It might have been a first at Pechanga Arena San Diego with the flags of the United States, Canada and Mexico hanging from the rafters for a pro hockey game.
Yes, Mexico.
For last Saturday’s American Hockey League clash between the host San Diego Gulls and the Calgary Wranglers. The arena was filled specialty swag, mariachis, folklorico dancers and poncho-clad fans from a promotional giveaway. Pregame festivities included a parking lot tailgate.
The Gulls wore green red and white trimmed uniforms during warmups. Chula Vista-based Mariachi Continental de San Diego performed all three national anthems and did a good job with all three.
The occasion was the Gulls’ third annual Mexican Heritage Night.
The event has become the Gulls’ second-highest grossing event, and each one seems to get better.
Signifying the bi-national aspect of the region, fans sang along with several Spanish-language songs played over the public address system.
Community was a key aspect of the evening. Among the beneficiaries on the night was the House of Mexico’s Cultural Center Scholarship Fund.
That the Gulls carried a two-game winning streak into the game it even more festive and exciting for the large gathering of 10,871 fans.
The Gulls were coming off a highly satisfying 5-1 win over the visiting Tucson Roadrunners the previous night, the team they have been chasing for the final playoff berth in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
With the regular season dwindling down to fewer and fewer games, each game was a playoff game in its own right.
“The next game is always the biggest,” Gulls forward Justin Bailey said. “We’re starting to find our identity with a new group, with our new guys.”
Saturday’s game opened with an 11-4 shot advantage by the hosts, though San Diego starter Ville Husso stopped a breakaway midway through the opening period to keep the game even against a Calgary team that had slid horribly down the Pacific Division standings with a 2-7-1 record in its last 10 games.
The Gulls found themselves killing a double minor to Carsen Twarynski for high sticking. They almost made it out of danger until Jeremie Poirier netted his fifth goal of the season at 14:58. The primary assist went to Hunter Brzustewicz, his 22nd of the season. Ty Tulio received credit for the secondary assist, his seventh of the season.
Husso made two huge back-to-back saves in the opening five minutes of the second period to keep the hosts to within one goal.
Then the game began to unravel in favor of the hosts.
The Gulls tied the score, 1-1, on a goaltender misplay. Wranglers netminder Walitteri Ignatjew failed to clear the puck from behind the net. An alert Gulls player pounced on the loose puck and easily tapped it into an open net at 12:50 of the second period. Nico Myatovic got the equalizer, his eighth goal of the seasons, with assists awarded to Justin Bailey (his 17th of the season) and Dillon Heatherington (his sixth).
The hosts banged the puck off the post to start the third period and never really lost the momentum, notching the go-ahead 2-1 goal at 7:40 off the stick of rookie Stian Solberg, a first-round pick (No. 23 overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft by parent Anaheim Ducks, for his first professional goal.
The large and vocal crowd swooned, airing out superlatives in both English and Spanish.
Ole!
The Gulls held an 8-1 advantage in shots with eight minutes remaining in regulation play.
A ninth shot in the period made it 3-1 on a power play goal at 12:54 by Roland McKeown, his 13 tally of the season, 35th point, assisted by Jan Mysak and Mytatobic.
Goooooooooooooooooooool!
3-1 San Diego.
The arena was jumping.
The Wranglers received a power play opportunity late in the game to draw closer and pulled their netminder for two extra attackers. Calgary-clad players swarmed in front of Husso, but to no avail.
This was, short and simply, the Gulls night.
The hosts finished with a 11-3 shot advantage in third period and 25-21 for the game.
Not surprisingly, the Gulls swept the three-star awards: No. 1 Solberg (game-winning goal, first professional goal), No. 2 Husso (20 saves) and No. 3 Myatovic (one goal, one assist).
The race of the final playoff berth in the division has gotten as tight as it’s been all season. The Gulls entered Saturday’s game five points behind Tucson, four points behind Bakersfield and four points ahead of the last place Henderson Silver Knights.
With Tucson at Bakersfield, the Gulls would not gain ground on one of those teams but did on one as the host Condors held off the Roadrunners, 3-2, to flip Bakersfield one point ahead of Tucson in the standings. The Gulls remained four points arrears of Bakersfield and closed to just three points behind the Roadrunners with eight regular season games remaining.
The division standings are also getting crowded at the top. Abbotsford and Ontario, separated by just one standings point, were engaged in a battle for second place.
The push to the playoffs continues on all fronts.
Viva Gulls!
“Back-to-back, it’s a big test mentally to be able to have that opportunity to be focused all the way throughout it,” Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane said. “There’s so much that you’re battling against, including a great team, but the resolve of our group was strong today, and that’s what’s the difference in the end.
“Once Stian (Solberg) scores and we’re up, you can just feel the confidence grow on our bench. We put together a lot of great shifts after that. And then being able to capitalize on the power play, you could see a lot of resolve come through in the end.”
Besides Solberg’s first pro goal, newcomer Owen Lindmark also registered his first pro point in the game.
“I did a nice move first there, and just shot it, and it went in.” Solberg recalled. “Just a really, really great team, a lot of good guys. We’re just sticking together, working harder and harder, a hard-working team, winning games.
“Of course, it’s a really nice arena and a really nice crowd. It was a lot of fun. And everybody here appreciates that. Everybody comes and watches us play. It was a lot of fun.”
The win was Husso’ sixth straight between the pipes.
“It was a good weekend for us, overall,” Husso said. “Tough game last night, less than 24 hours play again, and I think the first period a couple penalties both sides. I don’t think we were on our best in the first but then in the second, we took over and created some good chances. And same thing in the third. I don’t think they had too many shots, and guys were blocking shots and doing all the little things that as a winning team you want to do.
“I feel like guys were saying, it was same tough start for the season, and then just keep grinding and grinding. And now five points away from the playoffs, almost 10 games to go. So, it’s a good challenge for us, and there was no pressure. Just having fun, and I feel like we are showing it on the ice as well.”
The grinding goes on as the Gulls hosted the red-hot Abbortsford Canucks, winners of 10 consecutive games, on Wednesday. The Canucks entered the game one point behind second place Ontario and two points ahead of fourth place Coachella Valley. First place Colorado led Ontario by four points and Abbotsford by five points.
Colorado and Ontario are both 7-3 in their last 10 games, so they remain in position to joust for the division lead. The Firebirds are on a three-game winning streak to fill in the gaps if any of the teams above them falter.
The Gulls seem in prime position to steal the final playoff berth with a 6-4 record in their last 10 games while Tucson is 4-6 and Bakersfield is 4-5-1. A losing record down the stretch just will not do it.
It’s been a mixed bag of tricks – not to mention emotions – over the last half of the 2024-25 season. Once nine standings points out of the Pacific Division’s seventh and last playoff berth and rock bottom in last place, any possibility of postseason play seemed unlikely, the Gulls have risen like a vampire from the coffin to perform nocturnal mayhem, like a phoenix from the ashes to move into serious playoff contention.
Just when you think they’re out of it, they’re not. It’s going to be a grisly ending for someone, and maybe not the Gulls after all.
Too many games remain to accurately predict a finish.
Gut check: Canucks double up Gulls
With Calgary nosing out host Tucson, 4-3, on Wednesday, it was a prime opportunity for the Gulls to gain ground in the playoff chase. But four third-period Abbotsford goals proved to be the culprit as the Canadian visitors snapped the Gulls’ three-game winning streak with a 6-3 win, the high-flying Canucks’ 11th consecutive
The Gulls didn’t gain ground with the loss, but they didn’t lose ground, either. Seven games remain in regular season play with San Diego still trailing Tucson by five points and eighth place Bakersfield by four points.
Ontario and Abbotsford both clinched playoff berths with wins on Wednesday. The Reign edged host San Jose 3-2, but Colorado topped host Coachella Valley to stave off both challengers for the division lead.
Abbotsford drew first blood at 10:39 as Dino Kambeitz scored straight on Ville Husso following a pass from the side. The goal was Kambeitz’s 10th of the season, assisted by Cooper Walker (his fifth).
The Canucks had opened the game with superior puck possession and a 4-0 edge in shots before the hosts began to show some offensive life. A skate save by Abbotsford starter Nikita Tolopilo prevented a tie game with 6:50 to play in the opening period.
Conversely, Husso made a pad save to keep the hosts within one goal and the post (clang!) came to Husso’s aid a few seconds later on a follow-up shot.
The Canucks gave the Gulls too much space on a foray by rookie Stian Solberg, who drove deep toward the Abbotsford net and placed the puck past a frozen Tolopino for a 1-1 tie at 18:33. Ian Moore and Carsen Twarynski. The goal was Solberg;s second as a pro while Moore recorded his third assist and Twarynski his eighth.
The teams battled to a 7-7 standoff in shots by the end of the opening period.
The hosts took a 2-1 lead at 6:31 of the second period on a nifty play involving Judd Caulfield, Owen Lindmark and Twarnyski. The trio passed the puck around the net and then in front of it where Caulfield poked in the puck for his 10th goal of the season. Lindmark received the primary assist and Twarnyski the secondary assist.
The Canucks were dinged with a string of nearly six continuous penalty minutes and got out of it with a shorthanded goal by Ty Mueller (his 10) for a 2-2 tie. Guillaume Brisebois received the lone assist.
But the Gulls owned the middle period with a 13-4 edge in shots and 2-1 edge in goals for a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes.
The hosts received a late power play and capitalized immediately in front of a jammed Abbotsford crease. Justin Bailey netted his 19th goal of the season at 19:47with assists to Jan Mysak (his 21st) and Nico Myatoic (his ninth). Bailey scored just 10 seconds into the man advantage for the timely go-ahead goal.
The Canadian visitors played through the period with four penalties to hamper their offense. However, they seemed to re-energize their game to start the third period.
Abbotsford scored the equalizer on an open shot from the back post at 6:44 by Kirill Kudryavstev (his fifth), assisted by Tristen Nielsen (his 12th).
3-3.
The Canucks struck for the go-ahead 4-3 tally at 7:43 (less than a minute later) from Akito Hirose (his third) from Danila Klimovich (his 11th) and Cole McWard (his 18th).
A breakaway goal by Max Sasson extended the Abbotsford lead to 5-3 with 8:45 to play. The timely goal was the 10th of the season for Sasson, unassisted.
The Canucks would not be denied for their 11th consecutive win as Arshdeep Bains scored into an empty net at 16:55 for a 6-3 lead. The goal was his 10th of the season.
The Gulls received a late power play at 18:49 but it was too late as the hosts took a roughing penalty at 19:37. Abbotsford out-shot San Diego 12-6 in the final period, though the hosts finished with a 26-23 advantage in front of 5,111 faithful.
A lucky fan won the cumulative $3,700 chuck-a-puck jackpot by landing the disc in the center of the bullseye at center ice.
The season plods on and so does the playoff race.
All eyes will be on Tucson and Bakersfield this weekend as the Condors host the Roadrunners in a pair of key games in Arizona. Bakersfield could easily slip past Tucson to control its own playoff destiny. A split would favor the Gulls, who play games Friday and Sunday in Iowa against the Central Division’s second-to-last place team. A Tucson sweep could almost lock up the final playoff berth, especially if the Gulls falter in Iowa.
San Diego has 62 points in ninth place in the tightening up Pacific Division standings while Iowa has 52 points, one point out of the Central Division cellar and likely a non-playoff qualifier.
Four teams in the Central Division have locked up Calder Cup berths: the Texas Stars, Milwaukee Admirals, Chicago Wolves and Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Atlantic Division field is nearing completion with the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears, Charlotte Checkers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Providence Bruins all heading to postseason play.
The Laval Rocket, at the top of the AHL power rankings, is joined by the Rochester Americans so far to secure playoff berths in the North Division.
Beep beep
It was Classic Rock Night at Pechanga Arena San Diego on Friday, March 28, with tunes from yesteryear serenading fans in attendance. The game also rocked on the ice with the hometown Gulls entertaining the Tucson Roadrunners, two teams locked into a battle as the last teams to qualify for the upcoming Calder Cup playoffs.
Tucson entered Friday’s contest with a seven-point lead on the Gulls for the final playoff berth in the AHL’s Pacific Division standings.
Suffice it to say, it was a must-win matchup for San Diego as well as a meaningful contest for the Arizonans.
The Roadrunners got the first chance to take the lead when awarded a power play 3:32 into the game. The visitors were unable to score but the Gulls did manage one shot on the Tucson net. The Gulls actually had the best chances to put up a 1-0 or even 2-0 lead despite being out-shot 10-4 in the opening 10:00 of the game (7-1 at the start and 10-2 at one point.
The Gulls went on the man-advantage with 4:34 to play in the first period. The hosts created a couple of glorious chances to score – the best so far in the game – but could not put the puck in the back of the net to the disappointment of the home crowd.
The Gulls definitely picked up the pace in the second half of the period with a 7-3 edge in shots as Tucson finished with a 10-8 edge for the first 20 minutes.
Neither team could muster a goal to break a scoreless deadlock. Ville Husso stood tall in the San Diego net to keep his team in contention.
The Gulls took a 1-0 lead at 8:23 of the second period on a power play goal by Harvard captain Ian Moore for his first AHL goal. Assists went to Jan Mysak (his 19th) and Justin Bailey (his 16th). Moore deposited the puck top shelf just under the crossbar.
Husso turned aside Tucson’s best scoring chance on a breakaway to preserve the tenuous 1-0 lead.
Shots were seven apiece for both teams for a 17-15 advantage for the Roadrunners through two periods.
The Gulls doubled their lead at 6:06 of the third period on a long shot by Tristan Luneau for his seventh goal of the season and team-leading 48th point. Carsen Twarynski and Judd Caulfield picked up the assists – the 13th of the season for Caulfield and the seventh for Twarynski.
The score increased to 3-0 Gulls at 8:27 on another long shot, this time by Bailey for his second point of the game. Bailey notched 17th goal of the season from Tyson Hinds (his 14th) and Noah Warren (his fourth).
The Gulls gained two important points on Tucson to draw five back. However, Bakersfield topped visiting Calgary, 8-2, to remain four points ahead of San Diego and just one standings point behind Tucson in what is now shaping up to be a frantic push to the end of the regular season for all three teams.
The Roadrunners now have to contend with not only the Gulls but the Condors now.
The 6,629 on hand were given another chance to cheer at 14:33 when the hosts made it 4-0 on a point-blank shot by Bailey into the wide-open side of the net. The goal – the second of the game for Bailey – was his 18th of the season. Nico Myatovic recorded his seventh assist of the season while team captain Ryan Carpenter logged his 25th helper.
The Gulls were flying high – and flying up the standings.
Tucson ruined Husso’s shutout bid at 15:38 on a power play goal by Egor Sokolov, his team leading 21st goal of the season, assisted by team captain Austin Poganski.
But the comeback lasted only 21 seconds as Caulfield scored into an empty net at 15:59 for his ninth goal of the season.
5-1 San Diego. A deservedly so.
Final shots were 23 for each team as the hosts out-shot the visitors 8-6 in the third period.
Bailey led the on-ice massacre with three points (two goals, one assist) as the No. 1 star of the game. Caulfield had two points on a goal and assist.
Husso stopped 22 of 23 Tucson shots to earn second star honors. Moore was awarded third star accolades with his first professional goals.
The Gulls moved four standings points ahead of last place Henderson.
The Colorado Eagles became the first team in the Pacific Division to clinch a Calder Cup playoff berth, as they entered Friday’s game eight points ahead of Ontario
San Diego head coach Matt McIlvane called the game “fun to watch” on a lot of different levels, especially watching his team’s killer instinct develop.
“I think it grew as the game went on,” McIlvane said. “It was tight early. Could kind of feel it. Could feel the weight of the game at some moments, with some of our play, but really allowed us to sette in. First big one. Huge second one by Tristan (Luneau) with a great screen, and then (Justin) Bailrye sand Judd (Caulfield) did the rest of the scoring for us, but the team, the confidence, just kept growing. It was impressive.
“In the playoff push, just like the playoffs, the next game’s the biggest.”
“I think, honestly, for the last month the mindset’s been that the next game is the biggest one,” Bailey reiterated. “Take it game by game. We knew it was an uphill climb from the All-Star break. But, taking it day-by-day makes it a lot easier. We all kind of knew the importance of it, but we came out, we executed the game plan. We stayed composed throughout the whole night. We really played a great game.”
The entire Gulls group was locked into that message.
“We knew tonight was going to be a huge game for us, and we just knew we had to go out there and play our game,” Caulfield said. “Just focus on this game. That’s the biggest task at hand right now, and put ourselves in a better position. And we know we got to keep bringing that up. Keep bringing that effort.
“All of our guys have been so dialed in. Tonight, Husso made some huge saves for us towards the end of the second. We were caught sleeping for a while, and he just made those key saves. He was steady Eddie for us tonight, and that was huge for us to kind of get back in this second intermission, regroup a little bit, and come out flying in the third.
“We knew what was at stake. And we knew that we had to try to get this one in regulation as if we could. And we just came out flying and executed as a team. We were playing for each other, and it was so fun to see all the guys. We had [Travis Howe] with a huge block, couple other guys just sacrificed in their bodies. And that’s just what it takes to win hockey games.
“We just control what we can control.”
Eric Sage’s Ultimate Rock Show provided the in-game entertainment.
