Lawson Stuffs Fresno, As Gulls Win In A Shootout
January 28, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO - Tom Lawson made 43 saves, leading the San Diego Gulls to a dramatic 2-1 shootout win over the Fresno Falcons on Saturday night before an electric crowd of 8,515 at ipayOne Center.
In the process, the Gulls (19-16-5) got their first win of the season over Pacific Division-leading Fresno (23-8-9). San Diego had gone 0-1-2 against the Falcons prior to Saturday, including losses in a shootout and another in overtime.
But Lawson made sure his team didn't make it four games without a victory against Fresno. The 26-year-old netminder notched some big saves during a late Falcons two-man advantage, and he allowed just one fluke goal. He also stopped four out of five chances during the shootout.
All-Star Jesse Bennefield and Pierre-Luc Sleigher scored for the Gulls in the shootout.
Despite the win, however, San Diego remains in third place in the Pacific Division. Fresno, meanwhile, saw its lead in the Pacific narrow to 10 points over the Gulls.
San Diego also snapped a three-match winless streak at home, which included a 3-2 defeat Friday in overtime against Stockton, the worst team in the ECHL. The Gulls are now 11-7-4 at home this season.
In the opening period, San Diego came out fired up behind Lawson's stellar play. The goalie made 13 saves in the frame to keep Fresno off the scoreboard, and the Gulls took advantage. San Diego struck first when Mark Wires notched his second score with the Gulls midway through the 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. Against San Diego this season, Curtin has scored five goals and six total points.
That's how the game went into the third period, when neither team could notch a score. Fresno had a two-man advantage for 43 seconds late in the frame, but Lawson turned away each shot to send the match into the extra frame.
Notes: The Gulls entered the day fourth in the league in penalty killing. They have successfully killed 88 of 98 penalties during the last 15 games (89.8 percent)... Goaltender Brett Jaeger is 3-0-1 against the Gulls this season and 7-2-2 lifetime... San Diego is 9-4-4 against the Pacific Division this season, while Fresno is 11-0-4 within the division... Five Gulls remain out of the lineup with injuries: Kelly Askew (broken foot), Alex Kim (broken collarbone), Alex Rogosheske (torn ACL), Guillaume Fournier (concussion) and Andy Thompson (wrist surgery)...
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, Feb. 4 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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