San Diego Finishes Final Week Of Regular Season 0-2-1

April 10, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO -- After failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in recent memory last season, the San Diego Gulls are back in familiar territory. The Gulls enter this week's Kelly Cup Playoffs on a 0-2-2 streak, but look ready to make a run at their sixth league championship trophy since 1995-96. The Gulls will open the postseason in Fresno on Tuesday for the first game of a best-of-seven series with the Pacific Division champions. The Gulls are 2-2-2 against the Falcons this season.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

April 5 vs Idaho: For the third straight game, the Gulls and the Steelheads needed overtime to decide the winner as Idaho outlasted San Diego by a 4-3 score in a shootout at the ipayOne Center. During regulation, San Diego held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but Idaho would not go away. Each time, the Steelheads responded to tie the match and eventually force the OT. The biggest blow for San Diego came when former Gull Paul Caponigri scored with less than two seconds remaining in the second period to make it 2-2 heading into the third frame. Rob Flynn, Pierre-Luc Sleigher and Jesse Bennefield scored goals for San Diego, but it wasn't enough. In the shootout, the Gulls went 0-for-3 behind Kelly Askew, Alex Kim and Sleigher. Greg Rallo, David Bararuk and Marty Flichel beat goalie Michael Mole for Idaho to seal the win.

April 7 vs Phoenix: Netminder Ryan Cyr stopped 21 of 22 shots and was helped by three different goal scorers, as the Roadrunners defeated the Gulls 3-1 in San Diego's regular season home finale Friday night, before 7,462 at the ipayOne Center. After a scoreless first period, Phoenix finally drew first blood 4:13 into the second on defenseman Taylor Christie's third goal of the season. Then, at the 11:19 mark, Justin Quenneville took advantage of a five-on-three power play by squeezing home a one-timer underneath a sliding Mole. Erik Johnson finally got the Gulls on the board in the final frame. After taking a drop pass from Mark Wires, Johnson wound up from just above the right circle and beat Cyr 3:17 into the period. The Roadrunners, however, regained their two-goal cushion at 11:33 when Dusty Demianiuk beat Mole and held on for the 3-1 victory.

April 8 @ Stockton: Maris Ziedins scored two goals, including a short-hander early in the third period, giving the Thunder a 4-2 victory over the Gulls before a sellout crowd at the Stockton Arena. Thunder goaltender Jake Moreland stopped 45 shots to lead Stockton to the win. His counterpart, San Diego rookie goaltender Kris Mayotte, made 33 saves for his first professional loss in four games (2-1-1). The Thunder jumped ahead 1-0 with an early goal in the first period, at 2:27. But only 22 seconds later, the Gulls came right back to tie it at 1-1. Steve Hildenbrand stole the puck at center ice and beat Moreland on a breakaway for his 29th goal of the season - a new career high. In the second period, both teams traded power-play tallies but the final period belonged to Moreland, as the goalie turned aside all 19 shots he faced. The Stockton offense, meanwhile, put two pucks in the net. The game-winner came off the stick of Ziedins, short-handed just 41 seconds into the final frame. Foster capped the victory with an empty netter with 52 seconds left.

Individual Notes: Hildenbrand finished the regular season leading the Gulls with 69 points and 40 assists... Bennefield was the club leader with 30 goals... Kim's career-high 16-game point streak came to end Wednesday... He led the team with a +17 rating...

Team Notes: San Diego finished 20-10-6 at home and 14-20-2 on the road... The Gulls were third in ECHL attendance and increased their average attendance for the third straight season... San Diego ranked second on the penalty kill (85.4 percent) and 19th on the power play (15.3 percent)... The Gulls and Falcons met in the playoff five times during there WCHL tenures (San Diego won four series)

San Diego is set to meet Fresno in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs beginning Tuesday at Save Mart Center, with the contest slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Games 1 and 2 will be in Fresno on Tuesday and Wednesday before the series shifts back to San Diego on Friday, April 14; Saturday, April 15 and (if necessary) Monday, April 17.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.



ECHL Stories from April 10, 2006


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