Fresno Falcons Weekly

Published on March 26, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


LAST WEEK: Fresno went 1-0-2 last week, extending its unbeaten streak to four games. The Falcons are 34-24-8 on the season for 76 points and are tied with Stockton for third place in the Pacific Division and fifth place in the National Conference. Both the Falcons and Thunder are three points behind fourth-place Idaho.

Tuesday, March 20 vs. Long Beach Ice Dogs 4 FALCONS 3 (OT)

Fresno ended its four-game home stand with a 4-3 overtime loss to Long Beach. The Falcons got off to a quick start, getting goals from John Morlang and John Wroblewski in the first 10:52 of the contest to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The Ice Dogs came back with a pair of goals from Alexei Smirnov, one midway through the second and one early in the third to tie the game. Jason Tejchma tallied a power-play goal at 15:22 of the third to put the Falcons back on top, but Smirnov capped his hat trick with 56 seconds remaining to force overtime. The Ice Dogs notched a shorthanded goal 3:34 into the extra session to pick up the victory.

Wednesday, March 21 @ Bakersfield Condors 5 FALCONS 4 (OT)

For the second straight night, the Falcons saw their opposition tie the game late in regulation, and then win in overtime. Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Falcons forged ahead, getting goals from Jake Pence and Brett Hammond just 22 seconds apart in the first four minutes of the final period. Bakersfield tied it at 3 on a Brett Lutes goal at 6:57, but Fresno went back on top three minutes later on Matt O'Dette's fifth of the season. The Condors forced overtime on a shorthanded goal from Alex Kim with 33 seconds remaining, then won the game in overtime as Lutes completed his hat trick with 29 seconds left in the extra session.

Saturday, March 24 @ Phoenix FALCONS 4 RoadRunners 3

Fresno ran its unbeaten streak to four games with a come-from-behind 4-3 win at US Airways Center on Saturday. With the game tied at 1 after the first period, Phoenix took a two-goal lead with a pair of goals in the opening six minutes of the second period. Jason Tejchma scored a pair of power-play goals to pull the Falcons even, and Rob McFeeters added a man-advantage tally of his own at 17:22 of the second giving Fresno a 4-3 lead. Phoenix had a two-man advantage for 1:35 early in the third period, but the Falcons were able to kill it off, and Scott Stirling made 10 saves in the final period to preserve the win for Fresno.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES

Tuesday, March 27 @ Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Fresno and Stockton meet in a showdown for fifth place in the National Conference. The Thunder have won six straight games to pull into a tie with the Falcons for fifth place in the conference. Following Tuesday's game, the Falcons have five games remaining, while the Thunder have six. Fresno is 6-0-0 against Stockton this season, and is 15-0-1 all-time against the Thunder.

Friday, March 30 vs. Bakersfield 7:30 p.m.

The Falcons and Condors meet for the ninth and final time this season. Fresno is 2-3-3 against Bakersfield this season, and is 2-0-1 at home. All three meetings at Save Mart Center have extended beyond regulation. The Condors enter the week in second place of the Pacific Division with a record of 40-15-10 for 90 points, two points behind first-place Las Vegas.

PROMOTIONS: All fans are encouraged to bring "Beat the Evil Condors" signs to this final regular-season meeting between the two clubs. Prior to the game, fans are invited to attend "Chalk Talk" on the concourse, as Falcons' Head Coach Matt Thomas will discuss the team's game strategy for the night.

Saturday, March 31 vs. Phoenix 7:30 p.m.

Fresno takes on Phoenix for the seventh and final time this season. The Falcons are 4-2-0 overall against the RoadRunners this season, including a 2-1-0 mark at Save Mart Center. Phoenix currently owns the eighth and final playoff spot in the National Conference with a 25-35-5 record for 55 points, four points ahead of both Utah and Long Beach.

PROMOTIONS: Disco Night presented by Mega 97.9. One lucky fan will be chosen as the Disco Fan of the Game and receive the first place prize of $200 in cash. All fans who dress in "Disco" will be invited on to the ice for a Disco Dance at center ice during the intermission. This game also features a pre-game Falcons alumni hockey game to benefit the Fresno Jr. Falcons. Doors to Save Mart Center open at 4:00 p.m. with the alumni game slated to begin at 4:20. Your ticket to the Falcons' game is good for admission to both games. Following the game, join the Falcons' players for a post-game party at Logan's Roadhouse, located at 7507 Blackstone Avenue, near River Park.

FALCONS NOTES

- Fresno is 5-1-2 in its last eight road games.

- Scott Stirling recorded his 129th career ECHL win on Saturday at Phoenix, leaving him just one victory short of tying Jeff Salajko for ninth place on the league's all-time wins' list.

- Jason Tejchma has recorded at least one point in six straight games (5g, 2a).

- Over their last four games, the Falcons have killed off 23 of 24 opposition power-play chances.

FALCONS LEADERS

Goals Morlang 27

Assists Curtin 54

Points Curtin 74

+/- Morlang +18

Penalty Minutes O'Dette 166

Shots Curtin 240

Power-Play Goals Wroblewski 12

Shorthanded Goals Curtin 6

Game-Winning Goals Wroblewski 6

FALCONS TICKETS

Tickets for Falcons home games are available at the Save Mart Center Box Office (9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) or charge by phone at (559) 485-TIXS. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. Discounted group tickets for groups of 20 or more are available by calling the Falcons office at (559) 485-7825.

FALCONS ON THE AIR

All 72 Falcons' regular season games can be heard on 1550 and 96.1 Sporting News Radio and on-line at www.fresnofalcons.com with the Voice of the Falcons, Joe Babik. Each broadcast begins 15 minutes prior to face-off with the Port of Subs Pre-Game Show. In addition, all Falcons games are available to watch on a pay-per-view basis in conjunction with B2 Networks. The B2 Networks feed can be accessed through the Falcons' website at www.fresnofalcons.com.

FALCONS LOOK TO CAPTURE SECOND STRAIGHT AMTRAK BATTLE OF THE 99 CUP

Entering the final two weeks of the season, the Falcons control their own destiny in their quest to win their second straight Amtrak Battle of the 99 Cup for the best record in the head-to-head series between the three Highway 99 teams (Fresno, Bakersfield, and Stockton). Bakersfield currently leads the standings with a record of 9-4-2 for 20 points, which is one point better than the Falcons mark of 8-3-3 for 19 points. Bakersfield has two games remaining in the cup series, one each against Fresno and Stockton, while the Falcons play two games against Stockton in addition to their one meeting with the Condors.

MATT THOMAS SHOW

The Matt Thomas Show airs tonight live at World Sports Café from 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Join Falcons head coach and general manager Matt Thomas and director of broadcasting and media relations Joe Babik as they discuss Falcons hockey. The show airs live on 1550 and 96.1 Sporting News Radio throughout the season. Fans are invited to participate in the show by calling their questions to (559) 23-SPORT or e-mailing them to jbabik@fresnofalcons.com.

FALCONS TAKE PART IN OPERATION HOPE

The Falcons and Cornerstone's Feeding Fresno are raising money to help South Valley victims hit by this past winter's devastating freeze. The Falcons have teamed up with Carl's Jr., KMPH Fox 26, 93.7 KISS Country, and Mega 97.9 to raise money for Feeding Fresno's Operation Hope to deliver much-needed food to the freeze victims by donating money for each goal the Falcons score in March. Fans can also donate for each goal scored, starting as low as 50 cents. Log-on to the Falcons website at www.fresnofalcons.com to complete a pledge form and return it to the Falcons office. Through 13 games in March, the Falcons have scored 38 goals.

INAUGURAL TIP A FALON DINNER SET FOR THURSDAY

The Falcons are holding their inaugural Tip a Falcon dinner on Thursday at Andiamo Restaurant, located at 1275 Shaw Avenue in Clovis. All proceeds from the event benefit Camp Sunshine Dreams and pediatric cancer research. Tickets are $30, and includes dinner and dessert. Andiamo is also donating 50% of all food and beverage receipts from the night. The event also includes both a live and a silent auction. Seating is limited, so book your table today! For more information, call the Falcons office at (559) 485-PUCK.

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