Lumberjacks Chop Streaky Gulls

If you don’t like the weather in (fill in the city), wait five minutes.

The Gulls play hockey like that city. One minute the sun is shining and life is glorious, the next a cloud moves in and rain is imminent.

Not only do the Gulls’ moods swing by game, they’re known to change dramatically from period to period.

Wednesday was one such game.

Their on-again, off-again play caught up with the Gulls in a heartbreaking finish, as Muskegon thwarted the comeback effort with an 8-7 victory at the Sports Arena.

It was the Gulls’ second International Hockey League loss in a row to the Lumberjacks, this time with 5,273 watching.

It was the highest scoring game the Gulls (23-24-4) have participated in this season, and the third consecutive game in which goalie Scott Brower has given up eight goals.

“You have to have good goaltending,” Gull Coach Mike O’Connell said. “Scott didn’t play as well as he could have.”

Entering the third trailing 5-4, Muskegon made it a two-goal advantage at 5:55, but the Gulls roared back to tie it 6-6 with consecutive goals by Mike Sullivan and Charlie Simmer.

Muskegon (22-23-3) scored two more quick goals, Sullivan scored again to keep the exits cleared, but the Gulls couldn’t produce the tying goal.

“We couldn’t close the door when we needed to,” O’Connell said.

The 28 shots on goal by the Gulls in the third was a record for a period, but the 54 shots by them for the game was one short of the club record.

Granted, four of the Gulls’ top goal scorers were out: Dennis Holland, Taylor Hall and Clark Donatelli were suffering from knee injuries, and Darren Lowe sat out by O’Connell’s mandate. Only Larry Floyd was healthy, and there was even an asterisk by his name as he started the game with a sore foot.

That would be enough to make any team quiver. The Gulls did.

It brought to 22 the number of games they have lost when they allowed five or more goals.

Muskegon led by as many as three goals, and the Gulls haven’t rallied from three-goals down all season. Leading 3-1 after the first, the Lumberjacks upped it to 4-1, 32 seconds into the second.

Floyd found net 18 seconds later, making an unassisted goal from inside the right faceoff circle.

Three minutes later, Steve Martinson scooped up a shot by Mike Sullivan that glanced the right goalpost, and scored from the right wing.

On the night, the Gulls outshot Muskegon, 54-39. It was Chris Clifford’s second victory against the Gulls in as many nights, and Brower’s second loss to the Lumberjacks.

“Obviously I have a bit of a confidence problem right now,” Brower said. “I know I can do it because I’ve done it before.”

While the Gulls’ power-play output of 71 goals is a league leader, but it seems a bit meaningless when you lose the game.

Gull Notes

Defense, defense: Dave Korol, the Gull defenseman with the team’s only plus in plus/minus ratio, has a +10. Since Nov. 8, he has a +20. Charlie Simmer, with a -1, has the second best ratio. Korol wasn’t on the ice for any of Muskegon’s eight goals Tuesday, or for the 11 his team gave up over the weekend . . . One up, one down: Going into Wednesday’s game, the Gulls, with 67 power play goals, still lead the IHL in that category. Only problem is they also lead the league in short-handed goals allowed with 13 . . . Goalie Mark Reimer will join the Gulls on loan from Detroit’s AHL Adirondack affiliate Friday in Peoria. Reimer played with the Gulls earlier in the season (3-2-1) . . . Reports that the Albany IHL franchise may be folding is still just talk at this time. According to Gull General Manager Don Waddell, a friend of Chopper Owner David Welker, there were rumors that his players weren’t getting paid and may not play in tonight’s game against Fort Wayne. But Albany made its payroll Wednesday. If Albany did fold, the Gulls would have to reschedule their remaining six games with Albany.