Gulls’ Second Effort Falls Short as Salt Lake Gets Victory

There’s no telling who rubbed whom the wrong way. Maybe it was just a little bit of both.

With the revelry and fanfare of opening night 24 long hours behind them, the Gulls and San Diego’s rekindled hockey relationship was temporarily snuffed out Saturday night at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Although it was a reasonably healthy crowd of 5,466 that came back for the second part of the Gulls’ opening series against Salt Lake, the initial sparks that lit the arena with savvy and personality, took an early sabbatical, and were revived too late to make a difference.

Salt Lake got revenge for its opening loss with a 4-3 victory and proved why it is considered one of best teams in the league. The Golden Blades finished second in the International Hockey League’s Western Division last year and the Turner Cup winners--the IHL championship--in 1986-87.

With under three minutes remaining and trailing 4-1, the Gulls scored twice on the power-play. Brent Sapergia went first, scoring from close range at 17:57, and Larry Floyd, who scored a hat trick in the opener, scored at 19:03.

“We were able to come back a little,” said right wing Darren Lowe, who had two assists. “It’s too bad we couldn’t pull it off, but we’ll try to get them back when we go up to Salt Lake City Wednesday.”

Said center Jim McGeough before the game: “They have a past history of good teams and talented athletes. Their concept is one of winning.”

And the Gulls, two of nine on power-play opportunities in the game, appeared happy to oblige.

But McGough, at least, kept the Gulls from suffering a shutout.

With 7:29 remaining, McGeough stole the puck at Salt Lake’s blue line, skated into the high slot and backhanded it in to pull to 4-1.

Golden Eagles right wing Kerry Clark made it two goals for the night, and gave him three for the season, when, with 2:11 remaining in the second and with Salt Lake on the power-play, Clark sent a shot sailing into the back of the net.

At 18:05 in the period, Harkins backhanded the puck from inside the left circle, and it shot straight through the crease for a goal.

Clark lost little momentum after he scored Salt Lake’s last goal of the night Friday. He barged in and scored the first goal Saturday, at four minutes into the first period.

Clark found himself alone in the slot, where he scooped up the puck and sent it bouncing into the middle of the net.

Salt Lake started goaltender Warren Sharples, who made 15 saves in two periods of relief Friday. Starter Wayne Cowley was pulled after giving up four goals in the first period.

The Gulls took seven shots on goal to Salt Lake’s 10 in the first, and had taken only one eight minutes into the game.

Right wing Corey Lyons completed the first-period scoring to put Salt Lake up 2-0 at 11:01. Lyons took a pass from Andrew McKim inside the right wing and beat Gull goaltender Mark Reimer in the right post.

After the period had expired, a fight broke out between Salt Lake’s Darren Banks and the Gulls’ Bob Jones. Both were given game misconduct penalties and were ejected.

San Diego began the second period with a one-man advantage that was extended by a man when Salt Lake defenseman Kevin Grant was ejected for cross-checking.

By game’s end, eight players, adding to the list San Diego defenseman Al Tuer, left wing/assistant coach Charlie Simmer and Salt Lake’s Harkins and center Marc Bureau, had been ejected.

Bureau’s penalty was for match misconduct and will extend to the next game.

There were 213 penalty minutes assessed. The Gulls took 28 shots on goal to Salt Lake’s 26.

Gull Notes

From the “We may not know them, but we don’t care,” Dept.--Between 50 and 60 fans waited outside the players’ exit for autographs and handshakes after the Gulls’ opening victory Friday night.