San Diego Eyes Fifth Straight Win Against Tucson
Jan 28, 2026
By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are set for their fifth meeting with the Tucson Roadrunners tonight as they return home to Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
Tucson is the only opponent San Diego is undefeated against so far this season. The Gulls have taken four consecutive matchups over the Roadrunners, all which came on the road. The Gulls and Roadrunners are only separated by one point in the Pacific Division standings, making tonight’s contest essential for both squads.
Although San Diego has consistently seen success over Tucson, the teams look similar on paper. San Diego holds an 18-14-6-2 record with 44 points in sixth place while Tucson’s stands at 18-14-7-0 with 43 points in seventh place.
The Gulls are coming off a four-game road trip which showed both success and struggle. San Diego and Tucson just met as they competed in a back-to-back series early last week. San Diego swept both games putting up a total of eight goals between the two contests.
Following that series the Gulls headed to Abbotsford where they were swept themselves. The team struggled offensively, posting only one goal over the course of the series. The power play proved to be a struggle specifically, with San Diego going 0-for-7.
"I think it starts with, myself, on the dot and finding a way to get possession and get set up," Ryan Carpenter said. "It saves you 20-30 seconds if you don’t have to break the puck out. They have good killers over there, so you have to give them credit, but sometimes it’s just an execution thing and also for me winning a battle on the dot."
Including tonight, the Gulls have four contests left before the All-Star break. The team looks to break their losing streak and pick up some points to keep them in a secure spot for playoffs. Following the break San Diego will have 27 games left in the regular season.
"The games are important, but the most important thing is that we have a response," head coach Matt McIlvane said.
San Diego will continue their run on Friday, Jan. 30 as they head back on the road to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena (7 p.m. PST).