Falcons Win Season Finale in a Shootout, 4-3
April 4, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release
FRESNO, Calif. â In their final game of the 2003-04 season, the Fresno Falcons gave-up the tying goal in the final minute of regulation but rebounded to defeat the Idaho Steelheads, 4-3, in a shootout on Saturday at Save Mart Center in front of 6,398.
Fresno scored the only goal of the first period when Blair Clarance hit Kris Porter with a cross-ice feed, who then beat Idaho netminder Scott Kabotoff for his team-leading 22nd of the year at 10:53.
Despite getting out-shot, 20-5, in the second, Fresno managed to match the Steelheads' two tallies in the frame to keep their one-goal lead intact heading into the third. Idaho tied the game 5:19 into the second after David Cornacchia pounced on a rebound, but Nathan Horne responded for the Falcons at 7:51 when his wrister from the point deflected off a Steelheads d-man for his first as a Falcon. Fresno then opened up their biggest lead of the game at 11:10 of the second following a long wrist shot off the stick of Neil Posillico that seemed to take Kabotoff by surprise. Idaho quickly made it a one-goal game again exactly a minute later when Derek Paget snuck a shot along the ice past Falcons goaltender Mike Brusseau.
Fresno held their one-goal advantage until the final minute of the third. With Kabotoff on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, Brusseau corralled the puck behind his own goal and appeared to take a shot at the empty net himself. His clearing attempt was blocked by Dylan Gyori in the slot, though, who dumped the equalizer into the vacated goal with 47.5 seconds to play, sending the game to overtime.
Brusseau atoned for his gaffe by shutting out the Steelheads the rest of the way. He made four saves in the five-minute overtime period before stoning all four Idaho skaters in the shootout. Daniel Bohac beat Kabotoff in the shootout as Fresno's second shooter, which set the stage for Porter, whose shootout goal sealed the victory and the two points to end the Falcons' regular season on a positive note.
Fresno's win, coupled with the Long Beach Ice Dogs' 4-2 loss earlier in the evening against the Texas Wildcatters, moved the Falcons ahead of Long Beach in the final Pacific Division standings with 52 points and a record of 23-43-6.
Season tickets for the 2004-05 Falcons season are already on sale beginning as low as $192. Call the Falcons offices for more information at 485-PUCK (7825).
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