The San Diego Gulls enter the American Hockey League’s All-Star Classic on a loss, falling 4-0 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds tonight at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.
Max McCormick (2-1=3) and Jesper Froden (1-2=3) each recorded three-point games to help the Firebirds maintain their spot among the league’s best teams. Christopher Gibson stopped 21 shots for his second shutout of the season.
Coachella Valley flew out of the gates, scoring thrice in the first 6:44 of regulation to build a multi-goal lead.
Austin Poganski opened the scoring at 3:28 of the first, converting on chance at the top of the crease for his sixth goal of the season. McCormack and Froden (PP) would each find the back of the net over the next three-plus minutes, giving the Firebirds an insurmountable multi-goal lead.
McCormack added on in the middle period, scoring on the power play for Coachellas’ fourth and final goal of the game.
San Diego found itself shorthanded several times over the first two periods and finished the game allowing a season-high eight power plays. The special teams unit stayed strong, allowing just two Coachella tallies on those man-advantage opportunities. Overall, the Gulls killed 11-of-13 (84.6%) of the Firebirds’ power play opportunities during their weekend series. San Diego’s penalty kill on the road is operating at 82.7 % success rate, second in the AHL’s Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference and 11th in the league.
Overall, the Gulls rank fourth in the Pacific Division, seventh in the Western Conference and tied for 12th in the AHL with an 81.2% kill rate.
Dostal, who stopped 27-of-31 shots in the loss, will head to Laval to participate in the league’s 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank. The goaltender will hit the ice tomorrow during the Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition, starting at Place Bell at 3 p.m. PT.
By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
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