Rookie goaltender Kevin Boyle stopped 39 of 40 shots and Corey Tropp and Sam Carrick scored first-period goals as the San Diego Gulls defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 2-1 Friday evening.
The victory was the Gulls sixth in their last seven games and moved them within a point of the Pacific Division-leading San Jose Barracuda.
Boyle made 16 saves in the first period and 14 in the second, improving to 9-1-3-0 in his past 13 American Hockey League appearances and 9-3-3-1 for the season.
“I was able to get into a groove early tonight,î Boyle said. My defense made it easy on me by letting me see pucks and clearing out loose rebounds. It was a group effort all game long.
The Gulls (34-14-3-2) killed all four of Tucson’s power-play opportunities.
Tropp opened the scoring nine minutes, 24 seconds into the first period when his shot from below the left faceoff circle trickled past Roadrunners goaltender Adin Hill for a power-play goal before a crowd at Valley View Casino Center announced at 12,006.
The Gulls went back on the power play right after Tropp’s goal as Tucson right wing Christian Fischer was called for cross-checking.
The Gulls got their second power-play goal 9:46 into the first period when Sam Carrick deflected Max Gortz’s shot over Hill’s shoulder for his third goal in four games with the Gulls.
I’ve had a chemistry with my linemates since I arrived here,” said Carrick, who was loaned to the Gulls March 1 by their NHL parent team, the Anaheim Ducks, the same day they acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks
“We’ve all been working hard and it was nice to get rewarded with that goal.”
Former Gull Chris Mueller scored the lone goal for the Roadrunners (23- 21-0-6) with 1:10 left in the second period. Mueller has five goals and six assists in 10 games against the Gulls.
“I thought tonight was good for our group,” Gulls coach Dallas Eakins said after his team improved to 8-1-0-1 against Tucson, the Arizona Coyotes AHL affiliate. “It was good to have that one-goal lead, take it into the third and close it out like we did.”
Hill made 33 saves.
Gulls defenseman Stu Bickel and Roadrunners left wing Mitch Moroz received game misconduct penalties for fighting at the drop of the puck in a faceoff at 7:34 of the second period.
Gulls right wing Nick Sorensen received a 10-minute misconduct, two- minute minor instigating penalty and a five-minute major for fighting Tucson defenseman Jarred Tinordi immediately after Tinordi’s high hit knocked Gortz to the ice.
Tinordi received a match penalty for a check to the head and a five- minute major penalty for fighting.
The Gulls will next play Sunday at San Jose. Their next game at Valley View Casino Center will be Wednesday against the Stockton Heat, the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate.
— City News Service
