The San Diego Gulls will play their home opener Friday evening at Pechanga Arena San Diego with player introductions accompanied by pyrotechnics and a dry ice display and team mascot Gulliver arriving on the ice in a Polaris Slingshot three-wheel motorcycle.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. All fans in attendance are encouraged to arrive early for the 7 p.m. game against the Stockton Heat and be in their seats by 6:55 p.m. for the opening sequence and player introductions. All fans in attendance will receive a Gulls rally towel upon entry.
A limited number of tickets were available Thursday afternoon. The Gulls led the American Hockey League in attendance the past two seasons, were third in the 2016-17 season and second in their inaugural 2015-16 season.
The game will be the first of 12 Friday $2 Bud Light Nights at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
The game will be the Gulls first home game under coach Kevin Dineen. The former Florida Panthers coach succeed Dallas Eakins, who was promoted in June to coach the Anaheim Ducks, the Gulls NHL parent team, after coaching the Gulls throughout their first four seasons in the AHL.
The Gulls are off to an 0-3-0-0 start and are the only winless team in the seven-team Pacific Division. They lost to Stockton, the Calgary Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate, 5-3, Saturday in their most recent game.
There has been one addition to the Gulls roster since their last game. The Ducks returned center Isac Lundestrom on loan to the Gulls. Lundestrom was scoreless in the Gulls season-opening 2-1 loss at Bakersfield Oct. 4 and was recalled by the Ducks the following day. He was scoreless in three games for the Ducks before being returned to the Gulls.
–City News Service