ECHL Bakersfield Condors

Condors roll to fifth straight win, beat Utah 4-1

April 1, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release


BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - G Yutaka Fukufuji made 46 saves and LW Mark Derlago scored twice as the Condors ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 triumph over the Utah Grizzlies in front of 5,581 fans Monday night at Rabobank Arena. The Condors gain two points on idle Stockton and Phoenix, and now have a four-point lead while occupying the seventh spot in the standings.

2008-3-31 derlago Physical play ruled the opening period, continuing where these two teams left off on Saturday night, and the Condors (25-36-9, 59 points) took a 1-0 lead. F Dale Reinhardt stripped the puck away from a Utah defender and waltzed in alone on Grizzlies G Wylie Rogers. He slipped in his fifth goal of the season, in just his seventh professional game, at 8:31 of the first. Bakersfield led Utah (30-29-10, 70 points) in shots 17-9 in the period.

Despite being outshot 24-5 in the second stanza, the Condors extended the lead with a tally at 14:02, as LW Mark Derlago notched his 34th of the season to put Bakersfield up 2-0. The rookie got his stick on a shot by D Reagan Leslie and tipped it home, extending his own Condors rookie record for goals. Utah, who had five power plays in the second period alone, finally beat G Yutaka Fukufuji with a shorthanded tally at 19:19.

In the opening minute of the third, the Condors put the game out of reach. Derlago potted his second of the night, and 35th of the season, to make it 3-1 and LW Chris Di Ubaldo rifled home his seventh of the season at 13:21 to account for the final margin. Fukufuji stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third frame and ended up with 46 saves in the game. He finished the two-game series against the Grizzlies with 95 saves on 99 shots.

To view the complete box score from tonight's game, click here.

Notes from The Nest: Tonight's game was the final regular season home game for the Condors... The two teams combined for 0-for-16 on the power play, but both netted a shorthanded goal tonight... LW Mark Derlago has five points (3g-2a) in three games since returning from Manitoba (AHL) on Friday... Rookie F Tylor Michel has recorded two assists in two games since making his pro debut on Saturday... G Brent Solei was added today as an emergency back-up goaltender. Solei, 24, spent four seasons with the University of Minnesota prior to joining the Condors.

Condors hit 200,000: For the third consecutive season, the Condors have drawn at least 200,000 fans during the regular season. It's the sixth time in the 10-year history of the organization that the Condors have reached the mark.

Upcoming Games: The Condors wrap up the regular season with road games Thursday and Friday night. They travel to Phoenix for a showdown with the RoadRunners at 7:11 p.m. Thursday night. On Friday they travel to Las Vegas for the regular season finale. Game time is 7:05 p.m. from the Orleans Arena.

All Condors games, home and away, can be heard on the all-new ESPN 1230AM with "Condors Countdown" starting 15 minutes prior to the drop of the puck.

Individual game tickets are now on sale and may be purchased through the Rabobank Arena Box Office, which is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday with extended hours on game days. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 322-2525, online at www.bakersfieldcondors.com, or at any Ticketmaster location.

Season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available at the Condors office located at 1001 Truxtun Avenue or by calling 324-PUCK (7825).

Check out the Bakersfield Condors Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 1, 2008


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