May 6, 2022
By AJ Manderichio, Aaron Cooney and Andy Zilch/SanDiegoGulls.com
Friday marked the official close of the 2021-22 season for the San Diego Gulls, still stung from their Game 2 overtime loss to the Ontario Reign less than 24 hours ago.
The Gulls enjoyed a brief postseason run, falling in their best-of-three series against their Southern California rival. Many of the players spoke about carrying the elimination into the summer, using it as motivation in offseason workouts and training programs.
Gulls head coach Joel Bouchard expressed those same sentiments in his final media availability.
“Obviously, after we lost in overtime it’s always like, bittersweet,” he said. “You’re proud of the guys. (They) worked really hard yesterday in the game against a tough team, but you would have liked to maybe go a little further in the playoffs.
It’s been a very good challenge with the players. I think a lot of players grew a lot. A lot of them had really good seasons. When you go coach in the American League, it’s not about yourself. It’s about the players. It’s about their progression. It’s about the lesson you give them and your experience. The good move that you made as a player; the bad move you made and your experience as a coach. So, I think it’s been exactly what it’s supposed to be: a growing season for a lot of players and even the coaching staff together. I’m really proud the way we peaked after Christmas through the adversity that we had. So, it’s been a very fun and interesting challenge.”
Below is the remainder of Bouchard’s media availabilty:
On managing the challenges of lineup that’s constantly changing:
Yeah, that’s the way it goes about being a coach in the AHL. You look at your board one day and you have the lines and you have the combination you like on power play, and all of the sudden the next day you’re losing three guys. This is the reality of hockey, cause you always have…
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