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Falcons Snap Gulls' Home Winning Streak, 5-3

February 22, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


SAN DIEGO – Behind 51 saves from goaltender Terry Friesen, the Fresno Falcons defeated the ECHL's hottest team the past two months, the San Diego Gulls, 5-3 on Saturday at the San Diego Sports Arena. The win snapped San Diego's league season-high 14-game home winning streak.

The Falcons were under siege right from the opening drop of the puck but weathered the storm thanks to stellar work from Friesen. His club then opened the scoring when Kevin Truelson's dump-in ended up on the stick of Mike Mathers, who beat Gulls netminder David Burleigh for his fourth of the season at 13:11 of the first, and Fresno led 1-0 despite having been out-shot 15-3. San Diego would tie the game after a flurry of chances finally resulted in a goal on their 20th shot of the hockey game. Sandro Sbrocca scooped in a rebound at 15:41, and the teams headed to the second tied at one.

Fresno added to its lead in the middle period beginning with a goal on the power play. Michael Kiesman teed-up a blast from the right point, and Mike Sandbeck knocked home a rebound for his ninth of the year at 10:08. Scott Borders then stole an outlet pass inside the Gulls' zone, beat Burleigh with a wrist shot to the blocker side for his eighth at 17:46, and gave the Falcons a 3-1 edge entering the third.

As one would expect, the team with the most points in the league would not go away quietly. San Diego pulled within a goal just 1:40 into the third when Billy Tibbetts snuck a wrist shot from the point past a screened Friesen. The Falcons answered right back, though. Truelson found a bouncing puck high in the slot before firing home his eighth of the season unassisted at 3:11, a goal that chased Burleigh from the hockey game. The Gulls pulled within a single goal once more when their third-ranked power play converted off a wrist shot from Sylvain Deschatelets from between the circles at 10:08. In the waning moments, San Diego pulled Trevor Koenig, on in relief of Burleigh, but could not muster much of a last-minute flurry as Mathers put the game on ice with an empty netter with under four seconds to play.

Following last night's 5-4 shootout win against the Las Vegas Wranglers, tonight's victory marked the first time the Falcons have won two games in a row since Jan. 1 and 3 and brings Fresno's record to 15-30-6 on the year.

The Falcons stay on the road for their next game when they travel to Las Vegas to battle the Wranglers at Orleans Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 24, before returning home for a re-match with the Gulls on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. at Save Mart Center.

Tickets to the game versus the Gulls can be purchased 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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