The San Diego Gulls earned their first win of the 2024-25 season last Saturday in Bakersfield.
Now, they’ll travel to Canada for the second time this month. San Diego will take on the Abbotsford Canucks in a two-game series starting Friday, then head to Calgary for a two-game series that begins Tuesday. The Gulls (1-3) opened their season with a pair of losses to the Marlies in Toronto.
San Diego’s lone win, a 3-2 overtime victory, provided some extra juice this week as the team prepared for one of the busiest stretches of the long AHL campaign.
“It feels really good to get that first one,” said center Nathan Gaucher. “I feel that the first three games we battled back a lot. Didn’t get the results we wanted. It’s just so fun to get the first win. The guys worked really hard for this, so we’re bringing a lot of energy to this week.”
Special teams have played a big role already this season. In the first three games, the Gulls went 1-9 on the power play and 4-8 on the penalty kill.
Gulls forward Yegor Sidorov’s power-play goal was the game-winner against Bakersfield.
“We certainly spent a lot of time on special teams last week,” Gulls coach Matt McIlvane said. “I think there was a lot of good that came out of that time together…Our power play came through for us in a big moment.”
PLNU gets shot at No. 10 Arizona
Arizona opens the men’s college basketball season ranked No. 10 in the country.
On Monday night, Point Loma Nazarene will face the Wildcats in an exhibition game in Tucson, Ariz.
Coach Justin Downer arranged the matchup thanks to his longtime connections with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and other of the Wildcats’ staff.
The Sea Lions have won three straight PacWest titles; they opened last season with a 71-51 exhibition loss at San Diego State.
This year’s PLNU squad returns 12 players from a 21-9 team, including six players who started at least 11 games. Senior guard Luke Haupt (St. Augustine High School) is back following an 18-month rehab from a torn ACL; so is sophomore guard Jake Lifgren, who was the team’s leading scorer when he was injured midway through last season.
“It’s hard to communicate what level our guys are,” Downer said. “A game like this gives them a chance to go out and show just how good they are. We’re excited about the opportunity.”
The Wildcats, who reached the Sweet 16 last spring, already have one exhibition game under their belts. They beat Eastern New Mexico 117-54 on Monday night.
The Sea Lions will practice at McKale Center on Sunday and hold a shootaround Monday morning, so the players should have ample time to adjust to what will be the largest arena they will play in during the regular season.
One thing is for sure: the Sea Lions are going to try to play their kind of game.
“Our plan is to take 35” 3-pointers, Downer said. “And, if we make 18 of ‘em, maybe we can be in the game.”
