The San Diego Gulls suffered their second overtime loss of the Calder Cup Pacific Division Finals Friday, losing 4-3 to the Ontario Reign at Valley View Casino Center.
On his 20th birthday, Mike Amadio scored his first professional goal six minutes 29 seconds into overtime to give the Reign the victory and a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
Amadio joined Ontario on an amateur tryout agreement before the April 22 start of the Calder Cup playoffs after completing a four-year junior career with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League.
Amadio was chosen in the third round of the 2014 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings, the Reign's parent team.
The Gulls were held without a shot in overtime.
Game 5 will be played Saturday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, with the Gulls trying to avoid elimination.
A 3:05 span where the teams combined for four goals ended with Gulls center Chris Mueller scoring with 5:54 to play to tie the score, 3-3.
Muller began the span by scoring at 11:02 of the third period to give the Gulls a 2-1 lead. Goals by Adrian Kempe at 12:04 and 13:56 gave the Reign a 3-2 lead.
Following a scoreless first period, the Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks American Hockey League affiliate, opened the scoring 7:21 into the second period on Shea Theodore's power-play goal off assists by Mueller and Stefan Noesen.
Matt Hackett made 33 saves, 24 over the first two periods, in his fourth consecutive start for the Gulls as Anton Khudobin remained sidelined.
Khudobin has not dressed for the series because of an upper-body injury sustained in the first-round series-clinching 6-2 victory over the Texas Stars April 29.
Peter Budaj made 25 saves for Ontario before a crowd announced at 9,078.
The Gulls killed off the Reign's lone power-play opportunity. The Gulls scored on one for their five power-play opportunities.
The Gulls lost for the second time in the series when they led after the second period. The Gulls were 3-0 in their first-round series and 31-0-0 in the regular season when leading after two periods.
