San Diego Gulls pull away late in 4-1 win over Barracuda
Credit: San Diego Gulls
The San Diego Gulls put together one of their most complete performances of the season Saturday night, using strong defensive positioning and timely third-period scoring to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 4-1.
San Diego showed strong offensive pressure in the first period, outshooting the Barracuda 13-8. The Gulls consistently generated clean exits from their defensive zone, limiting San Jose’s ability to apply pressure. San Diego’s strong offensive pressure eventually led to Corey Schueneman’s first career goal as a Gull at 14:18, assisted by Sean Farrell and Yegor Sidorov. Late in the first period, San Jose couldn’t sustain offensive pressure, allowing San Diego to maintain their shot advantage. Laurent Brossoit kept the Barracuda off the board as the Gulls led 1-0 after the first.
Schue gets his first as a Gull!#LetsGoGulls pic.twitter.com/3kNCkrZyrL
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) October 25, 2026
The game got physical to start the second. After a hard hit on Gull Nathan Gaucher, Konnor Smith stepped in to stick up for his teammate and dropped gloves with Barracuda Libor Hajek. The energy spilled over with a scrum in front of the Gulls’ net, leading to an unsportsmanlike penalty on Herman Traff and putting San Jose on a power play.
San Jose did not make much of their power-play opportunity, but the game became more even. With 12-12 shots on goal ending the second, both San Diego and San Jose had some opportunities, but neither changed the board score as the game stayed 1-0 Gulls.
It's fight night at Pechanga Arena, and Konnor Smith is STILL THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP 😤#LetsGoGulls pic.twitter.com/miSev2VNaR
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) October 25, 2026
San Diego consistently limited San Jose’s offensive chances in the third. The Gulls had a power-play opportunity near the halfway mark of the period against San Jose’s weaker penalty kill, but were unable to add on to their lead. Shortly after a failed power play, James Hamblin scored on a breakaway to extend its lead to 2-0.
The Gulls went back to the power play after a high-sticking penalty on the Barracuda. That led to Hamblin’s second goal of the night, making the game further out of reach for San Jose. With the clock winding down for the Barracuda, they pulled their netminder, giving them an extra attacker. The Barracuda snuck one past Brossoit, making it a 3-1 game. Niko Myatovic answered back with a breakaway of his own, putting one in on an empty net, sealing the game with a 4-1 win for San Diego.
🔨🔨🔨#LetsGoGulls pic.twitter.com/hxrawy7tXp
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) October 25, 2026
Hammer go BANG 💥#LetsGoGulls pic.twitter.com/NuEjgOmg3s
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) October 25, 2026
San Diego’s defense kept San Jose from generating consistent quality chances, while the Gulls finally created separation in the third to turn a one-goal game into a convincing 4-1 win.
The Gulls improve to 4-4-1-0 on the season.
Up Next: The Gulls will take on the Henderson Silver Knights at home Sat., Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. PT.
A San Diego local, Bill brings his interest in the city’s sports to East Village Times. He looks beyond the final score to tell the stories of the people and moments that shape each game.