Gulls End Season With OT Loss, 6-5
April 10, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO â The San Diego Gulls, who trailed 5-1 late in the second period, came back to tie the game late in the third, only to fall in overtime 6-5 against the Victoria Salmon Kings during the season finale Saturday night, before 10,773 at the ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena. That's the fourth largest crowd of the season.
Chris Lynch led San Diego's comeback surge with his third career hat trick, while Grady Moore garnered a career-high three assists. Kurtis Dulle had the last laugh for Victoria, however, netting the game-winning goal 3:46 into the overtime session.
The Gulls (35-29-8) still earn one point and finish the season with a mark of 23-8-5 at home. The Salmon Kings (15-52-5), led by Jan Sochor's hat trick and Ryan Wade's two tallies, broke its four-game losing streak.
The game didn't mean anything in the standings between these two teams, but you would've never known it the way things started. Less than two minutes into the contest there was a huge melee behind the Salmon Kings' net, which involved two separate fighting altercations. One of the scraps was between San Diego's Guillaume Fournier and Victoria's Jason Hegberg while the other saw the Gulls' Wes Rypien hammer away at Wade.
After referee Dean Sanborn sorted out all the penalties, Rypien was kicked out of the game and Victoria was awarded a five-minute major power play, which it failed to capitalize on.
Both teams struggled offensively in the opening period, but combined for seven goals in the second, five of which were scored by Victoria and three of them coming via Sochor.
Sochor netted his first of the night 2:43 into the frame, beating San Diego goaltender Eddy Ferhi from the bottom of the right wing circle. The Gulls quickly tied it at 3:37 when Lynch nailed a wrister past Victoria netminder Rob Muntain.
Killing penalties has been a major bug-a-boo for the Gulls all season and they got burned twice minutes later, as the Salmon Kings grabbed a 3-1 cushion. While Nikita Korovkin was serving a double-minor high-sticking penalty, Sochor and Wade both lit the lamp. Sochor's came at the 6:08 mark â his second goal of the night â and Wade's came 37 seconds later.
Sochor completed the hat trick and gave Victoria a commanding 4-1 lead at 13:31, stealing the puck right in front of the San Diego net and squirting a backhander home. It was his ninth goal of the season.
The second period offensive outburst was far from over however, as both teams tickled the twine once more. Wade knocked in his second of the night â 19th of the season â on a Victoria power play at 15:32 and Darren Clark made it a 5-2 game with his 12th marker at 16:18.
Simon Lajeunesse relieved Ferhi to start the third and the Gulls certainly responded, netting three straight goals to tie the game 5-5. Lynch scored the first two at 13:53 and 14:10, connecting with Moore and Brett Draney both times. It was his 12th and 13th goals respectively. Guillaume Fournier then notched his 16th at the 18:17 mark, sending the contest to overtime.
Dulle gave the Salmon Kings the two points 3:46 into the extra session with his second goal of the year. It happened on a broken play, as Dulle grabbed the puck in front of the net and squeezed it past an out-stretched Lajeunesse.
Notes: The Gulls finished 4-2-1 against Victoria this season... San Diego was 23-8-5 at home and 12-21-3 on the road... The Gulls were 29-4-3 this season when scoring three-plus goals in a game, but just 6-25-5 when scoring two or less... They entered the day tied for sixth in the ECHL for the most home wins... Since the all-star break, the Blue and Orange were 9-4-3 at home and 5-13-1 on the road (14-17-4 overall)... Sean O'Connor and Nick Ganga, both recovering from knee injuries, finished the season on the injured list...
San Diego returns to action in October for its third season in the ECHL. Season ticket packages for 2005-06 are currently available. For pricing and benefits, contact 619-224-4625 ext. 7. To view pictures from this season, visit www.sdgullsphotos.com and www.zerodogentertainment.com.
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