Oct 5, 2025
By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls fell 3-2 to the Ontario Reign in their lone preseason contest this afternoon at Toyota Arena
Despite the loss, there was a lot of positives for the group heading into the 2025-26 American Hockey League season.
Sasha Pastujov got the scoring started with a goal on San Diego’s first shot of the game less than two minutes into the game. It’s good sign for Pastujov, who had a breakout campaign last season with the Gulls, posting 17-28=45 points in 48 games.
Pastujov’s line struck gold again in the third, as Jan Mysak found the back of the net to knot the game at two. Mysak also tallied an assist on Pastujov’s first-period goal, giving him 1-1=2 points.
Will Francis tallied an assist on Mysak’s goal. Francis signed a one-year contract with San Diego over the summer after wrapping up his college career at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Tomas Suchanek saw his first AHL action since the 2023-24 season, stopping 12-of-14 shots before a planned goalie switch halfway through the game. Suchanek missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season with a torn ACL. Vyacheslav Buteyets got the back half of the game, making 13-of-14 saves.
The Gulls will get going with their 2025-26 regular season this weekend, as they head to Acrisure Arena to face the Coachella Valley Firebirds Friday night (7 p.m. PDT).