Entering their Wednesday night rematch with the Tucson Roadrunners, the San Diego Gulls had one goal in mind – to make a statement.

Beginning with a gritty first-period goal from Troy Terry, the Gulls were able to elevate past the Roadrunners with a final score of 4-2.

Rookie forward Antoine Morand dropped the gloves against Andy Miele in the first period, setting the physical tone for the game.

Another strong showing from the San Diego defense kept the game in San Diego’s favor. Tensions rose between the Gulls and Roadrunners near the end of the first period, resulting in matching 10-minute misconduct penalties for San Diego’s Josh Mahura and Tucson’s Kelly Klima.

A team breakdown from the Gulls halfway through the second period led to Tucson’s first goal from Tyler Steenbergen, but Kevin Boyle continued to hold off the Roadrunners and maintain the Gulls’ lead. A scrambling series of saves late in the third period kept the Gulls lead late in the game. Boyle stopped 17 of 18 shots in the final period alone.

It was a night of nights for Troy Terry, who tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in the competition.

Additionally, the final goal of the game was the tenth of the season for Chase De Leo. Of the ten goals for the La Mirada-native, five have come against the Roadrunners.

With the victory over the first-place Roadrunners, the Gulls move up to 68 points in the race for the Calder Cup, four ahead of the fifth-place Ontario Reign. San Diego remains fourth in the standings, as the Stockton Heat still have two games in hand.

The Gulls will play their next game in San Diego at Pechanga Arena on Friday, March 13th against the San Jose Barracuda.