Gulls Drop Final Game Of Homestand

Feb 19, 2023

By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls home point streak ended in 8-4 loss to the Bakersfield Condors tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego.

Both Ty Tulio and Raphael Lavoie posted hat tricks to lead the Condors to their fourth win in their last five games. Tulio added an assist, finishing the first four-point game of his professional career. Seth Griffith (0-3=3), Xavier Bourgault (0-2=2), Noah Philp (0-2=2) and Justin Bailey (1-1=2) finished with multi-point performances to back Olivier Rodrigue, who stopped 18 for his 10th win of the season.

Michael Del Zotto and Pavol Regenda led the Gulls with two assists while Chase De Leo, Bryce Kindopp, Jacob Perreault and Rocco Grimaldi scored for San Diego. Olle Eriksson Ek suffered the loss, stopping 31 of 39 shots.

The two teams started hot, with Bailey and Perreault trading goals 20 seconds apart early in the first period. Bailey struck first, cashing in on an early power play opportunity for his 11th goal of the season.

Perreault answered back on the next shift, collecting his first goal since November on a turnover in the Bakersfield zone. Glenn Gawdin cut into the passing lane as the Condors moved up the ice, deflecting the puck to an open Perreault. He moved in alone on Rodrigue, dekeing from his backhand to his forehand before sliding the shot over the goal line for his seventh tally of the season. He finished the weekend with points in consecutive games.

Tulio put the Condors ahead with 7:10 left in the frame, scoring on a one-timed shot from the slot for his fifth goal of the season.

Eriksson Ek kept the deficit at one, making an incredible sliding pad save late in the period. Bakersfield attacked with speed, sneaking a pass through the neutral zone to send Griffith and James Hamblin in alone on the Gulls’ netminder. Griffth held the puck as he moved in, feeding it cross ice to Hamblin for the tap-in try. Eriksson Ek read it well, dropping into the splits and keeping his pad on the ice to turn away the bid.

The start of the second period matched the first, with the teams trading tallies. Bakersfield began the middle frame with Lavoie’s first goal, pushing their lead to two on the right wing’s 13th goal of the season.

De Leo brought the Gulls within one minutes later, grabbing his third goal of the season on a quick shot from in close.

Regenda started the play along the side wall, sending a spinning pass to Del Zotto below the goal line. The defenseman found a cutting De Leo with a pass, and San Diego’s captain did the rest, sweeping his shot through the legs of Rodrigue to extend his personal scoring streak to three games.

Bryce Kindopp pulled San Diego even on a shorthanded goal at 7:09 of the period.

Evan Weinger started the play, pressuring Bakersfield defenseman Michael Kesselring and forcing him to quickly play the puck. He intercepted the defenseman’s pass, poking the puck to an open Kindopp. The forward cut to the front of the net, sending a backhand shot through Rodrigue for his fifth goal of the season.

Kindopp’s tally, the fourth shorthanded goal in a Gulls sweater, moved him into a tie with Kiefer Sherwood for third place on the team’s all-time shorthanded goals list.

Lavoie stunned the Gulls seconds later, putting the Condors ahead and shifting momentum with a power play goal. The tally – his second of the game – came on a quick play in the slot, with his shot beating Eriksson Ek for Lavoie’s 14th goal of the season.

Tulio struck minutes later, restoring Bakersfield’s two-goal advantage with his second goal of the game.

Bakersfield took advantage of San Diego penalties, stretching their lead to four on power-play goals from Tulio and Lavoie. The two each put one-timed shots past Eriksson Ek to record their hat tricks.

Grimaldi opened the final frame with is 25th goal of the season, chasing down a dump-in from Regenda and beating a sliding Rodrigue over the shoulder 26 seconds into the third. The Rossmoor, CA native closed the week with six goals in three games.

Lavoie would close the scoring, collecting his fourth goal with 50 seconds left.

The two teams will meet again on Tuesday in Bakersfield. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m. PT.