San Diego Has Won Six of Last Eight; Still A Shot To Grab Third Place

April 3, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO -- Even the loss of reigning ECHL Player of the Week Alex Kim to the AHL could not slow down the San Diego Gulls, as they won three out of four games last week, including two of three without the star center. Steve Hildenbrand provided a spark on offense with seven points (3g, 4a) to lead the club, while goaltenders Michael Mole (2-0-0) and Kris Mayotte (1-0-1) combined for another great week between the pipes for San Diego. The Gulls improved to six games over .500 with three regular season matches to go.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

March 29 @ Stockton: The Gulls squandered an early four-goal lead, but Hildebrand's overtime goal gave San Diego a 5-4 win over the Thunder, before 4,332 at the Stockton Arena. Despite being out-shot 22-12 in the first period, the Gulls stormed out to a 4-0 lead with three out of the four goals scored by defensemen. Jonathon Shockey, Bobby Cunningham, Evan Shaw, and Chris Cava all scored during the opening frame with Kim getting credit for three of the assists. The game was not over, however, as the Thunder stormed back to score on three power-play goals in the second period to cut San Diego's lead to one. The comeback was completed when Aaron Foster notched his second goal of the game 6:31 into the third period. That's how the game stayed until Hildenbrand ended it with a power-play goal 1:23 into overtime with Kim picking up his fourth assist of the match on the play.

March 31@ Las Vegas: Mole stopped 44 of 45 shots and three different scorers tickled the twine, leading the Gulls to a 3-1 victory at the Orleans Arena. It was the first time the Gulls have won in Las Vegas this season. Jesse Bennefield gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead 15:39 into the first period with his team-leading 29th goal. Pierre-Luc Sleigher extended the lead at the 11:47 mark of the second frame. After the Wranglers finally got one past Mole 6:40 into the third period, Hildenbrand regained San Diego's two-goal lead at 13:31, one-timing in J.F. Soucy's pass.

April 1 vs Idaho: Sleigher scored 2:29 into overtime, giving the Gulls a wild 3-2 victory over Idaho, before 10,091 at the ipayOne Center Saturday night. San Diego led 2-0 early in the third period before Idaho came back to force the extra frame. It was 2-1 late in the third when Marty Flichel beat Gulls goaltender Mole with 1:04 remaining in regulation. The teams traded a bunch of chances in the overtime period before Sleigher potted a breakaway tally past Matt Yeats.

April 2 vs Idaho: Greg Rallo scored in the first round of a shootout, as Idaho won the second of a three-game series with the Gulls, 4-3 at the ipayOne Center. San Diego goaltender Mayotte notched 40 saves in his third professional start. But it wasn't enough, as the Gulls failed to score on any of their four chances in the shootout. The teams entered the third period tied with three goals apiece, but neither club could score in the final frame. The stalemate continued throughout overtime, but the Steelheads scored twice in the shootout, while San Diego was shut down by goaltender Steve Silverthorn.

Individual Notes: Hildenbrand has a seven-game point streak, scoring 11 points in that span (5g, 6a)... Mole has won his last two starts, stopping 79 of 82 shots (.963 save percentage). He is 4-2-1 since being acquired from Phoenix... Sleigher has four points in the last five games (3g, 1a)...

Team Notes: San Diego has won three out of four games (3-0-1) and is unbeaten in 16 of its last 21 matches (14-5-2)... The Gulls have won six of their last seven games at home (6-0-1)... San Diego has scored eight power-play goals in the last five games, but has allowed eight in that span...

San Diego and Idaho will meet for the final time in the regular season Wednesday at the ipayOne Center, with game-time set for 7:05 p.m. The Gulls close out the homestand Friday against the Phoenix Roadrunners at 7:35 p.m. It will be Ashworth Callaway Golf Night and special Gulls golf balls will be given away. San Diego finishes the regular season Saturday in Stockton before opening the playoffs.All games can be heard on KLSD 1360AM and www.sandiegogulls.com with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play. All remaining 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 3, 2006


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