Preview: Gulls Set For Matinee Matchup In Tucson
Oct 24, 2023By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
Wake up, it’s time for hockey.
The San Diego Gulls will face the Tucson Roadrunners at 10:30 a.m. PT today at Tucson Convention Center Arena, San Diego’s first game against a team other than the Ontario Reign this season.
"Just another team to get ready for," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "I’m sure that it’ll be very similar with a couple of unique differences, but we’ll try to stay really focused on ourselves."
The Gulls opened the 2023-24 American Hockey League season with three straight games against the Reign, taking both games at Toyota Arena opening weekend before dropping their home opener 3-2 at Pechanga Arena San Diego on Friday night.
"I think as a team 5-on-5 we played really well," defenseman Colton White said. "We were connected, and we created a lot of offense. We just couldn’t really capitalize on our chances [on Friday]. After that, we ran into some penalty trouble. We just got to stay a little but more disciplined here in the coming games."
Despite the loss, the Gulls saw Olen Zellweger net his first career AHL goal in front of the home crowd, giving him points in every professional game he has played dating back to the 2021 AHL postseason (1-4=5 in four games).
Pavol Regenda stayed hot as well, as he netted his fourth goal of the season to give him an AHL career-high three-game goal streak (4-0=4). He currently ranks tied for fifth among all AHL skaters in goals and leads the league with two short-handed tallies.
"Every time was a good situation," Regenda said. "Good passes from the guys. We created a few opportunities on the PK. Last game, Trevor [Carrick] sauces the puck in a really good spot. It was my second breakaway of the game, so I wanted to bury it and I threw it at the net, and it went in. I’m trying my best and burying goals. I think it’s going to help the team."
"Effort is excellent," McIlvane said of Regenda. "Speed is evident. It’s good to see the puck go in for him. He certainly gives the effort to get rewarded. And we’re happy to see that."
The Gulls currently lead the AHL in power play percentage at 44.4% on the young season. While they haven’t had a ton of opportunities, they’ve capitalized on their chances and scored on 4-of-9 power plays so far.
"I think the guys have been really moving the puck well," White said. "They’re taking advantage of the opportunities they have and taking what’s given and then generating a lot of shot opportunities as well."
On the other side of special teams, San Diego has struggled to stay out of the penalty box. Through three games, the team has been short-handed 19 times and surrendered four power-play goals (78.9%). All three of Ontario’s goals on Friday night came with a man advantage, two on the power play and one on a delayed penalty.
"It’s a fine line because we want to play so aggressively," McIlvane said. "We want to challenge. We want to get quick to closing. There’s an art to getting in there and playing with the right technique to be able to avoid that. Some of the habits that we’ve got, we’re trying to break. I think that’s got to be our focus."