Gulls Top Lumberjacks With Knickle’s Shutout

After a shootout loss in Atlanta ended their eight-game winning streak a day earlier, the Gulls resumed their winning ways with a 3-0 victory against the Cleveland Lumberjacks Friday night in front of 4,443 at the Richfield Coliseum.

Goaltender Rick Knickle improved his record to 7-0 and recorded the Gulls first shutout since Scott Brower’s on Nov. 15, 1990. Knickle stopped all 21 Lumberjack shots.

“I’ve been confident all year long,” Knickle said. “The defense is so good, I’m seeing only about 20 shots a game. It makes your job so much easier knowing you’re not going to get second and third shots.”

Said Gulls Coach Rick Dudley: “I thought, obviously, (Knickle) played very well. It was a textbook game by Knick and our defense.”

The Gulls (9-0-1) scored all three goals in the first period, when they outshot the Lumberjacks, 17-5. Mitch Lamoureux and Don McSween scored back-to-back power play goals as the Gulls jumped out in front at 8:12, and Bill Houlder completed scoring at 10:19, with an assist by John Anderson, extending his points streak to 10 games.

“I thought it was a brilliant defensive performance,” said Dudley. “In the third period, we kept them on the perimeter. We played smart while protecting a lead.”

The victory ended Cleveland’s three-game winning streak. Today against the Fort Wayne Komets, the Gulls conclude their four-game trip.