Gulls Ready for Rivalry Opener with Reign
Oct 14, 2026By AshleyRubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are set to open their rivalry season series with the Ontario Reign tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
San Diego and Ontario have a long history to their rivalry. The teams are separated by just over 100 miles and mirror the heated competition of their NHL affiliate teams, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. It is a Southern California rivalry that both fans and players look forward to seeing each season.
"It’s a huge rivalry anytime we play the Reign," Nico Myatovic said. "We’re getting up for it in the room and we’re looking forward to it."
The Gulls and Reign competed just four times in the 2025-26 season but will double that number to meet eight times in 2026-27. San Diego ended the season going 2-1-1-0 against Ontario, with both wins coming at home. The Gulls are 55-42-7-3 all-time against the Reign and look to add another win to that record tonight.
"There’s always change," head coach Dave Manson said. "That’s the thing about the AHL, rosters change on a daily basis. Ontario is a team that has it together, they play quick and they look to transition quick. We have to be ready for that, and we have to be able to do that ourselves. It’s the first time we’ll see them with their real lineup, and we look forward to a good test."
Ontario has played in three contests prior to tonight. The team stands with a 2-1-0-0 record, standing just one point below San Diego in the Pacific Division rankings with four points. They hold the same power play percentage as the Gulls at 13.3%, with both teams going 2-for-15. Their last contest was on Sunday, Oct. 11 when they defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in overtime.
San Diego has played four games so far this season posting a 2-1-1-0 record with five points, just one short of the three teams tied at the first-place spot in the division with six. The Gulls have scored 14 total goals and allowed only 12. While they have not been able to capitalize much on the power play, the team has a solid penalty kill going 10-for-13 putting the kill at 76.9%.
"I think we can play with a lot of speed and we’ve got skilled guys," Myatovic said. "Some of the younger guys coming in that are rookies this year are really skilled. So, we can play that skilled game but then we also have a lot of grit, and we’ve got a good back end, so I think we’re just solid all throughout."