Gulls Ready to Close Out Rivalry Series with Reign
Apr 17, 2026
By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
Rivalry hockey returns tonight as the San Diego Gulls take on the Ontario Reign one last time this season at Toyota Arena (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
Tonight’s contest should be entertaining as the Southern California rivalry meets one last time this regular season with no essential points riding on the game. The Reign have officially taken the first-place spot in the Pacific Division with their 97 points, giving them a bye to the division final.
Following Wednesday’s loss to Tucson, the Gulls will officially end the season in the seventh-place Pacific Division spot. This means the team will compete with either the Colorado Eagles or Henderson Silver Knights in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs depending on which team finishes in the second-place spot. Tonight may be a preview of the second round, as the Gulls would face the Reign if they advance.
Wednesday’s contest with Tucson saw just one goal from San Diego. Matthew Phillips found the back of the net early in the middle frame with help from Sam Colangelo and Stian Solberg. The team finished with 24 shots on goal and was unable to capitalize on the power play, going 0-for-6.
"We're all pretty disappointed in that game," Phillips said. "I just think we were flat from the get-go. We didn't execute. We didn't really play fast. We just weren't really our identity today. And you know what? That's going to happen. Obviously, we're not happy about it, but all we can do is just correct that and have a good effort on Friday."
San Diego looks to rebound from their last contest and prepare for playoff hockey tonight. The Gulls have gone 2-0-1-0 against the Reign this season and look to add a win to that record tonight. The teams last competed on Jan. 31 when the Gulls took a 4-3 win on home ice. Ontario’s overtime victory this season occurred at Toyota Arena, where San Diego holds a 28-19-3-2 all-time record.
"We just want to make sure that our habits are really good," assistant coach Michael Babcock said. "A lot of our details in terms of just how we play structurally, what we can continue to hone in on, and how we play our Gulls brand of hockey, I think that's going to be really, really important. We're continuing to talk about thoughts and then we got two games to showcase it and fine tune it for next week."
Tomorrow night, the Gulls will close out the regular season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds for Fan Appreciation Night back home at Pechanga Arena San Diego (6 p.m. PDT).