The San Diego Gulls are back on home ice tonight, ready to square off against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a Pacific Division clash that carries a little extra meaning - it’s Native American Heritage Night at Pechanga Arena San Diego, presented by Viejas Casino & Resort (6 p.m. PST; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
This isn’t the first time these two teams have met this season - far from it. In fact, tonight marks the sixth meeting between the Gulls and Firebirds, and the series has been anything but predictable.
San Diego came out swinging in the opener, shutting out Coachella Valley 5-0. Since then, though, it’s been a different story.
The Firebirds have found their rhythm, including a 5-2 win over the Gulls back on January 2.
These two clubs are neck-and-neck in the Pacific Division standings. Coachella Valley holds a slight edge with a 19-12-4-0 record and 42 points, good for fifth place.
San Diego isn’t far behind at 16-11-6-2, sitting just two points back in sixth. With the standings this tight, every game matters - and tonight’s matchup could carry serious weight as the season rolls on.
Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane knows exactly what kind of challenge his team is facing.
“Well, last time we played them, it was very lopsided,” McIlvane said, referring to the 5-2 loss earlier this month. “The other games, they've gone to overtime, and we smoked them in game one.
So, it's a team that has a lot of skill. They got a hot power play.
They're playing well right now. It's a great challenge for us that we'll be ready for.”
There’s no question the Firebirds bring firepower, but the Gulls are coming off a performance that shows they know how to lock things down defensively. Just last night, San Diego blanked the Abbotsford Canucks 1-0 - a historic result, marking the first 1-0 win in Gulls AHL history.
Sasha Pastujov netted the game’s only goal, assisted by Jan Mysak. The two have been clicking all season, and their chemistry was on full display again. Calle Clang stood tall between the pipes, stopping all 19 shots he faced to earn his second career AHL shutout.
“Calle’s been rock solid,” McIlvane said. “I think he had to make a couple of big saves, but I give a lot of this to our team defense today.
I just thought we blocked so many shots, and there were sticks and lanes, and we were collapsing like crazy. I thought that was a team shutout.”
That kind of defensive commitment - sticks in lanes, bodies in front of pucks, and full-team buy-in - is exactly what the Gulls will need tonight against a Firebirds team that can burn you quickly if you let them set up.
After tonight, San Diego hits the road for another tough back-to-back, this time against the Tucson Roadrunners. That series kicks off Tuesday, January 20 at Tucson Convention Center (5:30 p.m.
PST). But first, it’s all eyes on Coachella Valley - a rivalry game with playoff implications and a chance to build momentum in front of the home crowd.