LIVE: Gulls Down Barracuda To Close Homestand
Feb 11, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls lead the San Jose Barracuda 4-2 in the third period of tonight's game at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
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Brent Gates Jr. led the way, recording the first multi-goal game of his American Hockey League career. Hunter Drew and Greg Printz also scored for the Gulls, who received incredible goaltending from Lukas Dostal.
Evan Weinger and Jayden Halbgewachs scored for the Barracuda, who dropped a fifth straight game.
Third Period Recap
San Diego's penalty kill preserved the one-goal advantage, killing off two consecutive 5-on-3 chances to start the final frame.
Kodie Curran and Dostal combined to deny left wing John Leonard on two separate one-timed attempts. On the first attempt, Dostal slid across his crease to make an arm save, but the puck fluttered over the netminder and dangerously close to the goal line. Curran, stationed near the post, alertly turned and swiped the puck to safety.
Dostal needed to stay sharp, as Leonard's second attempt just moments later. This time, the Czechia native made a scrambling save with the glove, steering the shot toward the corner.
Greg Printz would ice the game, scoring into the empty net with 43 seconds left in regulation.
Second Period Recap
After failing to score in the first period, the teams traded goals just 21 seconds apart early in the middle frame.
Drew started the scoring, collecting his career-high seventh goal of the season at 2:38 of the period.
Vincent Marleau sent a shot from the point to the front of the net, where Jack Badini corralled the loose puck. He tried to send it toward Alexei Melnichuk on the backhand, but his attempt went wide, bouncing off the end boards and to a waiting Drew at the opposite side of the net. He didn't miss, slamming home the loose puck for the milestone marker.
Weinger tied the game at 2:59 of the period, streaking down the wing before cutting toward the net and tucking a puck past Dostal for his eighth goal of the season. The tally extends his point streak to five games.
Gates Jr. restored San Diego's lead under two minutes later.
Brendan Guhle and Vinni Lettieri exchanged the puck behind the net, with the Gulls forward turning away from the end boards and looking to the slot. He found Gates Jr., who quickly one-timed the pass by an unsuspecting Melnichuk for his third goal of the season.
The two teams would once again trade goals in quick succession, striking twice in 17 seconds later in the frame.
Halbgewachs brought San Jose even at 8:02 of the period with his 12th goal of the season. Jasper Weatherby worked the puck into San Diego's zone and found the streaking Halbgewachs open to his left. His pass hit him and stride, and San Jose's left wing put his shot past Dostal for the game-tying tally.
Halbgewachs continues to torment the Gulls. He leads all Barracuda skates with 3-3=6 points against San Diego.
Gates Jr. scored his second of the game just 38 seconds later to put San Diego back in the lead.
Trevor Carrick's shot from the point ricocheted off traffic in front and found Curran coming down from the point. The defenseman faked a shot before collecting the puck, opening a passing lane to the circle. The puck found Gates Jr., who fired his shot through the sliding Melnichuk for his first multi-goal performance in the American Hockey League.
San Jose will start the third period with 1:39 of power-play time following a Gulls penalty late in period.
First Period Recap
Dostal, in net for the Gulls, stopped all nine shots he saw in the opening frame.
The Czechia native enters tonight with a 7-7-0 record, a 2.81 goals-against average (GAA) and a .902 save percentage (SV%). He won his last start, a 30-save effort in a 5-3 win over the Tucson Roadrunners a week ago. He also appeared in Saturday's game, stopping all seven shots he faced in relief of Olle Eriksson Ek.
Melnichuk matched his counterpart, collecting nine saves. He enters tonight with a 7-10-1 record with a 3.66 GAA and .871 SV%. He's lost his last four starts, posting a 3.86 GAA and .838 SV%.