Preview: Gulls Hungry For Revenge
Nov 25, 2023By Morgan Korovec/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are ready for a fierce battle on home ice tonight against the Chicago Wolves for the second of their back-to-back games at Pechanga Arena San Diego this weekend (6 p.m. PST).
After a tightly contested match last night, the Gulls fell to the Wolves 6-4 in the opening battle of the weekend.
San Diego began on the right foot with a penalty shot in the first. They went hunting after the puck in a solid second period and found themselves in an exciting exchange of goals that left little time in between skaters scoring on both teams. Chicago began to stretch the lead at the end of the second, and ultimately, San Diego’s comeback effort fell short.
Last night, the Gulls fought competitively to find the equalizer on the ice, stirring up intense excitement in the arena. They competed down-to-the-wire, but San Diego has yet to emerge from the current unlucky stretch they’re in. Tonight’s play on the ice demonstrates that they have an opportunity for redemption.
"Don’t really have much of a choice. Just respond," said head coach Matt McIlvane, on recovering from bad luck. "I think you earn your luck and you earn your bounces and you know, we’re in a tough stretch. You know, we gotta scratch and claw our way out. That’s it."
As the Gulls approach tonight’s matchup with a hunger for revenge, they will look to tap into their own inner wolves, stand in solidarity with the pack and fearlessly continue their fight forward.
"I think all the guys are playing really well and we're building some good chemistry," said defenseman Olen Zellweger. "We want our power play to be a strength of our team and we're going to continue working on it until it's top of the league. So, I think that's just the standard that our group, our two units, have and that's what we want to keep working on going forward. It's going to be pretty crucial tomorrow, I think."
Following tonight’s game, San Diego’s dance with Chicago remains unfinished. The Gulls will spend the first weekend of December on the road in Chicago, facing off against the Wolves for yet another back-to-back series that will conclude their four-game series together this season.
Until then, the Gulls will again play at home this Wednesday, Nov. 29 as they welcome the Texas Stars to Pechanga Arena San Diego for a mid-week matchup at 7 p.m. PST.