Gulls Rout Condors 6-3 as Bailey Scores Two, McQueen Earns First Pro Point

Down 2-0 and in danger of squandering a Friday home date in a tight Pacific Division playoff race, the San Diego Gulls turned to their most reliable scorer and a 19-year-old making his professional debut. Both delivered.

Justin Bailey, the veteran forward who entered the night leading San Diego with 15 goals, netted two more against Bakersfield on Friday at Pechanga Arena San Diego, including a shorthanded tally that was part of a stunning five-goal second-period burst. The Gulls erased a two-goal deficit and blew the game open, routing the Condors 6-3 to claim their fifth win in six meetings this season.

Bakersfield had looked in control through a quiet first period before striking twice in the opening 3:16 of the second. Quinn Hutson, who leads all AHL rookies with 29 goals and 57 points on the season, posted his 28th of the night, and Ethan Keppen added his third to put the Condors up 2-0. What followed was a second period the Condors would rather forget: San Diego responded with five unanswered goals, including two on the power play and Bailey's shorthanded strike, to take a commanding 5-2 lead into the third.

Hutson answered shorthanded of his own at 4:33 of the third to pull Bakersfield within two, but the Gulls closed it out at six to preserve a three-goal final margin.

The other story of the night was written by Roger McQueen. Signed to an amateur tryout agreement just two days earlier on April 1, the 6-foot-6, 203-pound center made his professional debut and notched his first pro point in the process. The Anaheim Ducks selected McQueen 10th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and he arrived in San Diego off a freshman season at Providence College that earned him Hockey East Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Rookie Team. He posted 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 36 games for the Friars this season.

General manager Pat Verbeek called the assignment "an important step in his development" when announcing the signing, and McQueen wasted little time putting points on the board at his new level.

For San Diego, the win matters beyond the scoreboard. The Gulls entered at 31-23-12 with 74 points, clinging to the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, and Friday's performance against a Bakersfield team eight points ahead of them in the standings was exactly the kind of statement the postseason push required. The Condors, at 34-21-10, saw their magic number to clinch a playoff berth drop to five despite the loss, aided by Tucson's regulation defeat elsewhere. San Diego now has seven games left to make the case that their spot in the bracket is non-negotiable.