Top 10 Moments: Dropping the Mitts
May 22, 2023By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com
With the 2022-23 season in the books, SanDiegoGulls.com looks back at some of the biggest moments, from individual highlights to impressive theme nights and more. Today we continue our Top-10 Moments series, spotlighting the best fights of the season.
Bo Groulx took part in one fight this season and it was one of epic proportions as he squared off with Ontario Reign center Lias Andersson at Toyota Arena on Jan. 14. After scoring his ninth goal of the season only minutes before, Groulx found himself in a heated scrum at the front of the net at 16:37 of the final frame. Groulx tangled with Andersson, the two centers breaking away for their own standoff. Groulx pummeled Andersson with a rally of right throws, winning only the second fight of his American Hockey League career.
Glenn Gawdin isn’t normally the center of a scrap, but when he is, it shifts the momentum of the game. On Jan. 11 at Pechanga Arena San Diego, the Gulls trailed the San Jose Barracuda 2-1 as Gawdin dropped the gloves with left wing William Eklund. The center fired off a set of right upper cuts, eventually toppling Eklund with a left hook and decisively winning what would be his only fight of the season. The brawl gave the Gulls what they needed as the team went on to score four unanswered goals and win the game 5-2.
The Gulls’ first fight of the 2023-23 season certainly didn’t disappoint as then-newcomer Dmitry Osipov grappled with Colorado Eagles defenseman Keaton Middleton during San Diego’s 4-3 win on Oct. 26 at Pechanga Arena. Osipov landed several jabs against Middleton before tossing the 6’5 blueliner down to the ice. The crowd roared and on his way to the penalty box, Osipov put his hands in the air in appreciation of the reaction from America’s Finest Fans.
Nikolas Brouillard brought the battle to the Gulls’ annual Military Appreciation Night against the Bakersfield Condors on Nov. 11. The blueliner tangled with Condors veteran Luke Esposito at center stage, dominating the fight with an unyielding sequence of punches before Esposito forced them down to the ice.