Gulls rally twice in Dave Manson’s preseason debut, fall 4–3 to Reign in OT
Credit: San Diego Gulls
On Friday, Dave Manson made his unofficial debut as Gulls head coach in their preseason game against the Ontario Reign, with San Diego falling 4-3 in overtime
The San Diego Gulls’ roster is currently made up of a mix of AHL hopefuls and NHL prospects, together with veteran presence in Ryan Carpenter, entering his third season as captain, and Matthew Phillips, an AHL veteran in his second year with San Diego.
Manson was an assistant with the Gulls last season, working with the defense and penalty kill. This will be Manson’s first professional head coaching role as he takes over for Matt McIlvane, who left to become an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins.
With only one preseason game before the regular season, Friday gave Manson a chance to see how his players worked together and gave those at different stages a chance to make an impression.
The Reign started strong by forcing turnovers and getting shots in early, leading to a goal at 7:01 in the first for Jack Hughes.
The Gulls’ Lukas Jirousek and the Reign’s Nate Corbet locked up and dropped gloves at 11:49 after a delayed penalty for high-sticking called on Jirousek.
Don't mess with Mooser 😳 pic.twitter.com/mmDLTr35RH
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) September 26, 2026
Ontario center Kaleb Lawrence scored on the power play at 12:47, putting Ontario ahead 2-0. The Reign held the lead into the first intermission and outshot San Diego 12-6.
There was a strong shift in momentum starting the second period as the Gulls began putting on pressure. Matthew Phillips scored 40 seconds into the second, assisted by NHL prospect Yegor Sidorov and captain Ryan Carpenter.
Herman Träff tied the game at 1:54, assisted by Zachary Murray. Träff is an Anaheim prospect, while Murray is preparing for his first full professional season with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.
Gulls scoring goals 🤪 pic.twitter.com/gJX14uyjsP
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) September 26, 2026
San Diego outshot Ontario 15-4 in the period.
Both teams entered the third period tied 2–2, but Ontario’s Nate Corbet put the Reign ahead 1:55 into the period. The Gulls answered with AHL hopeful Sasha Mutala getting an unassisted goal at 8:45 to tie the game 3-3.
Mutts makes them pay! pic.twitter.com/ftY06onKFy
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) September 26, 2026
Things stayed tied through regulation, and the Reign took the win with an Aatu Jämsen goal 1:27 into overtime.
San Diego fell short, but they answered two Ontario leads with goals from veteran Matthew Phillips, Anaheim prospect Herman Träff, and AHL hopeful Sasha Mutala.
Friday’s game gave Manson a look at how this group responded after falling behind early. The roster moving into the regular season may change before Oct. 3, but the game gave him something to build on.
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.