The San Diego Gulls league-leading power play was scoreless in four opportunities, including a four-minute advantage in the third period, in a 4-2 loss to the Stockton Heat Sunday in Stockton.
“Special teams win games and we didn’t get the job done,” right wing Corey Tropp said after the Gulls second consecutive loss following a team-record-tying eight-game winning streak.
“Each guy on that power play has got to take a look in the mirror and realize that we might only get one a night the rest of the way and we have got to be ready to score.”
Tropp’s shorthanded goal two minutes, 32 seconds into the third period cut the the deficit to 3-2, but the Gulls never scored again, including failing to capitalize when Rasmus Andersson was called for a double-minor for high sticking at 6:00.
Morgan Klimchuk scored an insurance goal for the Heat with 4:00 left before a crowd at Stockton Arena announced at 3,370.
“The coaching staff did their job,” Tropp said. “They give us the game plan and for some reason we didn’t start the game on time. We preached that all day. It’s disappointing.”
The Gulls (28-19-1-0) never led. Stockton left wing Hunter Shinkaruk raced down the left wing on a 3-on-2 rush and sent a cross-ice pass to defenseman Colby Robak who put a backhanded shot past Kevin Boyle 1:43 into the first period for his third goal in 33 games this season.
The Heat (26-18-2-3) increased their lead to 2-0 at 12:26 of the first period when Spencer Foo put in the rebound of Dalton Prout’s shot from the point for a shorthanded goal.
Alex Dostie scored 1:03 later in his first game with the Gulls since Jan. 27. The goal was Dostie’s first since Oct. 27 and third in his 30 games with the Gulls this season.
Dostie was assigned to the Utah Grizzlies, the Gulls primary affiliate in the ECHL, Feb. 2, and recalled by the Gulls from them 11 days later.
Klimchuk scored the only goal of the second period when he put in the rebound of Ryan Lomberg’s shot from the left point shot at 3:08.
The Gulls were outshot, 33-26, including an 18-8 disadvantage in the first period.
Boyle (16-9-1-0) made 29 saves as his six-game winning streak ended.
Ryan Faragher (1-0-0-0) made 24 saves for Stockton, the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate.
“He was unbelievable,” Klimchuk said. “Right from the get-go you could see he was confident and calm and making saves. There were getting chances as well, they weren’t just outside saves they were some big saves that ultimately won us the game.”
Faragher, who played five games for the Gulls in the 2015-16 season, was signed to a professional tryout agreement by the Heat on Feb. 14 after playing 20 games this season for the Idaho Steelheads, the Dallas Stars ECHL affiliate.
The Gulls killed all three of the Heat’s power-play opportunities.
Tropp’s goal was his 38th with the Gulls, setting a team record for their three seasons in the American Hockey League. Antoine Laganiere held the previous record.
The game was the Gulls first since the recalls of their leading scorer, Kalle Kossila, and goaltender Reto Berra, by their NHL parent team, the Anaheim Ducks, and the trade of their leading goal-scorer Eric Fehr.
The Gulls will next play Tuesday, playing host to the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, at the Valley View Casino Center.
— City News Service
