Dostal Makes Team History In 5-0 Win Over Admirals
Jan 6, 2023By Brett Pickler/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls shut out the Milwaukee Admirals with a 5-0 win at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, earning their fourth win in their last five games.
The Gulls entered tonight’s game full of confidence. They beat the Henderson Silver Knights 3-0 in their last outing and won three of their last four games. However, Milwaukee proved early they would be a tougher opponent.
In the opening period, the Admirals controlled most of the game. They outshot San Diego 16-7, but the work of Lukas Dostal kept Milwaukee off the board. Throughout the period, Dostal needed to be sharp. He controlled his rebounds and provided his team with a sense of calm on the penalty kill. His biggest save came at the 8-minute mark of the period, where he robbed a Milwaukee forward on a one-time bid from the slot.
San Diego did have their chances in the first frame. They earned their first power play chance at the 4:04 mark, giving them an early chance to take the lead. The Gulls created chances, utilizing shots from the blue line to create rebounds and redirects. Milwaukee killed off the man advantage, but San Diego would strike shortly after returning to even strength. At 6:35, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu entered the zone looking to set up an attack. As he reached the top of the circle, the defenseman realized he was alone and attacked the net. He wristed the puck low glove, beating the goalie and giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead.
The Anaheim Ducks assigned the veteran to San Diego yesterday on a conditioning loan. In 133 career American Hockey League games with San Diego Hamilton, Beaulieu has 17-46=63 points with 105 penalty minutes (PIM).
Entering the second period with the lead, the Gulls looked to add to their score. Right wing Pavol Regenda nearly made it a two-goal game after driving the net early into the period. His shot just missed the net, but it set the tone early for San Diego.
The Gulls eventually found the back of the net at the 12:23 mark of the period. San Diego dumped the puck into the Admirals’ zone, looking to use its forecheck. Right wing Rocco Grimaldi pressured the defender with the puck, forcing a turnover. From here, every Gulls player on the ice touched the puck before center Glenn Gawdin received a pass through the slot and rifled a shot top shelf, making it 2-0.
Milwaukee continued to outshoot San Diego, but the Gulls defensive efforts limited the chances to the perimeter. Dostal remained sharp in the middle frame, stopping all 11 shots the Admirals threw at him. Milwaukee nearly found the back of the net on a wrap-around attempt, but Dostal kicked his leg to the back post just in time to maintain the clean sheet.
The Admirals came out of the gates flying to start the third, drawing a penalty 23 seconds into the period. This did not faze the Gulls, as they scored 14 seconds into the kill. Center Benoit-Olivier Groulx flew down the ice after getting possession of the puck. He fired a shot from the hash marks, beating goaltender Yaroslav Askarov on the glove side. With this shorthanded goal – the third of his career – Groulx is now tied for third in the team’s AHL history for shorthanded tallies.
"I think we were due," Groulx said about his goal. "Me and Rocco have been killing together for a while and we had a lot of chances throughout the season, so it was finally nice to get one tonight. Weings (Gulls forward Evan Weinger) is a great penalty killer. He's got a ton of speed, and he displayed that tonight. When he's skating like that, he's very dangerous on the P.K., so we need to keep going like that."
San Diego continued to add to their lead as the period progressed. The Gulls earned a power play after a bench minor was assessed to the Admirals. Left wing Brayden Tracey received the puck at the blue line. He walked in and ripped a shot from the top of the left circle through a screen and over the glove. The Gulls extended their lead to five after left wing Evan Weinger won a loose puck battle around the Admirals blueline. He then walked in on a partial breakaway, sliding the puck five hole for a highlight reel goal.
Dostal would close the game out by making team history. With his 40-save shutout, he became the first goalie in the team’s AHL history to record consecutive shutouts. This is his third shutout of the season moving him into second in the league for this category.
Dostal’s shutout sequence of 140:32 (Dec. 9, 2023 – present) is now the longest in the team’s AHL history, passing John Gibson’s streak of 137:!3 (Oct. 21-30, 2015, spanning three games).
On the team's recent success, Groulx said, "I think we're just starting to click right now. We have a lot of confidence right now by winning more games, and I think (having) Dos (Gulls goaltender Lukas Dostal) back, that helps a lot. Builds a lot of confidence. We're starting to click a lot, we're starting to build chemistry and it's showing in practice and in games. I think today was a big statement for us."