Gulls Fall Short of IceHogs

Feb 22, 2026

By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com 

The San Diego Gulls came up just short of the Rockford IceHogs today in game two of their back-to-back series at BMO Center, 2-1. 

After a scoreless first period, Nathan Gaucher opened the scoring one minute and 16 seconds into the middle frame. Gaucher has found seven goals this season, just one short of his total logged in 2024-25. The primary assist was credited to Matthew Phillips who has tallied four assists in his past three games. Defenseman Nikolas Brouillard picked up the secondary, marking his second assist in his past three games.  

Tomas Suchanek returned to the Gulls crease, saving 23-of-25 shots. Tonight marked the goaltender’s seventh appearance this season where he posted a .931 SV% and 2.06 GAA. 

Despite not being able to capitalize on the powerplay tonight, the Gulls once again accomplished a perfect penalty kill. Their kill rate stands at 84.2%, ranking sixth amongst all of the AHL.  

Nikita Nesterenko showed his grit tonight, coming to his teammate's defense late in the third. The centerman has taken a roughing call in both games against Rockford this weekend, defending a teammate in both instances.  

The IceHogs were able to break the tie and net a goal with only two minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the final period to secure the win. The victory marked Rockford’s first win over San Diego on their home ice in AHL history.  

San Diego looks to bounce back as they return home on Wednesday, Feb. 25 to take on the Tucson Roadrunners at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST).