Tre Leclaire powered the Seals with a game-high six points as San Diego defeated the Halifax Thunderbirds 9-8 on Friday night at Pechanga Arena to secure its fifth win in six games.
Along with his three assists for the Seals (6-4), Leclaire posted three goals to match his career high for goals in a season with 23. Wesley Berg also recorded a hat trick and added an assist for the home squad, while Dylan Watson contributed the game-winning goal as part of his two-goal, three-assist performance. Connor Robinson scored once, Corey Small provided a game-high four assists and goaltender Christopher Origlieri made 41 saves.
For the Thunderbirds (3-7), Randy Staats paced the offense with two goals and three assists. Cody Jamieson also scored twice and added two assists. Clarke Petterson, Jason Knox, Curtis Romanchych and Wake:Riat BowHunter each added a single goal. Goaltender Warren Hill stopped 43 of 52 shots.
Halifax built an early lead, going up 3-0 in the first quarter, and led 6-3 midway through the third on a goal from Knox. The Seals responded with five unanswered goals, with Leclaire scoring twice during the run, to take an 8-6 lead into the final quarter. After Halifax tied the score at 8-8 with goals from Petterson and Romanchych, San Diego's Watson scored the decisive goal with 8:37 remaining.
The defeat extended the Thunderbirds' losing streak to five games.
Up next: The Seals will play at the Colorado Mammoth on Friday at 9 p.m. ET, and the Thunderbirds will visit the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday at 9 p.m. Both contests will air on ESPN+.
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