regan continues his strong play, stretching his point streak to six games (3-3=6) and is tied with Alex Limoges for the team lead in goals (11). Additionally, he moved into a tie with Tracey for the team lead in points (11-17=26). In addition, he leads the Gulls in power-play goals (7) and points (7-7=14).
Brouillard extended his assist and point streaks to three games (0-3=3) while Perreault continues to find the scoresheet, recording his third helper in the last four games.
The power play is a point of emphasis for the Gulls, who moved to 6-for-11 (54.5%) in the last four games.
Miska is making his first start since Feb. 16 against Henderson. He enters tonight at 2-3-0 with a 4.42 GAA and .846 SV%.
Sikura - a thorn in San Diego's side this season - tied the game at 9:44 of the period. The winger found himself at the right place of the right time, collecting a blocked Maltsev shot near the goal line and lifting the puck past an unsuspecting Dostal for his 18th goal of the season.
Sikura leads all skaters in goals (6) and scoring (6-2=8) in the season series.
Dostal is making his fourth consecutive start for the Gulls, entering tonight at 12-8-0 record with one shutout, a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA) and .919 save percentage (SV%) in 22 games with San Diego, ranking eighth among American Hockey League goaltenders in SV% and 13th in GAA. He is currently riding a three-game win streak (3-0-0), matching a season high, while posting a 1.34 GAA and stopping 105-of-109 shots for a .963 SV% during the streak.
Among AHL goaltending leaders since Jan. 7 (min. 200 minutes played), Dostal ranks first in SV% (.945), third in GAA (1.87), tied for third in shutouts (1), tied for sixth in wins (7) and ninth in saves (311).
Sherwood gave Colorado their first lead of the game, scoring on the power play with 4:21 remaining in the period.
The former Gull continues to torment his former team, collecting his fourth goal in four games against San Diego. Jordan Gross, who fed the puck to Sherwood before he put home a hard wrist shot, leads all skaters with seven assists in the season series.
The defenseman continues to lead all league blueliners in assists (37) and points (44).
Ryan Wagner extended Colorado's lead on a shorthanded tally with just 26 seconds left in the period, finding space off the wing and beating Dostal for his eighth goal of the season.
The Gulls goaltender stopped eight of the 11 shots he saw in the first period. Miska made three saves.
San Diego will begin the second period with 29 seconds left on their third power play of the game.