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Falcons Hang on in 4-3 Victory

March 18, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


FRESNO, Calif. – Mike Mathers scored the game-winning goal with less than five minutes remaining in regulation as the Fresno Falcons nearly let a 3-0 lead slip away before defeating the Long Beach Ice Dogs on Wednesday at Save Mart Center, 4-3, in front of a crowd of 3,784.

Scott Borders scored twice to give Fresno a 2-0 lead just 5:56 into the hockey game. Mid-way through the opening period on the power play, Borders then recorded his third point of the evening by feeding Neil Wilkinson, who went cross-ice to Mike Sandbeck. Sandbeck finished into an empty net for his 11th of the campaign as the Falcons built their 3-0 lead 10:17 into the contest and chased Long Beach starting goaltender David Burleigh, who was replaced by T.J. Aceti.

The Ice Dogs broke through at 18:02 of the first with a power play goal of their own from Jerome Marois to send the teams to the locker rooms with Fresno leading, 3-1.

The clubs were scoreless in the second during which the Falcons out-gunned the visitors, 12-7, keeping their two-goal lead intact heading to the final period. Things got interesting just 1:08 into the third, though, when Jimmy Callahan flew down the left wing completely unmarked at the back door and banged home a perfect cross-ice feed from Nick Ganga to cut Fresno's once 3-0 cushion to a single tally.

Despite playing back on their heels and scrambling defensively most of the third, the Falcons clung to their 3-2 advantage. Kris Porter then chipped a puck off the boards to Mathers, who kept it himself on a two-on-two before beating goaltender T.J. Aceti at 15:15 for his club-record 150th goal of his Falcons career. Fresno would need the insurance Mathers provided as just two minutes later Martin Paquet brought Long Beach back to within a goal. Ultimately, the Ice Dogs never found the elusive game-tying goal, and the Falcons prevailed, 4-3.

The victory was the third in a row at home for Fresno and evened their season series with Long Beach at four games apiece, with the home team having won every game. The Falcons are now 19-37-6 this season and have crept within three points of the Ice Dogs in the Pacific Division standings.

Fresno now plays the first half of a home-and-home with the San Diego Gulls on Friday, March 19, at the San Diego Sports Arena before welcoming the Gulls to Save Mart Center on Saturday, March 20, at 7 p.m. The first 1,000 fans to the arena on Saturday will receive a free Falcons hockey stick courtesy of Shop & Go Convenience Stores and Flouresco Lighting.

Tickets to the game on Saturday can be purchased directly at Save Mart Center's Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets, which include select Save Mart Supermarkets, Tower Records, Wherehouse Music and Ritmo Latino locations, charged by phone at 485-TIXS or bought online by clicking the Ticketmaster icon throughout www.fresnofalcons.com.

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