Gulls lose control in second period, fall 3-2 to rival Ontario
Credit: San Diego Gulls
The San Diego Gulls took an early lead against the Ontario Reign on Wednesday night, but a costly second period shifted the game as Ontario came back to win 3-2
The first period set the tone for what was expected in this matchup, with physicality making an entrance in the first Ontario rivalry meeting of the season.
The game got off to a quick start with both teams matching each other’s physicality and aggressive forecheck. San Diego used its speed in transition to create the opening goal, with Lucas Pettersson recording his first AHL point on an assist to Matt Basgall, giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead to end the first.
Lucas Pettersson grabs his first @TheAHL point with a slick between-the-legs no-look pass!#LetsGoGulls pic.twitter.com/bc6iJtSNFG
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) October 15, 2026
The physicality escalated, and San Diego matched Ontario, but that aggression started working against the Gulls as they took costly penalties.
Ontario had opportunities that it capitalized on, tying the game 1-1 on a power-play goal from Taylor Ward. San Diego started struggling on faceoffs, allowing Ontario to take quick shots on goal, with the Reign scoring to take a 2-1 lead.
The Gulls’ defense was rocky throughout the second period, with faceoff struggles and defensive positioning as its biggest issues. Nearing the end of the second period, Ontario’s Koehn Ziemmer was exiting the penalty box with no San Diego defensemen near, allowing Ziemmer to get a breakaway goal to make the game 3-1.
The game calmed down in the third, but Ontario’s defense stayed consistent. San Diego had a few strong power-play opportunities, including a 6-on-4. The Gulls scored with 23 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one, but they ran out of time and fell to Ontario 3-2.
San Diego showed speed and physicality early, but penalties and defensive lapses in the second period proved costly. The Gulls made a late push in the third but ran out of time before completing the comeback.
Up Next:
San Diego will travel to Arizona for a weekend matchup against the Tucson Roadrunners. Both games are at 7:00 pm, as they play in a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday night.
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.