Phoenix Shuts Out the Gulls, 7-0

Indirectly, San Diego can blame Los Angeles for its latest bruise, as Phoenix defeated the Gulls, 7-0, in an International Hockey League game Tuesday night before 3,743 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Sunday, the Raiders beat up on the Chargers, Monday a thick blanket of smog drifted south from the L.A. basin, and Tuesday, Phoenix, a team almost solely supplied by the Kings, handed the Gulls their worst loss and second shutout of the season.

“What can I say, it was just one of those nights,” said goaltender Mark Reimer, who allowed four goals before he was pulled with four minutes remaining in the second period.

Gulls’ Coach Mike O’Connell found nothing to cheer about Tuesday night.

“They score seven goals on us, that’s embarrassing,” he said. “They got some soft goals on us, that hurt. But we’re focusing on the puck too much and not the man.”

Phoenix (3-3-1) scored three goals in the second and third periods, and for the eighth time this season, the Gulls (2-5-1) outshot their opponents, this time 30-24.

Even the first San Diego appearance of 12-year NHL veteran goalie Glen Hanlon, acquired last week from Detroit, failed to help the Gulls.

Goalie Mark Reimer started the game with a 2-1-1 record, but was pulled after Phoenix scored once in the first period and three times in the second.

Leading 4-0, Steve Graves, Sean Whyte and Brian Lawton scored the last three goals of the night, all off Hanlon, to give Phoenix a 7-0 lead.

After giving up two goals, which put the Gulls behind, 2-0, the next two, both in the second period, seemed to catch Reimer off guard.

At 9:52 in the second, Lawton scored from the right circle to put Phoenix ahead, 3-0. The puck took a slow roll and bowled over Reimer, who ended up sprawled on his back trying to make the save.

Graves became Reimer’s next nightmare, never stopping his skating stride as he backhanded a shot from the slot. Reimer appeared to have made the save with his right hand, but he lost his grip on it and the puck sank into the net for a 4-0 Phoenix lead.

Gulls Notes

On the road again: The Arizona State Fair will keep Phoenix out of the Arizona Veterans Coliseum until Nov. 1, when it will play its first home game against Muskegon (Mich.). “I’m reasonably satisfied with our start,” Phoenix General Manager Adam Keller said of his team, which has played nine games on the road. “It’s a long trip and the guys are a bit weary, but as long as we can come out with a couple of points . . . “ Keller was a defenseman and captain of the old Roadrunners, when Phoenix and the original Gulls were Western Professional Hockey League archrivals. He recalled there was never a problem getting mentally ready to play San Diego. . . . It was old home week for Keller, Phoenix owner Lyle Abraham, and six of the Gulls--Jim McGeough, Carl Mokosak, Brent Sapergia, Larry Floyd, Robbie Nichols and Dave Korol--who played for the Roadrunners last year. “You should be very grateful to us,” Keller said. . . . Charlie Simmer, Gulls’ assistant coach and left wing, is still nursing an injured ankle. Center Darcy Norton injured an ankle Friday against Indianapolis and is listed as probable for Thursday’s game. . . . Left wing Steve Martinson, who played in 48 NHL games for Detroit and Montreal from 1987 to 1988, and defenseman Derek Mayer, from Detroit’s top farm team, were added to the Gulls’ roster Tuesday. Right wing Paul Kelly and left wing Jacques Mailhot were released.