Falcons Fall to Grizzlies in Game One
April 13, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release
Fresno, Calif. - The Fresno Falcons fell to the Utah Grizzlies 6-1 in game one of their National Conference Quarterfinals series on Sunday in front of 1,991 fans at Save Mart Center.
Utah took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission scoring a pair of goals in the final 4:21 of the opening period.
Travis Rycoft opened the scoring at 15:39, deflecting a James Sanford shot through the legs of Falcons' goaltender Jake Moreland. The Grizzlies then added a shorthanded goal at 18:22 to double the lead to 2-0. Jeff Dwyer sprung Keith Johnson skating alone into the Fresno zone, and he flipped a shot past Moreland for his first career playoff goal.
Fresno out-shot Utah 16-10 in the second period, but the Grizzlies tallied a pair of power-play goals midway through the period to open a 4-0 lead.
Sanford scored the first power-play goal at 10:28, beating Moreland with a long shot from the right point, and Michael Haley added another man-advantage tally 2:26 later, poking a rebound home from the top of the crease, for his first goal of the playoffs.
Jordan Hart stretched the lead to five 2:33 into the third period, beating Moreland on a wrist shot from the right-wing circle.
Haley scored his second of the game, and Utah's third power-play goal of the night, at 4:26, snapping a shot home from the hash marks.
Fresno had a chance to get on the board 11 minutes into the final period as Brady Leisenring was awarded a penalty shot, but Nathan Lawson came up with the save to keep the Falcons scoreless.
Oren Eizenman scored Fresno's lone goal on a power play at 19:32 of the third period, putting home the rebound of a Brady Leisenring shot.
Game two of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow with face-off set for 7:00 p.m. at Save Mart Center. Catch all of the action on 790 ESPN Radio, The Deuce, starting with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show at 6:45. Tickets can be purchased at the Save Mart Center Box Office, or through TicketMaster, by calling (559) 485-TIXS or by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com.
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