HENDERSON, N.V. – The Henderson Silver Knights will take on the San Diego Gulls in their first matchup of the 2023-24 season in a matinee game. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. 

The Silver Knights are looking to bounce back after Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Ontario Reign. Alex Swetlikoff scored the lone goal for Henderson, tallying his first AHL goal in his AHL debut. 

BOUNCING BACK 

The Silver Knights want to get back on track after their loss to the Reign. Despite the strong effort of the Henderson team, the Knights found themselves in a 3-0 deficit after the second period. Although Swetlikoff scored late to bring the team within two, an empty-net goal sealed victory for Ontario. 

“We were working hard all day, but I think our execution, maybe mentally, was a little off today,” said Captain Jake Bischoff after Friday’s game. “We gave up a couple breakdowns in the d-zone, and they ended up executing and burying them. It’s hard to win in this league, and sometimes it’s just little things that add up.” 

Henderson has been playing from behind over this recent stretch of games. They have given up the first goal in three of their last four, although two have been comeback wins over San Jose. 

“Yeah, I think [playing from behind caught up], for sure,” added Bischoff. “I think our starts have to be better. We need to start playing with the lead more. I think earlier in the year, we played with a lead really well, and if we get back to that, we’ll have more success.” 

“The effort was there, we were trying, we just couldn’t get anything going. We couldn’t put shifts back-to-back-to-back together and try and change the momentum a little bit,” said Head Coach Ryan Craig. 

BEHIND ENEMY LINES 

• Forward Pavol Regenda leads the Gulls with 6 points (5G, 1A) in 5 games. He is currently tied for third in goals among all AHL skaters. He played 50 games for San Diego last year, tallying 25 points (13G, 12A) in 50 AHL games. He also played 14 games for the Anaheim Ducks, notching a goal and two assists in those appearances. 
• Goaltender Alex Stalock has started 3 games for the Gulls this season. He is 1-2-0, averaging 2.74 goals against with a .919 save percentage. He played 27 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2022-23 NHL season, finishing the year with 3.01 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He split the 2021-22 season between the Bakersfield Condors, San Jose Barracuda, and San Jose Sharks. 
• Defenseman Olen Zellweger has 4 points (1G, 3A) in the Gulls’ first five games of the season. He joins San Diego after splitting the 2022-23 season between the Kamloops Blazers and the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, scoring a combined 80 points in 55 games. He also scored 29 points (11G, 18A) in 14 playoff games, as well as 6 points (0G, 6A) in 7 games at the World Junior Championships. 

FURTHER NOTES

• Forward Tyler Benson is week-to-week 
• Forward Gage Quinney is day-to-day 
• Forward Jakub Brabenec is day-to-day 
• Defenseman Dysin Mayo is day-to-day 
• Forward Jakub Demek is day-to-day