Noble, Staats notch eight points in heartbreaker loss

The San Diego Seals fell to the Saskatchewan Rush, 17-14, on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre in a high-scoring affair. In an exciting shootout, the Seals couldn’t maintain their early lead to hold on for the win.

“The bottom line is we need to string together a full 60 minutes,” said general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill. “We were playing our style, back to our game, but it just wasn’t enough tonight. We don’t have time to look back, we need to look ahead to Vancouver and the playoffs.”

It was the tale of two halves in Saskatoon on Saturday night. San Diego was able to jump out to a 7-4 lead in the first, but penalties, challenges and runs led to a second-half surge from Saskatchewan. It was a fast, physical game featuring a tilt between the Seals’ Eli Gobrecht and Saskatchewan’s Ryan Dilks.

Forwards Jeremy Noble and Austin Staats led San Diego’s offense with four goals and eight points each. Forward Dane Dobbie added three goals and six points while forward Wesley Berg notched six points on the night. Defenseman Matt Sykes buried his first goal of the season in transition.

Goaltender Frank Scigliano made 42 saves on 58 shots and added a full-floor assist with a pass to Dane Dobbie who scored on the run. Defenseman Tyson Bomberry scooped up a team-high seven loose balls and caused three turnovers in the game.

The Seals will play their final regular season game on Saturday, April 30 in Vancouver to take on the Warriors. San Diego has clinched a playoff spot, with final standings on the line the final weekend of play. Fans will be able to watch the game on FOX 5 San Diego and ESPN+.