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AHL San Diego Gulls

Gulls Take Down Reign, 2-1

March 14, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


The San Diego Gulls defeated the Ontario Reign 2-1 Wednesday night at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The Gulls are now 3-1-0-0 during their current six-game homestand. San Diego's overall record now stands at 21-25-8-0.

Calle Clang set a new AHL career-high with 41 saves on 42 shots. Clang has a .952 save percentage in his last two starts (79-of-83).

Nikita Nesterenko netted his 13th goal of the season to open the scoring. He co-leads Gulls rookies in goals alongside Ben King.

Robert Hagg scored his second goal of the season, giving him 1-3=4 points over his last four games.

Glenn Gawdin tallied an assist for the second straight game, his 25th of the campaign.

Andrew Agozzino earned his team-leading 29th assist of the season.

The San Diego Gulls begin a back-to-back with the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday night (7 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).

POSTGAME QUOTES

SAN DIEGO GULLS

Goalkeeper Calle Clang

On his career night:

I think it's a lot easier to play those games when you have a lot of shots instead of having 15 to 20. I think that's the hardest one. So, kind of keeps me in the rhythm all the time, and I enjoy playing those games.

On holding onto the on-goal lead:

We just tried to honestly survive. I mean, they're a really good team, so we kind of have to fight and conquer. I think we did a really good job. Some guys doing big blocks there, that helps a lot, and it was a really good team effort today and I'm glad we got the two points.

On shutting down one of the top power plays in the league:

As you said, they have a lot of options. It's not only (Reign forward Samuel Fagemo), but he's a really good shooter, so we have to respect his shot, but also (Reign forward T.J.) Tynan is a really good passer, so I think we did a good job today. Had a really good plan for us and we executed it on a really high level. It was a good night for the PK.

On continuing their success for the rest of the six-game homestand:

We just got to keep doing what we did today. Play as a team and have each other's back. I think Howe did an unbelievable job today to start us off with that fight and I think that's a really good team spirit and I think that's the key for us. Just keep playing for each other, having each other's back, and just be humble here and keep it going.

On what he's been working on with Gulls goaltending coach Jeff Glass:

[Nothing] in particular. Me and Glasser have been doing, I think, a really good job throughout the season. I think that the pace right now, a little bit of a skid before that, but it feels really good now, so I'm just going to try to keep doing the same things.

On the upcoming games against Milwaukee:

We're just trying to get four points here. Big weekend coming up and I think we just got to keep playing to our game, stick to our plan and execute at a high level and get our four points there.

Right wing Nikita Nesterenko

On his goal:

(Gulls forward Andrew Agozzino) made a great pass there, found me right in that soft area. You don't have a lot of time in this league, so the quicker you get it off the better off you are. I just tried to get it off my stick as quick as possible, and got lucky enough that it went in.

On everyone contributing to the team's success:

They came in waves, we came in waves, it was back and forth hockey. It's like that all the time. We just weather the storm. Obviously, they had a couple more shots than us, but Calle stood on his head, guys made huge blocks and sacrificed their bodies. It was a good team win.

On Calle Clang:

He is dialed in right now. He found his groove. He has been great for us, when a guy makes 40 saves like that it gives us a chance so we are super happy to have him on our side.

On how he switches from skill to time management:

When we are up a goal or two coming into the second half of the game trying to wind it down like you said, just doing anything you can, just keeping it simple to help the team win. I thought (Gulls forward Sasha Pastujov) did a great job as well, just getting the pucks in at the lines. They play that 1-1-3 so they step hard at the red so you have to manage the puck well there.

On the upcoming games against Milwaukee:

Just get some rest tomorrow. Just have that belief. Obviously, this is a good Ontario team. We won against them we can win against anybody. It's always nice playing at home here, in front of the fans at Pechanga, so hopefully we can keep winning for them.

Head coach Matt McIlvane

On what was the message heading into tonight's game:

A big thing coming off the Coachella [Valley] game was how can we find our identity again, and find it fast? So, we had two reasonably intense days of practice and some real honest chats about the ways we played. The response we were looking for from a competitive standpoint we certainly got tonight.

On taking advantage of the situation on the second goal:

Any opportunity you can get your top groups against a tired fourth line, that's something, from a coach's standpoint, that you want to take advantage of. And then great net-front presence on the goal. Obviously, a beautiful shot, but we needed the draw, we needed the net-front presence.

On Calle Clang:

I just feel like Calle's found a really nice rhythm with his game. He's certainly gone through learning about the American Hockey League this year, the way that the schedule works, opponents, how to prepare. We've had really solid goaltending. It doesn't matter who's in there, and that's a really great benefit for our team.

On the second period:

There was a lot of really good play for us in the first period. When the opposition team gets power plays and you don't, they don't score, so they got a lot of shot attempts on the powerplay, it can tilt the ice very naturally. The big difference for me, I thought, was in the second period, was that they were trapping well, and we weren't playing behind their trap as well as we could to be able to establish pressure. I thought we got through that a bit more in the second period. Overall, you take a look at the second period, sure, but I think you look more at the character that the guys showed today to be able to get the response that we wanted.

On how they were able hold onto the lead:

We thought that our key word going out for the third period was going to be composure. It was going to be can we flip the script on their trap and can we be able to stay calm and composed. I think that sometimes, those little chip outs at the end of the game, kills 20 or 30 seconds, that's a big play. Block shots that don't make it to our net, that's a big play. Had the guys flex some character and we're happy to get the result.

On the upcoming games against Milwaukee:

We've got a Milwaukee team coming in that we're familiar with. We've seen them a few times and we're excited to have the opportunity to play them again. For tomorrow, our big focus is let's learn a little bit, let's get our bodies ready so we can perform in a back-to-back.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2024


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