Captain O'Dette Leads Falcons to Victory

December 4, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Falcons captain Matt O'Dette scored a game-winning power play goal mid-way through the second period and helped set-up an insurance goal in the third as the Falcons defeated the Stockton Thunder, 4-1, at Save Mart Center.

Fresno's J.F. Plourde opened the scoring at 8:10 of the first when he tucked in his own rebound for his sixth goal of the season.

Stockton tied the game at one early in the second while skating on a five-on-three power play. An initial slapshot went wide of the mark, but Steve Slonina corralled the puck off the carom from the end boards and sent it past Falcons goaltender Brett Jaeger at 4:19. O'Dette re-delivered the lead for his club when Fresno responded with a power play goal of its own at 6:59. A defenseman charged with creating havoc in front of the net with the extra man, O'Dette took a pass from Pete Fregoe and hammered home his first goal of the season as the Falcons skated to the third with a 2-1 edge.

Fresno added some insurance with another power play goal mid-way through the final period. O'Dette freed the puck for Plourde, who found Cory Murphy high in the slot. Murphy then fired a one-timer past Stockton netminder Jeff Weber to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead at 9:01. Kelsey Muench tallied an empty-netter with under 10 seconds to play for the final margin.

The win extends the Falcons' unbeaten streak to seven in row, but marks their first victory in regulation since Nov. 19 - a span of five games. Fresno remains atop the Pacific Division with a record of 10-3-4 and 24 points as the team is still unbeaten against divisional foes with a mark of 9-0-1.

The Falcons complete a three-game homestand tomorrow when they host the Alaska Aces at 5 p.m. at Save Mart Center. Kids 12 and under are free, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a Falcons limited edition poster.

Individual tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets and Save Mart Center's box office. Prices range from $8 - $23. For complete ticket information and an arena map of Save Mart Center, visit www.fresnofalcons.com/singletickets.html, or contact the Falcons front office directly at (559) 485-PUCK (7825).



ECHL Stories from December 4, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central