MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2003

Contact: Brian Clark
bclark@fresnofalcons.com

FALCONS COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT
Nine-Game Road Winning Streak Ends

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Fresno Falcons scored twice in the final two minutes to pull within a goal of the Long Beach Ice Dogs but were unable to register the equalizer before falling, 6-5, on Sunday at Long Beach Arena.

Fresno was held without a shot for nearly 10 minutes to start the game but ended up taking a lead on their first shot of the afternoon. Defenseman Drew Schoneck took a clean face-off win and walked right to the doorstep before beating Long Beach goaltender Mike Buzak with a backhand for his seventh of the year.

The Falcons added to their 1-0 lead 45 seconds into the second period when Scott Borders fed Jason Weaver off a two-on-one for his 18th of the season. The Ice Dogs quickly tied the game after Jamie O'Leary scored twice at 1:41 and 3:28. They then scored two more goals 33 seconds apart at 14:23 and 14:56 to take a 4-2 lead into the third.

Mid-way through the third period Jeff Marshall scored as the Ice Dogs upped their advantage to 5-2. The teams then traded goals and Long Beach led 6-3 heading into the game's final two minutes. Cory Murphy tallied his 14th of the season at 18:06, which was followed by a power play goal from Kris Porter with just under a minute to go, pulling Fresno within one. The Falcons managed to pull goaltender Terry Friesen and generated a couple of final chances in the Long Beach zone before the buzzer sounded.

The loss was Fresno's first away from home since a 4-2 defeat to the Idaho Steelheads on Jan. 4 and ended a franchise-record nine-game road-winning streak. The club now stands at 28-19-5 with 61 points, eight points behind both the Bakersfield Condors and the San Diego Gulls.

The Falcons continue the longest road trip in franchise history on Tuesday and Wednesday in Anchorage against the Aces. All of the play-by-play action can be heard live on 103.1 FM, The Mountain Cat, beginning at 7:50 p.m. with the Mail Boxes, Etc. Pre-game Show.

1st Period Summary: 1, FRE, Schoneck 7 (Embley, Both), 9:44.

2nd Period Summary: 2, FRE, Weaver 18 (Borders), :45. 3, LB, O'Leary 14 (Marshall, Peyton), 1:41 (pp). 4, LB, O'Leary 15 (Peyton, Marshall), 3:28. 5, LB, Peyton 7 (Barrie, Marshall), 14:23. 6, LB, Ladouceur 6 (Wismer, Kelleher), 14:56.

3rd Period Summary: 7, LB, Marshall 4 (Ladouceur, O'Leary), 11:55. 8, FRE, Landry 2 (DeWaele), 13:08. 9, LB, Willis 7 (O'Leary, Barrie), 16:22. 10, FRE, Murphy 14 (McBain, Embley), 18:06. 11, FRE, Porter 24 (Embley, Murphy), 19:02 (pp).

Scoring by Period: 1 2 3 F
Fresno 1 1 3 5
Long Beach 0 4 2 6

Shots on Goal: 1 2 3 T
Fresno 5 9 17 31
Long Beach 8 7 4 19

Saves: Fresno - Friesen (13-19)
Long Beach - Buzak (26-31)

Power Play Results: Fresno - 1 for 7, Long Beach - 1 for 9