Heggie steps up for Batts

February 23, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Victoria, BC – A Salmon is usually a meal for a Gull. What bird watchers at the Bear Mountain Arena will tell you tomorrow around the water cooler is that they witnessed the Salmon feasting on the Gulls.

Before Tuesday's game, the San Diego Gulls sat six points behind the Fresno Falcons who are currently holding down the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division of the ECHL. After Tuesday's game the Gulls were still six points behind the Falcons and frustrated by a team they outmanned.

Certainly the Gulls did not out play the twelve skaters that Assistant Coach Greg Batters had to work with, and the result was they certainly did not outscore the Salmon Kings either. In fact the Gulls didn't even outscore Victoria forward Jason Hegberg who put his name in the young franchises books recording the first hat-trick in the team's history.

Coming off a forgettable night at home last Wednesday, the Salmon Kings answered their critics in Victoria, many of whom were asking when the team was going to play hockey. The fans did not have to wait long as just 3:39 into the first Hegberg lit the lamp.

With the Salmon Kings only dressed defenseman Nate Forster in the penalty box, Gulls forward Guillaume Fournier beat Salmon Kings goalie Dan Blackburn and the teams went to the rooms knotted at one.

Things looked to go downhill for the Salmon Kings when the Gulls opened the second with Jonathan Shockey setting up Chicago Blackhawk lock out product Curtis Brown, and it seemed the Gulls could just milk the victory out of the Salmon Kings.

Just over three minutes later though Ryan Wade worked the puck off the end boards and dropped the back hand pass to the front of the net where Seth Leonard lurked beating a shaky Gulls goalie Eddy Fehri.

Less than two minutes later, the under manned Salmon Kings tightened the screws on a San Diego team running around in their own end, with Nate Forster's blast from just outside the face-off circle.

At 11:58 Ryan Watson dumped the puck to Hegberg standing on the goal-line, Hegberg found the sweet spot, zipping the shot past Fehri's ear and rippling the twine for the second time in the game. The Salmon Kings headed to the second intermission with a standing ovation from the crowd, and a 4-2 lead.

With only twelve skaters the Salmon Kings needed a full for the third, and got a stellar effort, checking and angling the Gulls out of the play. Not once in the third did the Salmon Kings have a defensive breakdown, in fact the only lapse came from the Gulls who allowed Hegberg to score his third of the game and first hat-trick in franchise history.

Assistant Coach Greg Batters filled in for Head Coach Bryan Maxwell and recorded his first win as an ECHL coach. The game marked the first time the Salmon Kings have won a game in sixty minutes since 2004, and they did so in fine fashion.

Honourable mention must be given to forwards Chris Corrinet and Alexey Glukhov, who forced to play defense and ended up second and third stars respectively. Also forward David Neale played another solid, intelligent, game of hockey on the blueline. Forster was much more than a side note on Tuesday, he played at least 40 minutes for Batters, and put in a tireless effort in the 5-2 win.

The Victoria Salmon Kings next home game is Wednesday February 23, 2005 against the San Diego Gulls. Game time is 7:00 p.m. PST at the Bear Mountain Arena. Tickets are available for all Salmon Kings home games at www.selectyourtickets.com or by phone at 250-220-7777.



ECHL Stories from February 23, 2005


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