The San Diego Seals stormed through a haze of smoke machines and into the Electric Factory to take on the Philadelphia Wings on Friday, Jan. 30th, coming off their third consecutive win on the road. Still hunting down a home win, the Seals stood 3-3 and the Wings hoped to break a five-game losing streak at 1-5.
Two hat tricks and 34 saves later, the Seals made it four wins for the season and two back-to-back victories over the Wings.
“It revealed a lot about our character as a group, going on the road and grabbing two in a row,” said Patrick Merrill, head coach. “It definitely built some confidence within the team, and I think it showed tonight.”
The opening minutes of the game showed that no win comes easily. Not even a minute into the match, the Wings got the upper hand with a goal from forward Joe Resetartis. By the end of the first quarter, despite goals from San Diego’s Pat Kavanaugh and Zach Currier, the Wings had the advantage over the Seals 4-2.
The early run of success was all Philadelphia had in them, and the Seals took the wind out from under the Wings to hold them scoreless for the second and third quarters.
“We started a little bit shaky, almost a little scrambly, defensively, but we settled in,” Merrill said.
The Wings put 23 shots on goal throughout the first half of the game, and the four from the first half were the only ones goalkeeper Chris Origlieri allowed until the fourth quarter. Seals’ forward Connor Robinson, who earned a hat trick alongside Tre Leclaire, attested to Oligilieri’s character and talent.
“[Origlieri] brings the life, brings the energy out of the back end and it radiates through the defense into the offense and into the whole team,” Robinson said. “We’re lucky to have him.”
The Seals’ rock-solid defense was accompanied by an onslaught of offensive success as San Diego went 10-0 run on a 34-minute display of dominance.
The masterclass started with 6:16 left in the second quarter, when a launch from forward Wesley Berg sent Dylan Watson diving to sling the ball straight past Wings’ goalkeeper Nick Damude. With the help of Trevor Baptiste’s dominant performance in the faceoffs, Leclaire and Robinson added a goal apiece before a full minute of gametime passed.
With 2:24 left in the half, Robinson tumbled over the Wings’ defense just a few feet in front of Damude after a pass from Currier to put the Seals up 4-6.
“If everyone’s got a hot stick, then everyone’s a threat out there,” Robinson said. “And it’s really tough to play defense against a five-man team when all five guys are a threat.”
The Seals shutout the Wings 0-4 in the third quarter, with goals from Watson, McIntosh, Leclaire and Kavanagh. Within the first minute of the fourth quarter, Robinson secured his third goal of the game, with Leclaire following suit with 13:32 left in the game. Leclaire continues to lead the Seals in goals, now at 17 for the season.
Origlieri confirmed the Seals’ confidence throughout the match. “We went back to our principles; we didn’t get scrambly. We just took a deep breath and got back to what we do,” he said.
Although the Wings snuck by the Seals’ defense to add three goals from Eric Fannell, Resetaritis and Blaze Riorden, they couldn’t make up for the lost ground. The Seals rounded out their offensive night with a goal from Zach Currier to bring the final score to 7-13.
It took 17 penalties– 9 for San Diego, 8 for Philadelphia– and more than a few shoves thrown, but the Seals finally lit up the Electric Factory for a much-earned home win.
“We had a good crowd in here tonight,” Origlieri said. “These guys always come and support us, and they’re loud; so to get that win for them was unbelievable.”
The Seals return to Pechanga Arena next Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. to take on the Saskatchewan Rush for Rock The Box Night.
