LIVE: Gulls Fall To Canucks 6-3
Apr 8, 2022By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fell to the Abbotsford Canucks 6-3 in tonight's game at Abbotsford Centre.
THIRD PERIOD RECAP
Alex Limoges brought the Gulls back within two with a power-play goal just 58 seconds into the final frame.
Lucas Elvenes moved the puck to Limoges near the post, who went cross-ice to find a streaking Hunter Drew. Instead of taking the shot, the forward sent a pass back to Limoges, who found himself alone in front. The rookie forward slid the puck past Spencer Martin for his 21st goal of the season, establishing the franchise mark for most rookie goals in San Diego's AHL history.
He also tied both Corey Tropp and Sam Carrick for most power-play goals in a season with his 11th man-advantage tally.
Abbotsford would turn the tables on the San Diego power play with Chase Wouters scoring a shorthanded goal to restore the Canucks three-goal lead at 3:22 off the third.
Second Period Recap
Olle Eriksson Ek replaced Lukas Dostal to start the middle period. The Czechia netminder allowed three goals on 12 shots in the game's opening frame.
Danny O'Regan put the Gulls on the board, collecting a power-play goal at 1:19 of the period.
Drew and O'Regan played pitch and catch with the puck, with the veteran center taking a pass and curling off the side board. He carried the puck into the faceoff circle, firing a wrist shot past the glove of Spencer Martin for his 13th goal of the season.
It marks goals in consecutive games for O'Regan. Elvenes, who collected the secondary assist on the tally, has points in six of his last seven games (3-5=8) and 3-8=11 over his last 12 games.
Jack Rathbone would restore Abbotsford's three-goal lead with a power-play goal at 5:26 of the period, picking up his second point of the game with his ninth goal of the season. Yushiroh Hirano would grab an assist, his second point of the game, on Abbotsford's second man-advantage tally.
Nathan Larose brought San Diego back within two, scoring his first American Hockey League goal at 7:17 of the second.
The Gulls converted off a faceoff play, with O'Regan finding Trevor Carrick off the draw. The defenseman quickly hit a cutting Larose with a cross-ice pass, and the rookie blueliner did the rest, one-timing a shot past Martin's outstretched glove for the milestone marker.
Abbotsford had yet another answer, as Danila Klimovich converted on a goal-mouth scramble with under five minutes left to end the see-saw scoring and restore the Canucks three-goal lead.
The Gulls will start the third period with 1:16 remaining on their third power-play chance of the game. The team is currently 1-for-2.
First Period Recap
John Stevens continued his dominant stretch over San Diego, tallying on a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity just 1:04 into the game.
Penalty trouble hit the Gulls early as both Buddy Robinson and Carrick earned minor penalties 28 seconds apart. It gave the American Hockey League's second-ranked power-play an early chance to work with extra ice.
Rathbone held the puck at the point, feeding a pass to Hirano, who continued it to Stevens in the slot. The veteran center wasted no time sending a one-timed shot over the glove of Dostal for his 19th goal of the season.
In six games against San Diego this season, Stevens has 4-4=8 points, leading all skaters in both goals and points. He extends his goal-scoring streak to a fifth game while Rathbone stretched his point streak (1-8=9) to five games.
Dostal enters tonight at 17-10-1 with two shutouts, a 2.46 goals-against average (GAA) and .921 save percentage (SV%). He's tied for first among rookie goaltenders in shutouts while top-five in wins, GAA and SV%. Dostal He has backstopped the Gulls to standings points in each of his last six starts (5-0-1) with one shutout, a 1.33 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage.
Brannon McManus extended Abbotsford lead to two, collecting his first professional goal with 2:54 remaining in the period.
The Newport Beach, CA native settled a rolling shot from Guillaume Brisebois and eluded a Dostal poke check, sending a backhand shot past the San Diego netminder for his milestone marker.
Carson Focht stretched Abbotsford's lead to three with 1:01 left in the first, finding the loose puck in a net-front scramble and pushing it past Dostal for his third goal of the season.
San Diego is 6-3-0-1 when allowing three goals this season.
Martin is in the Abbotsford net, stopping all eight shots he faced in the opening period. He brings a 17-4-2 record with three shutouts, a 2.39 GAA and .918 SV% into tonight's game. His SV% sits at ninth among all qualified AHL goalies.
The Gulls will start the second period with 1:49 remaining on their first power-play chance of the game.