San Diego Tries for Fourth Straight Win
March 7, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Gulls look to extend their winning streak to four and gain ground in the West Coast Hockey League standings when they take on the Fresno Falcons tonight at the Sports Arena.
San Diego comes into tonight with 75 points, tied with the Bakersfield Condors for second place. While the Gulls host Fresno for two games this weekend, Bakersfield plays twice in Idaho and hosts the Falcons on Sunday. Whoever finishes with the second seed will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the Taylor Cup Playoffs.
The Gulls are ahead of the fourth-place Falcons by nine points, but have had their troubles with the defending Taylor Cup Champions. San Diego usually dominates Fresno, but have only mustered four wins in 11 head-to-head games this season.
Mark Pederson continues to lead the offensive charge for the Blue and Orange. During his last 12 games, Pederson has notched 23 points (12g, 11a), which includes two hat tricks. San Diego's leading scorer has moved to fourth in the WCHL with 68 points and second with 35 goals.
Trevor Koenig, who's missed the last 12 games with a knee sprain, has been cleared to play. Koenig still leads all WCHL netminders with a 2.05 goals against average. He's second with a .922 save percentage and third with 23 wins. Cris Classen is 9-3 since Koenig went down and is the reigning WCHL Goaltender of the Week.
Fresno is in the midst of a franchise-record 11-game road trip, having gone 3-4-1 in the first eight. After playing in San Diego Friday and Saturday nights, the Falcons close out their trek in Bakersfield. They have 14 games to catch Bakersfield and San Diego for second place and home-ice advantage in the first round, which seems like a long shot at this point. However, the defending champs only need five more points to clinch a playoff berth.
Kris Porter leads the club with 64 points, fifth most in the WCHL, and 30 goals, fourth most in the league. He netted his second hat trick of the season in Saturday's 6-5 setback to the Steelheads... Team captain Jason Weaver is ninth in the league with 59 points and fifth with 38 assists.
The Gulls and Falcons meet two more times in the regular season. San Diego owns the all-time head-to-head match-up with a 61-25-6 record.
All games can be heard live on 1130AM-KSDO with Chris Ello calling the play-by-play. The Gulls' Internet radio show broadcasts live every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on wsradio.com with Tera Black and Jeremy Zager hosting.
ECHL Stories from March 7, 2003
- Bombers/Nutter Center to Host Dayton Jr. A Gems Before March 16 Tilt - Dayton Bombers
- Gulls Beat Fresno In Shootout - San Diego Gulls
- Falcons Outdone in Shootout - Fresno Falcons
- Bandits shutout Kingfish, 2-0 - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Steelheads Cool Down Condors, 2-1 - Idaho Steelheads
- Sea Wolves Sink Stingrays in Overtime, 3-2 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Idaho beats Bakersfield 2-1 - Bakersfield Condors
- Inferno Playoff Tune-Up Continues with 5-2 Win over Grrrowl - Greenville Grrrowl
- Blades Clinch Playoff Berth With 2-1 OT Loss - Florida Everblades
- Jackals Finish Homestand 3-1-1 After Shootout Loss To Adirondack - Elmira Jackals
- Cyclones Stopped in Peoria - Cincinnati Cyclones
- RiverBlades Edge Men-O-War - Arkansas RiverBlades
- San Diego Tries for Fourth Straight Win - San Diego Gulls
- Countdown to Face-Off Kalamazoo Wings Vs Quad City Mallards - Kalamazoo Wings
- Ice Dogs Complete Trade Deal with Idaho - Long Beach Ice Dogs
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