Gulls Beat Gwinnett, 3-2
March 27, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO â David Karpa notched a goal and an assist and goaltender Eddy Ferhi turned aside 27 of 29 shots, leading the San Diego Gulls to a 3-2 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators Sunday night at the ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena.
San Diego (34-26-6) has now won three straight at home and keep its slim playoff hopes alive. With six regular season games remaining, the Gulls trail the Idaho Steelheads by nine points for the fourth and final playoff spot. They play their next four games against Idaho and if the Steelheads win any of those games in regulation the Blue and Orange would be eliminated from the postseason.
The Gladiators (35-23-6) finish their five-game West-Division road trip with a 3-2-0 mark. They remain as the seventh seed in the American Conference, but just two points behind the fourth-seeded South Carolina Stingrays.
San Diego grabbed a 1-0 lead 12:16 into the first period on Chris Lynch's 10th goal of the season. Lynch's original shot was stopped by Gwinnett goaltender Adam Berkhoel, but he picked up his own rebound and flipped it home.
Max Birbraer gave the Gulls a two-goal cushion at the 13:39 mark of the first, beating Berkhoel on a breakaway. After grabbing a pass from Curtis Brown, Birbraer skated in all alone, made a move to his backhand and easily tapped it into the net. It was his 17th marker of the year.
The Gladiators had two grade-A chances to get on the board late in the opening frame, but Ferhi stopped them both. The first opportunity came on a two-on-one break, but Ferhi made an acrobatic glove save on Jeff Campbell's shot. Kris Goodjohn, the club-leader in points, was knocking on the door in the waning moments of the period, but Ferhi again made a highlight glove stop.
Gwinnett finally solved Ferhi 9:14 into the second period on Brad Schell's 12th marker. Schell rushed down the left wing and fired a wrist shot that Ferhi stopped. The rebound, however, bounced off his chest and fluttered into the net.
San Diego was awarded a two-man advantage late in the second and cashed in, making it a 3-1 game. Schell was called for tripping while Berkhoel was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On the ensuing five-on-three power play David Karpa notched his third goal at the 17:44 mark, wristing one behind Berkhoel.
Mike Vigilante cut the deficit back to one with his 27th goal 16:41 into the third period on a Gladiators power play. The puck was loose right in front of the crease, where Vigilante dug it out and lifted a shot over Ferhi's out-stretched pads. That would be a close as Gwinnett would come however, as Ferhi and the Gulls' stingy defense shut the door from there.
Notes: Of San Diego's six remaining games, three are at home... The Gulls still have four head-to-head games left against Idaho... They finished the season 5-6-2 against non-divisional opponents... The Blue and Orange are 23-3-1 this season when scoring four-plus goals in a game, but just 11-23-5 when scoring three or less... Since the all-star break the Gulls are 8-4-1 at home and 5-10-1 on the road (13-14-2 overall)... Brown returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a groin injury... Wes Rypien and Nick Ganga (knee) both remain on the injured list... Sean O'Connor missed his second straight game with a sprained knee...
San Diego plays its next four games against the Steelheads, with the first three in Boise, Idaho. The Gulls will face Idaho Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the Bank of America Centre, with all games beginning at 6:05 p.m. (PST). The two will square off again in San Diego Wednesday April 6 at 7:05 p.m. (PDT).
All games can be heard live on KLSD 1360AM and www.sandiegogulls.com with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play. All remaining games can also be viewed on the Gulls' web site, courtesy of B2 Networks. Click the B2 Networks link on the home page for a list of the upcoming telecasted games. To view pictures from this season, visit www.sdgullsphotos.com and www.zerodogentertainment.com.
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ECHL Stories from March 27, 2005
- Ice Dogs Lose To Condors, 7-3 - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Gulls Beat Gwinnett, 3-2 - San Diego Gulls
- Gladiators fall to Gulls, 3-2 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Condors Make Ice Dogs Roll Over, 7-3 - Bakersfield Condors
- Gators Rally Past Pride 4-3 - Louisiana IceGators
- IceGators Rally to Down Pride in OT - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- San Diego Hosts Gwinnett For First Time - San Diego Gulls
- Individual Playoff Tickets On Sale Monday - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Bullies Come From Behind Again To Defeat Chiefs 5-4 - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Another Aces sellout, another 3-1 win over Vegas - Alaska Aces
- Gladiators Beat Condors, 3-1 - Atlanta Gladiators
- Gladiators Down Condors Again 3-1 - Bakersfield Condors
- Ice Dogs Get Revenge, Down Gulls 5-2 - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Charlotte loses second straight, 5-2 to South Carolina - Charlotte Checkers
- Ice Dogs Clip Gulls, 5-2 - San Diego Gulls
- Gare Nets Overtime Win - Fresno Falcons
- Sea Wolves Clinch Playoff Berth, Swamp IceGators 7-2 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Steelheads lose to Fresno in overtime 2-1 - Idaho Steelheads
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