
Gulls Split Four Games Last Week; Get Set For Three Game Series North Of the Border
March 13, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Gulls are getting closer... Closer to clinching that all-important playoff spot. The Gulls split four games last week, book-ending victories over Dayton and Fresno and moving within five points of officially clinching a playoff berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Now San Diego gets set for a three-game series north of the border against the Victoria Salmon Kings.
WEEK IN REVIEW:
March 8 @ vs. Dayton: Jesse Bennefield scored two goals in less than a minute, leading the Gulls to a dramatic, come-from-behind victory, 4-2 over the Bombers at the ipayOne Center. During the first-ever match-up between the two clubs in San Diego, the Bombers led the Gulls 2-1 late in the third period until Bennefield beat goaltender Mike Brown at 13:18, sparking a flurry of Gulls goals. The rookie forward added what turned out to be the game-winner 54 seconds later, and Bobby Cunningham added an unassisted tally with 2:09 remaining, as San Diego poured in three goals over a 4:33 span to run away from the Bombers.
March 10 @ Fresno: The Falcons scored five goals in the third period, as they came to life in the third period to down the Gulls, 5-1 at the Save Mart Center. Rookie forward Erik Johnson finally broke the ice with 3:16 remaining in the second. It was Johnson's first professional goal and gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead heading into the final frame. Fraser Clair tied it at 1-1 just 2:17 into the third and then, midway through the frame, Fresno officially woke up. With 9:47 left, defenseman Shawn Weiman - San Diego goalie Tyler Weiman's older cousin - gave the Falcons their first lead of the night, an advantage they would never relinquish. J.F. Plourde, Luke Curtin and John Wroblewski added three more quick tallies, giving the Falcons four goals over a 5:21 span to turn a tight match into a blowout.
March 11 @ Long Beach: Christian Larrivee's short-handed goal with 7:10 left in regulation broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Ice Dogs a 3-2 victory over the Gulls at the Long Beach Arena. Michael Lambert gave the Ice Dogs an early 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the first period. J.F. Soucy put the Gulls on the board 7:09 into the second period converting a two-on-one with Cunningham. Bennefield tied it at the 12:28 mark of the second on a breakaway made possible by a beautiful pass from Mark Wires. Weiman made key save after key save down the stretch, but could not stop Larrivee from putting in the rebound off of Mike Woodford's shot at the 12:50 mark in the third.
March 12 vs. Fresno: Cunningham scored in the fourth round of a shootout, lifting the Gulls past Fresno 2-1 Sunday night in front of 6,133 at ipayOne Center. Playing in just his second game since returning from a broken ankle, San Diego's Kelly Askew added one goal in regulation and another to open the shootout. Weiman made 29 saves for the Gulls, including six big stops during the five-minute overtime. He also stopped four of the five Falcons in the shootout and clinched the victory with a save against his older cousin, Shawn Weiman, in the fifth round.
Individual Notes: Weiman is 5-2-0 since being recalled from Lowell... He's won four straight decisions at home... Bennefield entered Sunday's play tied for first among league rookies with 28 goals... Wires has 13 points (5g, 8a) in the last 12 games...
Team Notes: San Diego has won eight of its last 11 games... The Gulls have killed 127 of 139 penalties in the last 25 games (91.4 percent)... San Diego has won three straight games at home for the first time this season... If the season ended Monday, the Gulls and Fresno would meet in the first round of the playoffs... In their last 21 games, 14 have been decided by one goal...
The Gulls now get set for a three-game series north of the border, as they'll take on the Victoria Salmon Kings. San Diego and Victoria clash Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with all games starting at 7 p.m. 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 viewable games. To view pictures from this season, visit www.zerodogentertainment.com.
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