Falcons Down Condors in Shootout 4-3

Published on November 29, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


Fresno, Calif. - The Fresno Falcons' three-game losing streak came to an end on Tuesday night as they defeated the Bakersfield Condors 4-3 in a shootout in front of 2,814 fans at Save Mart Center.

The Falcons' league-leading 10th shorthanded goal of the season 3:07 into the first period was the only scoring in the opening 20 minutes. Dustin VanBallegooie had his shot stopped by goaltender Jamie Hodson, but John Wroblewski was able to gather in the rebound and push it past Hodson for his fourth goal of the season.

Bakersfield pulled even 4:32 into the second period. Josh Liebenow skated into the right-wing circle of the Fresno zone, and fed a cross-crease pass to Shawn Thompson who was able to redirect the puck past Scott Stirling to tie the score at one.

Fresno tallied its second shorthanded goal of the game at 8:09 to regain the lead. Brian McConnell stole the puck behind the Bakersfield net and skated in front beating Hodson with a quick wrist shot for his second goal of the year.

But, the Condors again came back to tie the score with a power-play goal at 13:50. Tyler Scott's shot's from the blue line eluded traffic and beat Stirling for his fourth of the season, tying the score at two after 40 minutes.

John Morlang put the Falcons back on top 10:29 into the third period. On a delayed-penalty call to the Condors, the Falcons were able to keep the puck alive, and Colin Shields fed the puck to Morlang at the top of the left-wing circle, and he was able to dribble a shot past Hodson for his seventh goal of the year.

Bakersfield tied the game and forced overtime with 41.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The Falcons were unable to clear the puck out of their zone, and Kevin St. Jacques gathered in a rebound in the left-wing circle and pushed the rebound past Stirling for his sixth of the year.

After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout. In the shootout, both teams scored twice through five rounds, sending the contest to a sudden death shootout. Neither team scored in rounds six through eight. In round nine, P.O. Beaulieu tallied for the Falcons, and Stirling stopped Bakersfield's Steve Rodberg to preserve the Falcons win.

Fresno travels to Bakersfield for the back end of the home-and-home series on Friday with face-off set for 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard live at www.fresnofalcons.com starting with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show at 6:50 p.m., and will air on 1550 Sporting News Radio on a tape-delayed basis following high school football.

The Falcons are back at home on Saturday, hosting the Phoenix RoadRunners at 7:30 p.m. on Teddy Bear Toss Night and Team Photo Night. All fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal to the game and to throw it on the ice following the Falcons first goal. All animals collected will be donated to Toys for Tots. In addition, the first 5,000 fans in attendance receive a Falcons team photo, courtesy of Dumont Printing.

Tickets for all Falcons home games can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, by phone at (559) 485-8497, on-line at www.ticketmaster.com, or at any TicketMaster outlet. All Falcons games can be heard on 1550 Sporting News Radio starting with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to game time.

PLEASE NOTE: Monday's edition of the Matt Thomas Show on 1550 Sporting News Radio did not air due to a power outage in the Tower District, where the 1550 studio is located. The show will air on Wednesday, November 29 from 5:25 until 6:00 p.m. Fans can call-in their questions to (559) 23-SPORT or e-mail jbabik@fresnofalcons.com.

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ECHL Stories from November 29, 2006


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