The San Diego Gulls will conclude a two-game Texas roadtrip Saturday by playing at San Antonio after squandering three leads and having two players ejected for fighting in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Texas Stars in Cedar Park, Texas.
Texas tied the score for the third time on Dillion Heatherington’s goal with 14 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation Friday night in Cedar Park, Texas, an Austin suburb.
Andrew Bodnarchuk scored the winner on a breakaway 3:29 into the scheduled five-minute overtime, which in the American Hockey League is played with three skaters per team, two fewer than normal.
“We really battled hard here the last couple of nights and I know giving up leads is tough, but that’s why it’s a 60-minute game,” Gulls coach Dallas Eakins said, referring to Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Stockton Heat at Valley View Casino Center, where the Gulls took a 3-0 lead.
Gulls rookie center Julius Nattinen opened the scoring against the Stars with his first professional goal 1:28 into the game when his shot from the right faceoff circle trickled past Stars goaltender Mike McKenna.
The Gulls (3-3-1-0) increased their lead to 2-0 11:08 into the first period when rookie center Alex Dostie put a shot through McKenna’s pads for his second goal of the season.
Texas, the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate, tied the score, 2-2, as Jason Dickinson knocked in a rebound of a shot by Denis Gurianov at 14:39 and Curtis McKenize tipped in Dillon Heatherington’s shot from the left point at 17:19.
The Gulls reclaimed the lead at 14:32 of the second period on Mitch Hults’ power-play goal, seven seconds after Stars defenseman Matt Mangene received a penalty for holding Gulls left wing Giovanni Fiore on a partial breakaway.
Texas (4-3-0-1) retied the score on Sheldon Dries’ goal with 2:52 left in the second period before a crowd announced at 4,782 at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas put the Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate, back ahead 3:03 into the third period with his first goal of the season.
There were four fights.
Gulls defenseman Stu Bickel and Dries engaged in the first one, 11:21 into the game.
Bickel received a game misconduct for his second fight of the night at 19:09 of the first period. He also received two other game misconduct penalties for being involved in a secondary altercation and being the aggressor.
Gulls right wing Scott Sabourin received a game misconduct for being the aggressor in the main fight at 19:09 of the first period.
Gulls defenseman Keaton Thompson and Stars right wing Tommy Thompson were involved in the final fight with 7:13 left in regulation.
The Gulls were outshot, 33-20, including 5-0 in overtime.
McKenna stopped 16 of 20 shots. Gulls goaltender Kevin Boyle stopped 27 of 32. Leland Irving made one save and allowed one goal during a 3:54 stint in the second period when Boyle had to leave the game because of an equipment issue.
The Gulls killed all five of Texas’ power-play opportunities, including a five-minute, five-on-three advantage late in the first period and early in the second.
The Gulls scored on one of their five power-play opportunities.
The San Antonio Rampage, the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, shares the league’s best record with the Providence Bruins at 6-1-0-0 and have won five consecutive games.
—City News Service
