Gulls - Wranglers Game Preview

January 27, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


LAS VEGAS – The San Diego look for their sixth straight win and to widen their Pacific Division lead when they take on the Las Vegas Wranglers tonight at the Orleans Arena.

The Gulls moved into first place with a 3-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors Sunday night at the Sports Arena. San Diego is now one point ahead of second-place Idaho, two points ahead of third-place Las Vegas and four points in front of fourth-place Alaska. The Gulls still have games in hand on all three teams as well.

Mark Pederson continues to lead the way for the Blue and Orange with a club-high 45 points and 26 goals, tied for the league lead with Florida's Brian McCullough. Pederson has also netted 11 power-play goals, most in the ECHL. The veteran winger will also be trying to extend his league-leading point streak to 15 games. He has 24 points (15g, 9a) during his 14-game run and has 24 goals in his last 28 games.

But it's not just Pederson; it's his whole line. San Diego's top unit of Pederson, Sylvain Deschatelets and Greg Barber has combined for 40 points (17, 23a) in the last nine games. Barber is riding a career-high seven-game point streak and has 15 points (6g, 9a) in his last nine games, while Deschatelets has 23 points (5g, 18a) in the last 14 games.

Lost in the shuffle is Trevor Koenig, who's only rolled off four straight wins with a 1.25 goals-against average during that span. Overall, Koenig is 19-5-3 with a 2.31 GAA. His 19 wins are tied for fourth in the ECHL, his 2.31 GAA is seventh in the league and his three shutouts tie him for second.

The Wranglers have won three straight games and can move into a first place tie with a win tonight. Las Vegas trails San Diego by two points and Idaho by just one point, while maintaining a slim two-point lead over Alaska.

Chris Kenady, who had his 11-game point streak snapped Sunday, has been leading the Wranglers charge of late. The Las Vegas winger leads the club with 15 goals and is second with 40 points. Greg Day still leads the team with 42 points and 34 assists, sixth in the ECHL. Marc Magliarditi continues to shine in net for Las Vegas, coming in with an 18-7-3 record and a ninth-best 2.34 GAA.

This is the sixth of 10 meetings between the Gulls and Wranglers, with Las Vegas holding a 3-2-1 series edge. The two teams will clash four more times in the regular season.



ECHL Stories from January 27, 2004


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