Gulls Get Even With Atlanta

With only three overtime losses on their record, the Gulls have given their statisticians plenty of fodder this year.

Here’s the latest morsel: After each of those overtime losses, the Gulls came back to post shutouts in their next outing, the latest coming Friday, 2-0, over Atlanta.

“And that’s a good sign,” said Coach Rick Dudley about his team’s penchant for redemption. “This team has a lot of pride, and one thing we never want to do is lose two in a row. That’s important if you want to stay out of slumps.”

The largest Sports Arena crowd of the season and the Gulls’ third largest ever (10,189) witnessed the whitewashing.

It was the Gulls’ fifth shutout this year and goalie Rick Knickle’s fourth. Knickle stopped several Atlanta breakaways in lowering his goals-against average to 1.64. He also improved his IHL-leading record to 15-0-2.

Atlanta continued its pressure tactics through the end and kept the outcome in doubt until less than four minutes remained.

That’s when Atlanta’s Jeff Buchanon saw a clear path to the net and let go of a slap shot from the crease. Knickle made a glove save.

Less than a minute later and perhaps out of frustration, Buchanon was sent off with a two-minute minor for slashing.

The Gulls had their margin of victory by then, having collected their second goal two minutes into the final period on a deflection by Perry Anderson, who redirected Dale DeGray’s shot from the blue line.

It was Anderson’s first goal since Nov. 13 in a 5-0 victory at Salt Lake.

Don McSween put in the game-winner five minutes into the second period after taking a centering pass from Hubie McDonough. McSween’s slap shot beat goalie J.C. Bergeron, who was still reacting to McDonough’s pass.

“The first goal is big in any game” Dudley said. “But to have a lead in those circumstances and with a hot goalie is a definite advantage.”

Especially after the Gulls were shut out in the first period for only the second time this season. The first instance came last week when the Milwaukee Admirals inflicted a 3-2 overtime loss.

Although the Gulls (22-0-3) outshot Atlanta, 9-6, in the initial period, the Knights (16-7-1) clearly outhustled their opponent.

That became apparent 15 minutes into the game as Gull defender Dan Shank skated across the blue line on a breakaway. After getting around his defender and turning toward Bergeron, Buchanon came from nowhere to deliver the hardest check of the season, sending Shank sprawling and breaking up the play.

But the Knights weren’t only hitting hard early on, they also were out-maneuvering the Gulls. Some six minutes before Buchanon made Shank look like a curling anvil, Atlanta’s Jock Callander made Jean-Marc Richard look about as nimble as the trophy awarded him last year as the IHL’s top defender.

Callander poked the puck right of Richard, skated left and circled around the frozen Gull before meeting up with the puck just outside the crease and slapping a hard shot toward the right side of the net.

Richard was saved from further embarrassment by Knickle, who anticipated Callander’s shot, left his skates and slid in time to make a pad save.