Gulls Host Winter Wonderland Night Against Roadrunners
Dec 17, 2022By Brett Pickler/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls take on the Tucson Roadrunners tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PT; TV: Fox 5 San Diego, RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls are hosting their annual Winter Wonderland Night, brought to you by Palomar Health. The night will feature a number of holiday-inspired activities, the return of the fan favorite Teddy Bear Toss and an exclusive Third Jersey-themed blanket giveaway for the first 7,000 fans in attendance. The Grinch will also be performing a ceremonial puck drop before the start of the game.
San Diego enters tonight’s contest on the heels of an 8-1 loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This extends their losing streak to 10 games. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners come into the game with a 3-4-3 record in their last 10 games and sit in seventh place in the American Hockey League’s Pacific Division. In the teams previous meeting, Gulls center Benoit-Olivier Groulx recorded San Diego’s only goal in a 3-1 loss on Wednesday, Nov. 23.
Despite their record, Tucson’s offense is dangerous with 74 goals for this season. Forward Michael Carcone leads the team with 11-20=31 points. As of Dec. 16, he is tied for second in points in the AHL and combined for 5-7=12 points in his last eight games. Defenseman Cam Dineen is a threat with his playmaking ability, tallying four assists in his last three games.
Offensively, the Gulls also have players riding the hot hand. Defenseman Nikolas Brouillard is on a three-game point streak. During this streak, he recorded 0-6=6 points and set a career high for total points and assists earned in a single game with 0-4=4 on Dec. 14 against the Abbotsford Canucks. He is the second leading scorer for San Diego and sits tied for third in points among AHL defenseman. Another blueliner with points in consecutive games is defenseman Drew Helleson. He is showcasing his playmaking abilities, putting together points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
With the return of the Teddy Bear Toss, the Gulls will be looking to score early and get the fans excited. Last game, center Justin Kirkland scored nine seconds into the game, notching the second fastest goal in Gulls AHL franchise history.