Seals Beat Philly 18-15

Seals beat Philly 18-15 in first game of season

It was a fast and furious first quarter that saw the Seals and Wings combine for 12 goals as Philadelphia staked out to an 8-4 lead. San Diego struck first with veteran newcomer Ryan Benesch scoring his first goal as a Seal to put the home side up 1-0, before the Wings went on a five-goal run. Zach Currier and Ben McIntosh each scored their first goals as Seals 42 seconds apart to draw the Seals within one at 7-4, before Cattoni capped the first period scoring with his third goal for the 8-4 score.

The second period was all Seals as they outscored the Wings 7-1, including four power play goals, to claim an 11-9 edge at the break. Rob Hellyer scored his first three goals as a Seal, including one on the power play on a beautiful pass from Wes Berg. Midway thru the period, Berg scored his first goal of the season on a pass from Benesch during a power play and 1:44 later, Berg returned the favor, finding an open Benesch for his third of the night also on the power play to draw the Seals within one at 9-8. After another Philadelphia penalty, McIntosh tied the game at 9-9 off a nice assist from Seals top draft pick, Trent DiCicco. At the 1:38 mark, Berg went behind the back to Hellyer to give the Seals the lead 10-9.

The teams combined for seven goals in the third period with San Diego outscoring the Wings 4-3 to stretch their lead to 15-12. Benesch scored twice more, his fourth and fifth of the night, while Adam Noakes and Eli Gobrecht both scored their first of the season.

The Seals would go on to play the Wings even in the fourth period with both teams scoring three goals apiece. The Seals’ final scores coming from McIntosh, who logged his fourth of the night and Drew Belgrave, who scored into an empty net with 3:13 left in the contest.