Like most of the minor league affiliates in sports, the Gulls will occasionally have to go through stretches where their best players are gone. They'll get called up to the big club, sometimes for a short stretch and sometimes forever.
San Diego recently lose captain Sam Carrick and a pair of first round draft picks in Isac Lundestrom and Max Jones so they might have a little trouble finding out how to replace that high-level talent.
The Gulls lost to the San Jose Barracuda 4-2 on Friday night at Pechanga Arena. Blake Pietila's power play goal in the 1st period gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead that lasted until the 3rd period because goalie Anthony Stolarz was tremendous.
He stopped the first 30 shots he faced but eventually the defense broke down. The Barracuda scored on three of their next six shots and added an empty netter to go up 4-1. Jack Kopacka scored with two seconds left for the final goal of the game.
San Diego is back at it Saturday night at 7:00 against Ontario and this is a chance for fans to do something good for others during the holidays. It's the annual "Winter Wonderland" event that comes with a toy drive benefitting Rady Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House San Diego. So bring a wrapped toy to the Pechanga Arena parking lot before the game and make a difference in a child's life.
