Penalties Hurt Gulls in Defeat to Peoria : Hockey: Gulls miss another chances to pick up ground on Milwaukee in playoff race.

What a time to get caught and called.

The Gulls have gotten away an occasional penalty this season, Coach Mike O’Connell acknowledged.

But when exactly when the Gulls didn’t need them, they were socked with them.

Saturday night at the Sports Arena, a crowd of 7,602 saw the Gulls lose their 21st game in the last 26, 7-5 to Peoria, and lose out on another chance to pick up ground on Milwaukee in the fight for the remaining playoff spot.

Did we say fight?

That seemed to be the operative word this night. Order was pretty much restored by the third period, but a quick goal in the third by Kevin Miehm put Peoria ahead, 5-3. After that, the Gulls never got closer than two, with scores by Peoria’s Nelson Emerson and Dave Thomlinson offsetting goals by Ron Duguay and Robbie Nichols.

But in the first two periods, the Gulls had already played short-handed for 11 minutes 20 seconds to the Rivermen’s paltry 2:20.

“Penalties definitely hurt us,” O’Connell said.

On the night, Peoria was three for nine on power play. The Gulls were two for four.

“It was the worst experience I’ve had with officiating,” said Gull Steve Martinson.

The Gulls squeezed 42 minutes of penalties out of the first two periods, 13 by Martinson, including a two two-minute spearing penalties he said weren’t warranted.

“First of all, you don’t want to blow a game on the officiating,” he said. “But the spearing call was a joke. Their guy slashed me.”

Only one of Peoria’s two goals in the second period--giving the Rivermen a 4-3 lead after two--was on the power play, but the prior penalty-killing seemed to drain the Gulls of needed energy.

Now, the Gulls find themselves in the most selfish of give and take relationships.

Others keep giving and the Gulls keep taking.

On Saturday, the Gulls enjoyed a couple advantages:

- For the second time in a week, the Gulls have played against a thinned Peoria roster and have been unable to win.

Call-ups by the parent St. Louis Blues and trades have left the Rivermen (52-16-5) with just 13 players.

- The Gulls have counted on Milwaukee’s inability to pick up more ground against them in the playoff race.

Losses by Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday kept the Gulls (28-39-8) from falling desperately out of the fight for the Western Division’s last playoff spot. The Gulls remain a point out of fourth place.

Joe Stefan scored the Gulls’ lone second-period goal, and Ron Duguay and and Robbie Nichols scored in the third for the Gulls.

In the first period, the Gulls spent 10 minutes in virtually a goal-line stand. When they finally moved into Peoria’s zone, they erased a 2-0 deficit.

On the Gulls’ first score, Larry Floyd flipped in the puck after working a pass from Steve Dykstra off the boards.

Darren Lowe scored his 20th goal-- but his first in eight games--at 15:36 for the 2-2 tie.

The Gulls dragged their feet in the first half of that period and fell behind, 2-0, off back-to-back goals by David O’Brien. The goals, O’Brien’s 18th and 19th of the season, were 22 seconds apart.

Gulls Notes

Tonight the Gulls will honor former San Diego-area players from the Mariners, Hawks, Skyhawks and old Gulls at Old-Timers night. Players will be saluted between the first and second periods. . . . Monday night in the Arena Club, the Gulls and the American Cancer Society will hold an auction, featuring memorabilia from major league sports figures. Auction begins at 7 p.m., with proceeds benefitting the Cancer Society.