San Diego Gulls rally twice, edge Colorado Eagles 5-4 in shootout at Blue Arena
A late equalizer and a perfect shootout sealed a road win in Loveland, Colorado
The San Diego Gulls defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-4 in a shootout on Friday, January 9, 2026, at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, ending a game that swung on special-teams scoring, third-period momentum and goaltending.
San Diego forced overtime with a tying goal from Justin Bailey with 26 seconds remaining in regulation, then won when Judd Caulfield scored the lone goal in the shootout. Goaltender Calle Clang stopped all five Colorado attempts in the tiebreaker after turning aside 38 of 42 shots in the game.
How the game unfolded
The Gulls built an early cushion in the first period. Nathan Gaucher opened the scoring with a shorthanded breakaway goal, and Nico Myatovic extended the lead with a power-play goal late in the period, giving San Diego a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes.
Colorado responded in the second period to draw even. Wyatt Aamodt scored early in the frame, and Tye Felhaber tied the game later in the period, setting up a decisive third period.
The Eagles took control early in the third, moving ahead on goals by Jack Ahcan and Chase Bradley to make it 4-2. Gaucher narrowed the deficit with his second goal of the night, cutting the margin to one before Bailey’s late equalizer sent the game beyond regulation.
Key facts and takeaways
Gaucher recorded the first multi-goal game of his AHL career, scoring once shorthanded and once at even strength.
Myatovic’s first-period power-play goal underscored the impact of special teams in a game that featured both a shorthanded goal and a power-play goal by San Diego.
Clang’s workload was significant, with Colorado generating 42 shots, and his clean shootout helped decide the result.
The win was notable for San Diego’s recent history in the building, marking the club’s first victory at Colorado since March 2, 2022.
San Diego erased a two-goal deficit in the third period, then produced the only shootout goal while denying all five Colorado attempts.
What came next
The teams were scheduled to meet again the following night, Saturday, January 10, 2026, continuing the back-to-back set at Blue Arena.
For San Diego, the result offered a blueprint for winning on the road against a top-of-the-division opponent: special-teams production, late-game execution and high-volume goaltending capable of closing the door in a shootout.