Gulls Defeat Peoria in OT

After edging the Peoria Rivermen, 2-1, in overtime Tuesday night in Illinois, the Gulls can add vengeance to their amazing 1992-93 International Hockey League season.

The victory was the Gulls’ 11th in a row--improving their record to 19-0-1--and their first against Peoria since being swept and embarrassed by the Rivermen in four games in the first round of the Turner Cup playoffs last season.

John Anderson, the Gulls’ leading scorer, decided this one 37 seconds into the five-minute sudden-death period with his 13th goal of the season.

Bill Houlder set up the play with a fake of goalie Nick Vitucci. Houlder, skating near the right point, wound up to shoot but instead tapped a pass to the wide-open Anderson, who redirected the puck into the left corner of the net for the winner in front of 4,359 in Carver Arena.

“It wasn’t our best game,” Gull Coach Rick Dudley said. “We did play extremely well defensively, but we didn’t do a lot of intelligent work on offense.

“We were trying to do more than we were capable of doing. Consequently, we weren’t able to get the kind of offensive opportunities that we normally do.”

Vitucci, playing his first game for the Rivermen since being picked up from Hampton Roads of the East Coast Hockey League, was partly responsible. He made 27 saves up held the league’s highest scoring team to two goals for only the second time this season.

“I know Nick pretty well,” Dudley said. “. . . He’s quick as a cat and a real battler.”

Still, Vitucci’s play was not enough to keep Peoria (7-11-2) from its seventh consecutive loss.

Len Hachborn, the Gulls’ second-leading scorer last season, gave the Gulls a quick 1-0 lead, scoring off a deflected shot by Dale DeGray 2:06 into the game. It was Hachborn’s first goal since rejoining the team four games ago.

It remained 1-0 until Peoria’s Lee Leslie scored his 10th goal on a power play 1:27 into the third period.

Gull goalie Rick Knickle improved to 13-0-0. It was the 11th time in 20 games the Gulls have held an opponent to one or fewer goals.

The Gulls play at Fort Wayne Thursday and Milwaukee Friday before returning to the San Diego Sports Arena for Saturday’s game against Phoenix.