A year ago the Gulls had the worst record in the American Hockey League. Then they hired 37-year-old rising star Matt McIlvane and were gifted a roster stacked with some of the Ducks top prospects, lending hope that this season would be at least somewhat better.
I know, one game is the ultimate small sample size, but this could be a special season in San Diego.
The Gulls opened with a dominant 4-1 road win against the Ontario Reign on Friday night and looked like the better team in every imaginable facet. Last season nights like these, where everything clicks, were few and far between so it's nice to get one right out of the gate.
Pavol Regenda got the scoring started with a power play goal in the 1st period. The Slovakian who won a bronze medal in the 2022 Olympic Games got another goal in the 3rd period, although this one probably should not have counted. A close look revealed he kicked the puck off a Reign defender and in, which is usually frowned upon but the officials missed the call.
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Right then you kind of knew this was San Diego's night. Four minutes after Regenda's boot, Jacob Perreault scored on a pretty pass from Colton White to make it 3-0, which was plenty for goalie Alex Stalock. The veteran of 179 NHL games spread over 11 seasons was stellar in his Gulls debut, stopping 40 of the 41 shots he faced. Glen Gawdin put a bow on it with an empty-net goal to remove any distant hopes Ontario had of a late comeback.
The Gulls get one more in Ontario on Sunday afternoon then head home to face the Reign again on Friday, October 20, at what is going to be an electric Pechanga Arena.
