Gulls - Condors Game Preview

Published on January 24, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Gulls return home to the Sports Arena Saturday night for the first time since the all-star break to take on the Bakersfield Condors. After a road win last night in Long Beach, San Diego has moved into a tie for second place in the Pacific Division, just three points out of first.

This is the sixth time that San Diego will take on Bakersfield this season. The Gulls are 4-1-0 against the Condors, including a 4-2 victory in their last meeting, Nov. 30. The game featured goals by Igor Pohanka, Mike Garrow, Sylvain Deschatelets and Mark Pederson. Pederson also had a hat trick in his previous meeting against the Condors on Nov. 21. The Gulls are 80-16-5 all-time against Bakersfield.

The Gulls enter play tied for second place in the Pacific Division with the Las Vegas Wranglers. Both teams have 51 points, but the Gulls have played in two fewer games. They trail front-running Idaho by three points, but also have four games in hand on the Steelheads and boast the division's best winning percentage. The Blue and Orange have won three straight and are unbeaten in 16 of their last 19 games (15-3-1). They have been especially tough at home, having won their last six straight at the Sports Arena.

The offense has been keyed by the strong play of San Diego's No. 1 line of Pederson, Deschatelets and Greg Barber. The line has combined for 28 points (12g, 16a) in their last seven games, led by the stellar play of Pederson. The veteran left-winger has scored a point in 12 straight games, notching 21 points (14g, 7a) during that span. His 25 goals is second overall in the ECHL. Deschatelets has chipped in with 18 points (3g, 15a) in his last 12 games, and leads the club with 22 assists on the year. Barber, the Gulls lone all-star representative, has a career-high five-game point-scoring streak and has notched 11 points (4g, 7a) in his last seven contests. The return of center Billy Tibbetts to the line-up after a stint with the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons should add some extra depth to the Gulls scoring punch.

Bakersfield is currently fifth in the Pacific Division, 21 points behind the Gulls and 19 behind the Alaska Aces for the final playoff spot. Taking advantage of the power play has been a major bug-a-boo for the Condors all season, having converted on just 10.2 percent of their chances (30th in the ECHL). That statistic doesn't figure to improve tonight, as the Gulls rank second in the league, killing 88.9 percent of their penalties, including 103 of their last 111, overall.

Offensively the Condors are led by center Kevin Riehl, who leads the club with 36 points and 23 assists. Left-winger Johan Astrom leads the team in goals with 17, and is tied for second on the team in points with 28.

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ECHL Stories from January 24, 2004


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