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Gulls Pick Up Three of Four Points

January 30, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


OVERALL RECORD: 19-16-5

LAST WEEK: 1-0-1

STANDINGS: 3rd (Pacific Division)

SAN DIEGO --After finally getting the break they needed, the San Diego Gulls returned home rested and ready. The Gulls looked rusty as they lost in overtime to the Stockton Thunder, the worst team in the ECHL, but everything clicked the next night, as the Gulls beat the Fresno Falcons in an exciting shootout. Mark Wires (1g,1a) and Patrick Levesque (2a) had two points each to lead San Diego during the homestand.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Jan. 27 vs. Stockton:

Nathan Martz blasted home a slap shot 25 seconds into overtime, leading the Thunder to a 3-2 victory over the Gulls at the ipayOne Center. Martz's goal came one second after Steve Hildenbrand finished serving a two-minute delay-of-game penalty. Joel Irwin, who earned an assist on the game-winner, scored both of Stockton's goals in regulation. After a scoreless first period, Stockton finally drew first blood 6:20 into the second on Irwin's first goal of the night. The Gulls tied it at 11:04 of the second on Pierre-Luc Sleigher's 13th marker. Irwin and Mike Lalonde connected again about 2:30 later as Stockton regained the advantage at 2-1. David Svagrovsky made it a 2-2 game 3:01 into the third period, backhanding a shot behind Jake Moreland. That's how the game stayed until Martz won it in overtime. Irwin made a cross-ice pass to the right point, where Martz beat Tyler Weiman top-shelf.

Jan. 28 vs. Fresno:

Tom Lawson made 43 saves, leading the Gulls to a dramatic 2-1 shootout win over Fresno on Saturday night before an electric crowd of 8,515 at the ipayOne Center. In the process, the Gulls got their first win of the season over the Pacific Division-leading Falcons. San Diego struck first when Wires notched his second score with the Gulls midway through the opening period to make it 1-0. Lawson stopped 15 shots in the second, but a key miscue led to a goal that tied the match at 1-1. On the play, Lawson tried to clear the puck, but Fresno's Luke Curtin stopped it right in front of the net. The Falcons forward promptly back-handed the puck into a wide-open net to tie it 1-1 with 4:13 left before the second intermission. That's how the game remained until All-Star Jesse Bennefield and Sleigher scored in the shootout. Lawson stopped four of five Fresno shooters in the extra frame.

Individual Notes:

Lawson has won three straight decisions, stopping 132 of 141 shots during that span (.936 save percentage)... Sleigher has points in 11 of the last 14 games and has 19 points in that span (8g, 11a)... Wires has seven points in eight games with the Gulls since being acquired from Phoenix...

Team Notes:

The Gulls have successfully killed 88 of 98 penalties during the last 15 games (89.8 percent)... They are just 5-for-55 on the power play in the last nine games however (9.1 percent)... San Diego is 3-2-1 over its last six games and 18-11-5 since starting the season 1-5-0... The Gulls' next six games are on the road...

San Diego now gets set for a six-game road trip, which begins Friday in Bakersfield at 7 p.m. The Gulls will play in Long Beach Saturday before heading to Utah. All games can be heard on KLSD 1360AM and www.sandiegogulls.com with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play. Most games can also be viewed on the Gulls' Web site, courtesy of B2 Networks. Click the B2 Networks (Watch the Game Live) link on the home page for a list of the upcoming telecasted games. To view pictures from this season, visit www.zerodogentertainment.com.

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