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Gulls Maintain Second Place Lead, But Bako Right on Their Tails

March 24, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Gulls lost four points in the standings to the Bakersfield Condors last week, but still lead their first round playoff opponent by one point for second place in the West Coast Hockey League. Now the Blue and Orange face arguably its toughest and most important stretch of the season - three straight games in Boise, Idaho.

The bright spot for San Diego (41-20-4) is that, yes, they do have sole possession of second place. But there are a couple of other factors that give the Gulls an added edge coming down the stretch: First, they have two games in hand on the Condors, which could potentially be four more points. Second, they have three more wins than Bakersfield, the tiebreaker if the two teams finish with the same amount of points.

NOTES: Cris Classen picked up his first career WCHL shutout Sunday night against the Anchorage Aces. His only other career shutout came last year in the East Coast Hockey League... Trevor Koenig, who's winless in three games, is still four wins away from 100 in his Gulls career... Sylvain Deschatelets got his seven-game point streak snapped last night... The Gulls are the only team in the league to have a winning record against Idaho (5-4-2)...

TRANSACTIONS: Kevin Grant remains on injured reserve... Marc Busenburg and Rob Voltera remain with the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears...

COMMUNITY UPDATE: March 19: Dan Cousineau and Sandro Sbrocca practiced with the San Diego Wolverines bantam travel team at the San Diego Ice Arena in Mira Mesa. Before practice, Cousineau and Sbrocca gave a locker room talk to the 13- and 14-year-olds about the importance of team unity and determination off the ice.

April 5: The Gulls will be holding a playoff "Chalk Talk," presented by Baja Fresh, at the Sports Arena before they take on the Aces at 7 p.m. This clinic is designed to educate all fans about the intricacies of hockey, including special playoff rules and the specific tactics that will be used against their 2003 playoff opponent(s). Head coach Steve Martinson and select Gulls players will lead the chalk talk, which will also include on-ice demonstrations and an exclusive VIP locker room tour. For $30, you get the clinic, lunch provided by Baja Fresh and a ticket to that night's Gulls-Aces game.

April 7: This is your last chance to wine and dine with your favorite Gulls players at the Pucks & Pasta Charity dinner at the Downtown Hard Rock Café. Come out and support the Gulls and City of Hope's National Medical Research Center by joining them for a night of food and fun at 6:30 p.m. You'll be a part of question and answer sessions, raffles and auctions for autographed Gulls memorabilia!

RECAP:

Gulls 2 @ CONDORS 4: Friday, March 21: Jamie Cooke and Paul Rosebush scored 1:07 apart late in the third period to lift the Condors to a crucial win over the Gulls. San Diego came into the game leading Bakersfield by five points and with a win would've all but salted second place. But the Condors came out like a team on a mission, quickly jumping out to a 1-0 lead. The Gulls went ahead 2-1 late in the first, but Rosebush netted his first of the game early in the second to tie it.

Gulls 2 @ FALCONS 6: Saturday, March 22: Scott Borders netted a hat trick, two goals coming via the power play, lifting Fresno to the four-goal spanking of the Blue and Orange. David Neale gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead, but it all went downhill from there. The Falcons went on to score three power-play goals and all but cruised the rest of the way. With the loss, San Diego dropped to third place.

Aces 0 @ GULLS 4: Sunday, March 23: Classen stopped all 20 shots while R.J. Enga bagged a pair, leading the Gulls back into second place. Enga started the scoring just 1:43 into the game and got his second, shorthanded, midway through the second period. Bruce Watson and Neale capped the scoring in the third period. Ryan Person made 45 saves in a losing effort.

THIS WEEK:

San Diego plays in Idaho Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with each game beginning at 6 p.m. (PST). The Gulls finish their trip in Long Beach on Wednesday, April 2 before returning home to close out the regular season. All games can be heard live on 1130AM-KSDO with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play*. The Gulls' Internet radio show broadcasts live every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on wsradio.com with Tera Black and Jeremy Zager hosting.

*On Friday, the game will broadcast love on 1360AM-KPOP



ECHL Stories from March 24, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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