Wing Goalie Holds Off Gulls, 6-4 : Hockey: Gulls’ shot total of 45 is most this season.

The San Diego Gulls had 45 shots on goal, but converted only four times as they fell to the Kalamazoo Wings, 6-4, Saturday night in front of 3,440.

The shot total was the second most by the Gulls (15-13-3) this year, but Wing goaltender Larry Dyck stopped 41.

The Wings (24-6) fired 32 shots at goalie Alain Chevrier, who was playing in his first game back in the International Hockey League since being demoted from the Detroit Red Wings.

Kalamazoo jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period on goals by Ed Courtnay, Garry Emmons and Pater Lappin.

The Wings’ Steve Gottas scored two minutes into the second, before the Gulls got goals from Darren Lowe and Clark Donatelli to make it 4-2 after two periods.

After the Wings made it 6-2, the Gulls’ Dennis Holland scored his 11th and Steve Dykstra got his third on an assist from newly-acquired center Ron Duguay got his first point as a goal.

San Diego defenseman Derek Mayer’s 14 game-point scoring streak was snapped.

Despite the loss, Gull Coach Mike O’Connell was pleased with his team’s effort.

“We played well and we worked very hard, and if we work like that all the time we’ll win a lot of hockey games,” O’Connell said.

“The difference was, we made a lot of mistakes in our end.”