Brusseau Stuffs Gulls, 2-1
March 20, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
FRESNO, Calif. â Mike Brusseau out-dueled Trevor Koenig... barely. The Fresno netminder turned aside 22 shots, leading the Falcons to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Gulls Saturday night, before 11,094 at the Save Mart Center.
The Gulls (41-13-10) snap their 10-game unbeaten streak and miss a golden opportunity to gain ground on the Louisiana IceGators, who lost at home to the Pensacola Ice Pilots. San Diego still trails Louisiana by two points with three games in hand for the top spot in the Western Conference. Fresno (20-38-6) remains in the Pacific Division cellar, three points behind the Long Beach Ice Dogs.
Teams skated to a scoreless first period, but the Gulls got into penalty trouble late in the frame that led to a Falcons goal early in the second. At 17:27 of the opening period, Sandro Sbrocca was assessed a match penalty for high-sticking Fresno winger Scott Borders. Neil Posillico, coming to the aid of his teammate, jumped from the bench and went after Sbrocca. When all was said and done, Fresno had a major power play that carried over into the second period.
Kris Porter cashed in on the man advantage 1:06 into the second, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage. Michael Kiesman faked a shot, then dropped it to the right circle where Porter wristed it by Trevor Koenig for his 16th goal of the season.
Meanwhile, Fresno netminder Mike Brusseau was putting on a show, stymieing the Gulls left and right. San Diego wasn't getting an abnormal amount of shots on goal, but the quality chances were there and Brusseau stopped them all through the first two periods.
Koenig was matching Brusseau save for save until newcomer Daniel Bohac, playing in his first game with the Falcons, made it 2-0 at 19:10 of the second. Jordan Landry was skating on a two-on-one with Porter, but that chance was denied. Bohac, however, came in as the trailer and knocked home the rebound.
San Diego finally solved Brusseau at 11:40 of the third period, thanks to Mark Pederson's league-leading 43rd goal of the season. Sylvain Deschatelets found Pederson wide-open in the slot and the veteran winger one-timed it into the upper right corner of the net. With the assist, Deschatelets extended his career-high point streak to 18 games.
The Gulls had more point-blank chances to tie the game, but Brusseau came up large again. Both Greg Barber and Deschatelets had bids right on the doorstep late in the third, but couldn't stuff it by the red-hot Fresno goaltender.
Notes: The Gulls are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 games (6-1-4)... They've lost in regulation only three times in their last 30 games (20-3-7) and six times in their last 46 games (32-6-8)... San Diego is 37-10-5 against Pacific Division teams and has an overall 15-8-9 record on the road... Deschatelets has 28 points during his 18-game point streak (10g, 18a)... Pederson has 10 points (6g, 4a) in his last five games... Barber has 11 points (6g, 5a) in his last six games... Koenig is unbeaten in 21 of his last 23 games (15-2-6)... Head coach Steve Martinson served the second of a five-game suspension for violating ECHL salary cap regulations... Colin Zulianello (groin) and Kevin Grant (strained neck) were both activated from injured reserve on Friday... Nick Lent's rights were acquired from the Greenville Grrrowl Tuesday for future considerations. Lent is on call-up with the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons... Scott Kirton was also acquired Tuesday from the Trenton Titans in exchange for Dean Tiltgen... Josh Gratton remains with Cincinnati... Dennis Purdie remains on the injured list...
San Diego returns home Sunday to take on the Bakersfield Condors. It will be a 5:05 p.m. start with "Skate with the Gulls" held immediately afterward. The Blue and Orange host the Long Beach Ice Dogs Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. before embarking on a three-game road trip. All games can be heard live on KPOP 1360AM and www.sandiegogulls.com with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play. The next edition of the Gulls Internet Radio show, hosted by Tera Black and Jeremy Zager on wsRadio.com, will air live Monday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. To view pictures from this season, visit www.sdgullsphotos.com and www.zerodogentertainment.com.
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ECHL Stories from March 20, 2004
- Condors Stumble in Long Beach, 5-2 - Bakersfield Condors
- Brusseau Stuffs Gulls, 2-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Checkers fall to Aces 4-1 - Charlotte Checkers
- Wildcatters comeback falls short in 5-3 loss to Mississippi - Texas Wildcatters
- Titans Shutout Royals 5-0 - Trenton Devils
- Sea Wolves Top Wildcatters 5-3 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Eklund Stones IceGators 3-2 - Louisiana IceGators
- Blades Reclaim Second Place With 5-3 Win Over Greensboro - Florida Everblades
- Gladiators lose to Lynx, 5-2 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Aces win 4-1, clinch winning season - Alaska Aces
- Cyclones Drop Heartbreaker to Chiefs - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Pride's unbeaten streak ends at hands of Cottonmouths - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- Aquino reassigned to Gladiators - Atlanta Gladiators
- Falcons Raise $21,350 for United Way - Fresno Falcons
- Goaltender Valley Called Up to Manitoba - Peoria Rivermen
- Rivermen Upend Atlantic City on the Road 3-1; Clinch Berth in 2004 Kelly Cup Playoffs - Peoria Rivermen
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- 216 Players Play In Both ECHL, AHL In 2003-04 - ECHL
- Today In The ECHL - ECHL
- Lysak Becomes 249th ECHL Player In NHL - ECHL
- Power Play Comes Alive in 4-3 Condors Win - Bakersfield Condors
- Checkers fall in overtime to Augusta 5-4 - Charlotte Checkers
- Cyclones Come Up Two Goals Short in Gritty Effort vs. Storm - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Gulls Edge Falcons, 3-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Truelson's Shorty Not Enough - Fresno Falcons
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