Gulls Ready to Clash with Condors
Mar 20, 2026By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
Hockey is back in San Diego as the Gulls are set to take on the Bakersfield Condors tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
Tonight marks the fifth time San Diego and Bakersfield will meet this season. The Gulls have gone 3-1-0-0 against the Condors so far and 43-33-3-4 all-time. The teams last met in a back-to-back series in early February which resulted in a split. The Gulls took the first matchup 3-1 while the Condors took the second 5-4.
"Travel day, little bit of rest, some learning, and then flip the switch," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "It’s another great opportunity to be great."
Bakersfield currently ranks fourth in the Pacific Division, posting an overall 31-18-9-1 record with 72 points. They last competed on Saturday, Mar. 14 when they fell to the Texas Stars in game two of their back-to-back series. The Condors split the series, leaving them on a one-game losing streak. They have gone 4-3-2-1 in their past 10 contests and sit in a comfortable playoff position.
The Gulls remain in the seventh-place Pacific Division spot, posting a 27-21-8-4 record with 66 points. San Diego is coming off a four-game series against the Colorado Eagles. The series started with a back-to-back at Pechanga Arena where the Eagles took the first match and the Gulls the second. The teams then competed at Blue Arena where San Diego took the first game and Colorado the second.
The last contest was skated on Wednesday when the Eagles took the win 5-1. Sasha Pastujov found the most success throughout the series, being the lone scorer in Wednesday’s contest and posting 3-2=5 points over the four games. Tomas Suchanek protected the crease in both Gulls victories against the Eagles, allowing only six goals from 58 total shots seen over both games. Despite Wednesday’s loss, the series saw a lot of success from the Gulls and proved their capability of keeping up with any team.
"I think we already knew this, but we could play with anybody," forward Justin Bailey said. "This is a team that's top of the division for a few years now. They're winning a lot of games and they're fighting for that first spot. So, for us we treat this like a playoff series. Win two out of the first three, and like I said, we were right there in this one. So, we definitely proved ourselves that we can hang with every team."
The Gulls will get the day off tomorrow before returning on Sunday, Mar. 22 to take on the Calgary Wranglers right back at Pechanga Arena San Diego (5 p.m. PDT).