No matter what happens in the second game of their opening round Calder Cup Playoffs series against the Texas Stars, the San Diego Gulls will have three chances to advance on their home ice. Knowing they had the possibility of playing three straight games at home, the Gulls really only needed a split on the road to keep them in the driver’s seat in the 5-game series.



With that bit of business taken care of San Diego hockey fans are getting excited. A group is Gulls faithful is planning a reception on Sunday afternoon to welcome the team home. The hockey guys are expected to arrive at the Valley View Casino Center east entrance at around 12:45 but fans will start gathering a couple of hours earlier and although it’s not confirmed, if I know San Diego sports fans, tailgating will be involved.



The team is not staging any kind of official Welcome Home event but they’re excited to know they’ll have a group of happy faces to return to.



“(This is) a fan movement but we're all for it!” says Gulls spokesman Sam Kieckhefer. “We think it's great that the fans are showing such incredible support and I know it makes a huge difference for the players.”



A group of about 100 fans showed up to see the team off to Texas on Tuesday at 4:30 in the morning so expect a whole lot more than that to arrive to welcome the team home on a Sunday afternoon.



The Gulls and Stars play Saturday night in Texas. Game 3 will be Thursday, April 28 at 7:05 back in San Diego.