The San Diego Gulls allowed a goal 12 seconds into overtime and lost to the Stockton Heat, 2-1, Sunday at Valley View Casino Center, losing for just the third time in the 30 games they have scored first this season.
The Gulls won the faceoff to open overtime, then lost the puck quickly at center ice. Freddie Hamilton’s diagonal pass through the slot stuck on Kenny Agostino’s stick, who put a shot past Gulls goaltender Matt Hackett for his 20th goal of the season.
Forward Kalle Kossila, playing in his first professional game, opened the scoring with a power-play goal 11 minutes, 16 seconds in the second period on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle off assists from Shea Theodore and Ondrej Kase. Kossila signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Gulls on Friday after completing his college eligibility at St. Cloud State.
The Heat tied the score 1:07 later when defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon scored on a shot from just inside the blue line for his second goal in 48 games this season with the Calgary Flames American Hockey League affiliate.
Stockton goaltender Nick Schneider made 29 saves before a crowd announced at 8,566. Hackett made 31 saves for the Gulls (36-23-2-2).
The Gulls killed off both of the Heat’s power-play opportunities. Stockton (30-28-2-2) has gone scoreless in 27 consecutive power-play opportunities. The Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate, scored on one of their five power-play opportunities.
Gulls defenseman Stu Bickel and Heat right wing Blair Riley both received five-minute major penalties for their fight at 6:43 of the third period. Bickel leads the Gulls with 176 penalty minutes, 54 more than Brian McGrattan, the team’s only other player with more than 81.
The Gulls are 27-0-2-1 when scoring first.
The Gulls will play host to the Bakersfield Condors, the Edmonton Oilers AHL affiliate, Wednesday night at Valley View Casino Center.
—City News Service
