Salmon Kings drop second straight to Long Beach

January 2, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Victoria, BC - The Salmon Kings are experiencing some tough growing pains but they are showing their fans they are full of heart. The fans in Victoria are seeing a team that is in every game and while it is a bitter drive home after a loss, Victoria is seeing high emotion, high tension and a high octane product.

The Long Beach Ice Dogs celebrated new years with the Salmon Kings and on Saturday they continued where they left off on Friday. They started their scoring late in the first on a goal from Chillwack, BC native Nathan Martz. Martz broke in on the breakaway and beat Salmon Kings goalie Jason Stone stick side from just inside the hash marks.

The Salmon Kings came out in the second looking for the equalizer. Derek Campbell known for his hard hits showed his soft hands putting it over Ice Dogs pound keeper Chris Madden with the backhand. The tandem of Ryan's, Finnerty and Wade, should be given equal credit on the play, for the tic-tac before Campbell's toe.

Again, under two minutes left in the period, Long Beach forward Cory Urquhart is set up by Bill Lindsay and Marco Rosa to put the Salmon Kings down by one a the break.

The Salmon Kings came out in the third looking for the equalizer. At 3:19, Salmon Kings pressing. Blue Bennefield worked it off the boards to the left of Madden, flipped the puck to Rob Voltera sitting on the hashmarks. Voltera wired the puck past a stranded Madden to tie the game at two.

Again, two minutes left in the period and the Salmon Kings pressing. But they do not get the same treatment from the hockey gods the third time. At 17:17 they cough the puck up in the offensive zone and the Ice Dogs broke out three on two. Sergei Klyazmin got his first point of the season in his second game setting up Burnaby Paul Cardarelli.

He is no Burnaby Joe but he was clutch all the same, burying the Salmon Kings in the process. Victoria is not watching a terrible hockey club, lose awful hockey games in the first period, because it has a hockey club that fights its way back into every game.

The Salmon Kings and the Ice Dogs have very little time to think their respective thoughts of Saturday, because they have at each other for the third straight day Sunday January 1, 2005. The game is an early 1:00 p.m. PST start and the Bear Mountain Arena.



ECHL Stories from January 2, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central