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AHL San Diego Gulls

Gulls Double-up on Wild, 6-3

January 26, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


The San Diego Gulls defeated the Iowa Wild 6-3 Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. The Gulls have earned points in six of their last seven games (5-1-1-0) and 12 of the last 18 overall (10-6-2). San Diego's overall record now stands at 14-17-6-0.

Pavol Regenda scored twice 29 seconds apart in the first period and added an assist, giving him three goals and four points in his last two games (3-1=4). He now leads Gulls skaters in goals with 13 this season.

Nikita Nesterenko picked up a goal (ENG) and two assists (1-2=3) to match his season high in points. It marks his fourth multi-point effort of the season.

Andrew Agozzino extended his point streak to three games with his ninth goal of the season. He continues to lead Gulls skaters in points (9-20)).

Jaxsen Wiebe scored his third goal of the season.

Nathan Gaucher netted his sixth goal of the season (ENG).

Tyson Hinds recorded two primary assists for his first professional multi-point game (0-2=2).

Trevor Carrick earned two assists (0-2=2) to give him a team-leading 22 helpers. He ranks tied for sixth among AHL defensemen in assists.

Blake McLaughlin, Glenn Gawdin and Judd Caulfield also tallied assists.

Tomas Suchanek earned his fourth straight victory after stopping 24-of-27 shots. Suchanek has helped San Diego earn standings points in nine of his 11 starts this season (8-2-1).

Anthony Costantini made his AHL debut.

The San Diego Gulls will continue the three-game road trip on Saturday with a rematch against Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena (4 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).

POSTGAME QUOTES

SAN DIEGO GULLS

Left wing Nikita Nesterenko

On how the team kept their composure after the first period:

We got the first two goals right away, then they bounced back, but we played well the whole first. Coach came in and kind of reiterated that not to get down on ourselves. We had a good period, just because they scored two at the end there, not change anything. They forecheck well, we knew that coming in, so as long as we supported each other well and had good breakout support, we knew we had a good chance to win.

On Andrew Agozzino's game-winning goal:

We like running that play just to get the winger off the wall a bit, and either shoot it, or if the guy comes in, just feed it over to that D-man. (Agozzino) was dynamite on the draws all night, even on the forehand. Usually if a guy is on a backhand, we'll do that play, but he was on the forehand so we're like let's do it.

On his empty-net goal:

At first, I was looking for (Gulls forward Pavol Regenda) because I wanted to get him that third one, but he's the one that passed it off the wall and they're kind of collapsing on me, so I just threw it on net hoping it went in and it did.

On the team's recent results:

We're just sticking to the game plan. We know that the coaches put a good game plan out there. If we play aggressive, take time away from the other team, the wins are going to come. We're not going to keep losing if we play the way we've been playing. Just got to keep rolling here.

On tomorrow's game against Iowa:

The main thing, I think, is the breakout support. If we do that, they forecheck well. They've got like two guys, three guys, in there aggressive, so if we have good support, we have that team of three there and if right when we get it, we transition quick and get them on their heels, then I think we'll have a good chance again tomorrow.

Head coach Matt McIlvane

On tonight's win over Iowa:

Learning how to win is a process. You have to learn how to work, you have to learn how to compete and then you have a chance to be able to learn how to win. And it was a big step for us to get that two-goal lead. I thought we played well through the first. It was kind of two unfortunate bounces that ended up tying it up, and then it became the emotional challenge and can we respond. Truth was it took a little bit to get traction all the way through the second period. In the third, we just looked determined and focused from the beginning and like we were ready to go get something done and guys found a way.

On how the team kept their composure after the first period:

I think the guys felt that. I'm not sure that anything necessarily needed to be said at all. It was reminders of some key points for the game and just the challenge was going to be emotional, like can we stay even keeled and stay focused even though our board might not reflect the way that we feel like we're playing. Credit to the guys.

On Andrew Agozzino's game-winning goal:

That's a set play. That has options in it, and they chose almost like option C, but ends up being (Agozzino) wide open on the back post. That was nice.

On the team's veterans:

They're here to give us some stability, to give us examples and to help us win hockey games. It was a strong team effort today and I think that's where we put our focus.

On tomorrow's game against Iowa:

I felt like in that back-to-back game, they really ramped up their competitiveness and every loose puck became a fight then there was contact all over the ice. I think we need to be sure that we're ready for that. By this point, we know the MO of Iowa and we feel like we've got some ideas for how to mitigate it. So stick to our plan and make sure we're ready to compete.

Check out the San Diego Gulls Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2024


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