Gulls Chop Lumberjack Defense : Hockey: By beating Cleveland, 11-3, the Gulls get their 17th victory and stretch their winning streak to nine games.

The Gulls got their 17th victory Friday in front of 8,011 at the Sports Arena, burying the Cleveland Lumberjacks, 11-3.

It was the highest goal total in the Gulls’ two-plus years in the IHL, eclipsing the nine they earned Dec. 6, 1991, in a victory over Salt Lake.

The Gulls (17-0-1) have won nine in a row, their longest winning streak in their two-plus years in the IHL. Before their only loss this season (to Atlanta, 8-7, in a shootout), the Gulls had won eight in a row.

Just don’t call that result in Atlanta a loss in front of Gulls Coach Rick Dudley.

“I consider that a tie,” he said, “because when I played there was no such thing as overtime. And besides, anytime you get a point, it’s not a loss.”

In the IHL, one point in the standings is awarded for any overtime of shootout loss.

Other than a slight blemish in the standings, that outcome makes little difference. The Gulls are beginning to intimidate opponents.

“For a minor-league team,” said Don McSween, who became the second Gull defender to score a hat trick this season, “we’re kind of a scary team--and everybody’s realizing that now.”

The Gulls have not, however, completely cornered the market on winning. There are two other IHL teams with winning records (Milwaukee and Atlanta).

Center Peter Hankinson scored twice and had two assists, wing John Anderson passed for four assists, Robbie Nichols slipped in two goals as did center Hubie McDonough and wing Larry Floyd had a goal and an assist.

And the Gulls say they’re only warming up.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” McSween said.

“I think we can get better,” concurred Dudley, who then offered an example. “Len Hachborn (who signed only last week) isn’t on the top of his game yet.”

It might be difficult to persuade the Lumberjacks that the team they have to face a third time in four days tonight at the Sports Arena (7:05) can improve a whole lot. It took the Lumberjacks 2 hours 16 minutes 13 seconds to score against the Gulls this year. When the goal finally came Friday, it was insignificant. The Gulls already had won two games and were up by four in the third.

What ensued was typical of the Gulls this season--they simply exploited their opponents’ special teams.

The Gulls finished with three short-handed goals to make it nine this season. Conversely, they have allowed only nine power-play goals, meaning they are even for the year while short-handed.

Incidentally, the Gulls converted two of five power plays and now have at least one power-play goal in 16 consecutive games.

There’s more. When Jason Smart broke Gulls’ goalie Rick Knickle’s string of scoreless minutes against the Lumberjacks with 3:47 remaining in the opening period, he accounted for the first power-play goal against the Gulls since Fort Wayne got one on Oct. 31. The Gulls survived 32 consecutive short-handed situations in that span.

It was on the power play that the Gulls took the early lead and deflated a Lumberjack team that skated aggressively from the opening face-off. Once Nichols back-handed a rebound past fallen goalie Bruce Racine four minutes into the contest, the Lumberjacks’ hustle vanished.

Smart’s goal was the last of the first period, but it didn’t work as a rallying cry or give the Lumberjacks any added incentive. As the second period began, the Gulls were penalized for skating with too many men on the ice.

The Lumberjacks couldn’t take advantage of the situation, so McSween did. He scored the Gulls’ second short-handed goal of the game to make it 5-1.

A minute and a half later, the Lumberjacks climbed back within three on the first of two goals from Justin Duberman. Again, it wasn’t enough to break the Gulls’ momentum. Exactly a minute later, at 5:37, McSween poked in his second of the period to make it 6-2.

Once more the Lumberjacks pulled within three as Duberman beat Knickle with a high slap shot from the crease at 10:47. This time it took the Gulls almost seven minutes to answer, and they did after Anderson slid a sneaky pass from the left circle to McDonough in front of the net on a three-on-two break. McDonough faked Racine to the right post, then deposited the puck just inside the left post.