Barons Fall In Fanale, 4-2

Published on April 6, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


CLEVELAND, OH - The Barons put the finishing touches on their second season in Cleveland when they welcomed the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks to Gund Arena after skating to a tie against them last night in Cincinnati. It was Fan Appreciation Day, and your Barons hoped to improve on last night's result.

The Mighty Ducks opened up a 2-0 lead after the first period as they capitalized on a rash of Cleveland penalties. At 15:59, with Kurt Miller serving a tripping penalty, Tony Martensson got the puck from the far sideboards over to Jonathan Hedstrom who set up Brendan Yarema in front of the net, where he beat Seamus Kotyk for his nineteenth goal of the season. Then with just three seconds left in the period with Tavis Hansen serving a hooking penalty, Andy Reierson banged home his third goal of the season. Cincinnati dominated shots on goal in the first 20 minutes 15-6.

The second period began the way the first ended - with goals. Tavis Hansen got your Barons on the scoreboard with his twenty-third goal of the season just fifteen seconds into the period. Hansen was perfectly positioned in front of the net to receive the pass from Pat Rissmiller. Rookie phenom Brad Boyes got the second assist, making it his seventh straight game with a point and ninth game in the last ten. The fans appreciated the fight between Boyes and Peter Podhradsky to close out the period, in which the Barons out shot the Mighty Ducks, 15-14.

Seamus Kotyk, making his fourteenth start in a row, had many great saves but a Mike Brown shot eluded him at 4:52 in the third period. Brown took a pass from Nick Smith, skated towards the net and faked out Kotyk to score a backhanded goal on the glove side. Graig Mischler got the goal back for your Barons on a power play at 13:23. Chad Wiseman and Jamie Ling had the assists. Ling has had a point in each of his four games since joining the Barons. Sensing a comeback like last night's come-from-behind tie against this same Cincinnati squad, the Barons pulled their goalie in a last-ditch effort to end the season on a positive note. Unfortunately, the move backfired and Jonathon Hedstrom was able to dump in the empty-netter, giving the Mighty Ducks a 4-2 victory.

This game brought an end to another great year of Barons hockey. Your Barons have played well, and sent a number of exciting and talented players to play in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks. Six of your former Barons scored their first NHL goal this year, a franchise record for the Sharks, and net minder Vesa Toskala has had an impressive run, including a shutout victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings. The Cleveland Barons would like to thank all of you fans for your support, and we look forward to seeing you again next year. Go Barons!

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American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2003


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