San Diego Loses Tough Series To Fresno; Returns To Action In October

April 17, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO -- Another exciting season of San Diego Gulls hockey is in the books, as the Gulls were eliminated from the Kelly Cup Playoffs last week. The Fresno Falcons completed a four-game sweep of the Gulls during the thrilling Pacific Division Semifinals. Of the four games, three were decided by only one goal, and two went to an extra frame, but the Gulls, unfortunately, were on the wrong side of all the close games. San Diego is already preparing for next season, with the goal of nothing less than the Kelly Cup Championship.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

April 11 @ Fresno: John Wroblewski scored 7:44 into overtime giving the Falcons a come-from-behind 4-3 win in Game 1 of the Pacific Division Semifinal series against the Gulls. The Gulls had a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Fresno scored two quick goals early in the stanza to tie it. The Gulls struck twice on the power play late in the first period, grabbing an early 2-0 lead. The Falcons, who failed on three power play attempts in the first period, received five more in the second and finally converted at the 14:34 mark when Dustin VanBallegooie snuck a backhander behind Tyler Weiman. San Diego, which also had a two-period total of eight power plays, cashed in its third marker on a two-man advantage late in the frame as Steve Hildenbrand scored his second goal of the match at 18:24. The Falcons scored two (even strength) goals 1:20 apart early in the third period, tying the game 3-3 to force an extra frame.

April 12 @ Fresno: The Falcons scored four times in the first period and never looked back en route to a 4-3 victory at the Save Mart Center. The victory gave Fresno a 2-0 lead in the series. Hildenbrand, who scored twice in Game 1, tried to get San Diego kick-started 6:09 into the second period when he netted a power-play goal. Cody McLeod made it a 4-2 game at 17:11 of the second, taking advantage of a Fresno turnover behind the net. The deficit was cut to one when Alex Kim scored a short-handed goal 15:57 into the third period. San Diego pulled Weiman with 1:59 left in regulation, but couldn't get anything else behind Holden. The Falcons back-stop finished with 28 saves to hold on for his second straight win.

April 14 vs Fresno: Derek Krestanovich's power-play goal 5:11 into overtime gave the Falcons a 2-1 win over the Gulls in Game 3 and commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Pacific Division Semifinals. The game was scoreless through 58:08 before teams traded goals, sending the contest to overtime. Pierre-Luc Sleigher gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead with 1:52 left in regulation. Fresno, however, tied it with 54 seconds left in regulation and Holden pulled. While San Diego's Kelly Askew was serving a hooking penalty, Fresno's power play went to work for the 11th time in the game. The Falcons failed on their first 10 chances, but made their last one count, as Krestanovich redirected in VanBallegooie's shot from the point for the victory.

April 15 vs Fresno: Brett Hammond and Kelsey Muench scored two goals each, as the Falcons completed a four-game sweep of the Gulls with a 5-1 victory Saturday night at ipayOne Center. The Gulls fell behind 2-0 midway through the first period and never recovered. The Gulls tried to come back when Jesse Bennefield cut the deficit in half with 4:19 left in the frame. The Falcons, however, broke the game wide open with two more goals in the middle frame, and suddenly they led 4-1 with 6:17 remaining before the second intermission. And that's how the game went to the third period, when the Falcons capped the scoring with a power-play goal with 8:55 left.

Individual Notes: Hildenbrand (3g, 1a) and Kim (1g, 3a) both had four points in the series... Only one player finished with a positive plus-minus rating (Nikita Korovkin: +1)...

Team Notes: Three of the four games in the series were decided by one goal (two in overtime)... The Gulls have now lost seven straight playoff games, dating back to 2004... The last time San Diego won a playoff game was Game 7 of the 2003 West Coast Hockey League Finals against Fresno... San Diego has also lost six straight playoff overtime games, dating back to 2002...

San Diego returns to action in October for its fourth season in the ECHL. Season ticket packages for 2006-07 are currently available. For pricing and benefits, contact 619-224-4625 ext. 7. To view pictures from this season, visit www.zerodogentertainment.com.



ECHL Stories from April 17, 2006


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