Entering Friday night’s game against Tucson at Valley View Casino Center, the Gulls had lost four straight home games, scoring a total of six goals. That is something that’s very rare for them. Since entering the American Hockey League for the 2015-16 season, San Diego has been one of the best home teams in the land.
When the levee breaks, it breaks in a big way.
The Gulls tied a franchise record with eight goals in an 8-3 win over the Roadrunners. One of the issues they’ve had is their parent club, the Anaheim Ducks, have been ravaged by injuries so a lot of the guys who would be in San Diego are in the NHL. Reinforcements arrived and they made an impact.
Eric Fehr made his Gulls debut and scored a pair of goals. He nearly had a hat trick but in the 3rd period had a shot hit the bar and ricochet away. This was the first time Fehr had appeared in an AHL game since the 2007-08 season when he was with the Hershey Bears. Since then he’s been in the National Hockey League and lifted Lord Stanley’s Cup as a member of the 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Another newcomer, Kyle Thomas, who was playing in his third game with his new club got his first goal in a San Diego sweater. But the star of the night was a guy who arrived last year.
Spencer Abbott scored two goals and had two assists. The four-point night ties a single-game franchise record. Mitch Hults, Mike Liambas and Andy Wellinski scored the other Gulls goals. San Diego hosts Tucson again on Saturday night … which is the ever-popular Star Wars night at the artist formerly known as the Sports Arena.
