MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2003
Contact: Brian Clark
bclark@fresnofalcons.com

FALCONS LOSE FIRST TO LONG BEACH
Depleted Squad Comes Up Short, 2-1

FRESNO, Calif. - For the second straight game the Fresno Falcons were forced
to dress two emergency skaters in order to reach the league minimum of 13.
But unlike their nine-goal outburst against the Anchorage Aces last
Saturday, offense was tough to come by on Tuesday at Selland Arena as the
Falcons lost to the Long Beach Ice Dogs, 2-1, in front of a crowd of 3,252.

Long Beach led 2-0 early in the second period after goals by Rob Wismer and
former Falcons captain Craig Lyons as the Ice Dogs held Fresno to just 11
shots through two periods of play. Fresno finally got on the board when
Brad Both shoveled a loose puck past Ice Dogs netminder Mike Buzak with 4:15
left in the middle frame.

Trailing 2-1, the Falcons had their chances in the third but couldn't tally
the equalizer despite getting goaltender Terry Friesen pulled in favor of an
extra attacker for more than a minute in the waning moments. Friesen
stopped 27 of 29 in the losing effort while Fresno was held to a season-low
18 shots on goal.

Falcons assistant coach Greg Spenrath played as an emergency player for the
second straight game. He was joined by equipment manager and former Falcons
defenseman Mark Kuntz, who played his first professional game since the
1997-98 season. For the second game in a row the Falcons had seven players
watching in street clothes either due to injury or suspension.

The loss snapped Fresno's four-game winning streak and was their first of
the year to the Ice Dogs in seven games. They also failed on an opportunity
to catch the San Diego Gulls in second place and remain in fourth at
22-14-5, one point behind the Bakersfield Condors with 49 points.

The same two teams play on Friday and Saturday night at Selland Arena. Both
games begin at 7:30 p.m. with the first 1,500 fans receiving a Falcons
beanie puck on Friday and a Greg Spenrath kids t-shirt jersey on Saturday.
Tickets are still available for both at the Selland box office, all
Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

1st Period Summary: 1, LB, Wismer 2 (Marshall), 7:14.

2nd Period Summary: 2, LB, Lyons 3 (Peyton, O'Connor), 3:47. 3, FRE, Both 3
(Gulutzan, Barrie), 15:45.

3rd Period Summary: None.

Scoring by Period: 1 2 3 F
Long Beach 1 1 0 2
Fresno 0 1 0 1

Shots on Goal: 1 2 3 T
Long Beach 10 11 8 29
Fresno 5 6 7 18

Saves: Long Beach - Buzak (17-18)
Fresno - Friesen (27-29)

Power Play Results: Long Beach - 0 for 1
Fresno - 0 for 0