Hammond Ignites Teddy Bear Toss but Falcons Lose in Shootout

December 3, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release


FRESNO, Calif. - Brett Hammond scored his sixth goal of the year to unleash a torrent of stuffed animals from the stands on Teddy Bear Toss night at Save Mart Center, but in the end the Fresno Falcons were unable to prevail over the Johnstown Chiefs, losing 3-2 in a shootout.

Johnstown opened the scoring at 13:54 of the first period when Randy Rowe set-up Steven Cygan in the slot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Fresno peppered Morgan Cey with 24 shots before Hammond finally beat the Chiefs goaltender off a rebound on the power play at 13:13 of the second period to tie the game at one and ignite the team's sixth annual Teddy Bear Toss. All of the bears were collected from the ice surface and will be donated to the Toys for Tots program.

Soon after the delay to collect the stuffed animals, the Falcons then forged ahead when Cory Murphy's wrist shot from the boards was deflected in by Pete Fregoe at 16:48, giving Fresno a 2-1 lead heading to the third.

The Chiefs would force overtime by tying the game on the power play at 2:47 of the final period. Justin Kelly stormed down the slot all the way to the doorstep and beat Fresno goaltender Brett Jaeger after drawing the puck to his forehand.

Fresno out-shot Johnstown 2-0 in overtime and 39-21 through 65 minutes of hockey, but would have its fate decided in a shootout. J.F. Plourde and Kelsey Muench each had chances to win the game as the Falcons' fifth and sixth shooters once the team overcame an early 2-0 deficit in the shootout, but Cey responded with clutch saves. After Cygan then slid a puck five-hole past Jaeger to lift the Chiefs in front, Cey made one final save on Fresno's Shawn Mather to capture the victory for Johnstown.

Despite the loss, the Falcons have earned at least one point in each of their last six games and remain in first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 9-3-4 and 22 points.

The Falcons host the Stockton Thunder tomorrow at 7 p.m. before the Alaska Aces visit Save Mart Center on Sunday at 5 p.m. On Sunday, kids 12 and under are free and the first 2,000 fans will receive a Falcons limited edition poster.

Individual tickets are on sale now for both games at all Ticketmaster outlets and Save Mart Center's box office. Prices range from $8 - $23. For complete ticket information and an arena map of Save Mart Center, visit www.fresnofalcons.com/singletickets.html, or contact the Falcons front office directly at (559) 485-PUCK (7825).



ECHL Stories from December 3, 2005


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