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Falcons fall in Utah 5-2

December 18, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


West Valley City, Utah - The Fresno Falcons had their five-game road winning streak snapped on Tuesday with a 5-2 loss to the Utah Grizzlies at The E Center.

Utah came out of the gates firing, scoring two goals in the opening 6:24 of the contest.

Jason PItton started the scoring, tallying an unassisted goal at 2:36, as he sent his own rebound past Falcons' goaltender Kris Mayotte.

Rob Sirianni doubled the lead to 2-0 at 6:24, taking a centering pass from Travis Rycroft and one timing a shot pas Mayotte for his third goal of the season.

Fresno cut its deficit to one at 12:47. Brady Leisenring had his initial shot from the slot knocked down, but he regained control and snapped a shot past goaltender Michael Mole for his seventh goal of the season, extending his scoring streak to nine games.

The Grizzlies came back to regain their two-goal lead 9:49 into the second period. Justin Bourne fed Trevor Smith skating alone into the Fresno zone. Smith made a quick move on Mayotte, and beat the goaltender through the legs to give Utah a 3-1 lead.

A power-play goal from Utah's Travis Rycroft at 15:46 extended the Grizzlies' lead to three after two periods. Rycroft's initial shot was turned aside by Mayotte, but he was able to bat the rebound out of midair and into the goal for his first of the year.

Sirianni added his second of the night 4:39 into the third period to give Utah a 5-1 lead. Rycroft fed Sirianni skating alone into the Fresno zone, and he wristed a shot past Jake Moreland, who replaced Mayotte after Utah's fourth goal.

P.O. Beaulieu put Fresno back on the scoreboard with his fourth goal of the season at 8:10. Beaulieu gathered in a loose puck at the top of the circles, and skated in alone on Mole, beating him with a wrist shot.

Fresno and Utah conclude their two-game series on Wednesday with another 6:05 p.m. PST face-off at The E Center. Catch all of the action on 790 ESPN Radio, The Deuce, starting with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show at 5:50.

The Falcons return home on Saturday, December 29, hosting the Victoria Salmon Kings at 7:30 p.m. for Relay at the Rink, presented by ABC 30, 93.7 KISS Country, and Schoettler-Neufeld Tire. The Falcons will wear special purple jerseys which will be auctioned off following the game to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. The first 2,000 fans in attendance receive a Falcons purple beanie.

Tickets for all Falcons' home games can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, or through TicketMaster at (559) 485-TIXS or www.ticketmaster.com. All Falcons games air on 790 ESPN Radio, The Deuce, starting with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to face off.

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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.

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