The San Diego Gulls will conclude a four-game homestand Saturday evening at Valley View Casino Center by facing the Tucson Roadrunners for the third time this season.
The Gulls opened the season with a 6-4 loss at Tucson Oct. 6, then lost their home opener 3-2 to the Roadrunners Oct. 12.
Tucson, the Arizona Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate, is second in the Pacific Division with 11 points on a 5-1-0-1 record. The Gulls (3- 2-0-1) are in fourth with seven points.
The Gulls rallied from a four-goal first-period deficit Friday night to send the game into a shootout, which they lost in the 14th round, in a 5-4 loss to the Stockton Heat at Valley View Casino Center.
Kalle Kossilla tied the score with 13 minutes, 38 seconds left in regulation with a power-play goal in his first game of the season for the Gulls. He was loaned to the team Thursday by its NHL parent team, the Anaheim Ducks, after being on injured reserve because of a hip injury.
Neither team scored in the remainder of regulation or in the five- minute overtime, which in the AHL is played with three skaters per team, two fewer than normal.
Stockton was able to put an additional skater on the ice when Gulls center Logan Shaw was called for slashing 1:15 into overtime. However, the power-play was ended following the penalty when the Heat was called for a penalty for a faceoff violation.
Each team scored on their third shots in the shootout, sending it into the sudden death phase. Tyler Graovac scored for Stockton and Sam Carrick for the Gulls.
Spencer Foo scored for the Heat in the fourth round and Chase De Leo for the Gulls.
Neither team scored in the next nine rounds before a crowd announced at 6,768.
Matt Taormina scored for Stockton in the 14th round. The shootout ended when Ben Thomson failed to score for the Gulls, ending their three-game winning streak.
Luke Gazdic scored twice for the Gulls in the second period, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The Gulls pulled to within 4-3 on Giovanni Fiore’s power- play goal 4:39 into the third period.
Stockton (3-3-1-0) scored four times in a 7:40 span in the first period. Former Gull Scott Sabourin opened the scoring 8:11 into the first period when he put a shot from the point past Kevin Boyle for his first goal of the season in four games with the Heat.
Glenn Gawdin scored a power-play goal 1:37 later. Andrew Mangiapane scored for Stockton at 11:37 of the first period. Gawdin scored his second power-play goal of the period at 15:51.
“That first period was a crazy one,” Gulls coach Dallas Eakins said. “We’re down 4-0 and I thought we had played all right, a couple of unfortunate bounces. The only negative was our penalty kill letting a seam pass come through.”
Eakins replaced Boyle with Jared Coreau at the start of the second period after he allowed four goals on 14 shots.
Coreau (2-1-0-1) stopped all 23 shots he faced over the final 45 minutes, including Foo’s second-period penalty shot.
Jon Gillies (2-1-1-0) made 29 saves for the Heat, the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate.
The Gulls were outshot, 37-33, including a 14-8 deficit in the second period. Both teams took two shots in overtime.
The Gulls scored on their final two power plays after being held scoreless on their first five. Stockton scored on two of its five power plays.
–City News Service