FRESNO FALCONS WEEKLY RELEASE
APRIL 21, 2008
LAST WEEK: Fresno and Utah continued their National Conference Quarterfinals series, with each club winning a pair of games. The Grizzlies lead the series 3 games to 2, with game six set for tonight at Save Mart Center.
Monday, April 14 vs. Utah Grizzlies 4 FALCONS 3 (3 OT)
Utah skated away with a 4-3 win in three overtimes, the sixth-longest game in ECHL history. Oren Eizenman gave Fresno a 1-0 lead 14:23 into the first period with a power-play goal, and Igor Gongalsky and Luke Curtin added second-period tallies to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead. Utah got on the board with a Rob Sirianni power-play goal late in the second, and then scored on both ends of a 5-on-3 power play just 48 seconds apart in the first seven minutes of the third to tie the score. The Grizzlies had a chance to win the game just three minutes into the first overtime as Tyler Haskins was awarded a penalty shot, but Jake Moreland came up with the save to continue the game. Fresno had power-play opportunities in each of the first two overtime periods, but was unable to convert. At the 6:23 mark of the third overtime, Haskins fed Justin Bourne streaking down the slot, and he slid a shot just beyond Moreland’s right skate to give Utah the win, and a 2 games to 0 lead in the series.
Wednesday, April 16 @ Utah FALCONS 3 Grizzlies 0
Fresno ended a six-game playoff losing streak dating to last year with a 3-0 win at The E Center on Wednesday. Jake Moreland turned aside all 37 shots to record just the second shutout in Falcons’ playoff history. Oren Eizenman once again opened the scoring, putting home a pass from Kenny Bernard 11:16 into the first period. The Falcons held on to the 1-0 lead until the final 4:30 of regulation when Josh Prudden provided some breathing room with a power-play tally. Daryl Marcoux added an empty-net, power-play goal at 19:39 to set the final.
Friday, April 18 @ Utah FALCONS 6 Grizzlies 1
The Falcons came out of the gates firing, as Oren Eizenman scored his fourth of the playoffs just 1:56 into the first period, and Mike Ramsay added a power-play goal at 10:28. Ramsay notched his second power-play goal of the night 4:32 into the second period to extend the lead to 3-0, and Brady Leisenring scored at 10:16 to make it 4-0. Fresno was not done yet, as John Morlang put home the rebound of a Luke Curtin shot at 19:57 to give the Falcons a 5-0 advantage after 40 minutes. Rob Sirianni spoiled Jake Moreland’s shutout bid with 1:54 remaining in regulation, and Matt Quinn set the final, scoring Fresno’s third power-play goal of the night with 26 seconds remaining.
Saturday, April 19 @ Utah Grizzlies 1 FALCONS 0 (OT)
Game five was a goaltending battle between the Falcons Jake Moreland and Utah’s Nathan Lawson. Fresno had a great opportunity to win the game early in overtime, but Lawson stoned Mike Ramsay with a glove side on the near post. At the 3:38 mark of the extra session, the Grizzlies’ Keith Johnson picked up a rebound at the top of the crease and flipped a shot past Moreland giving Utah the only goal of the game, and a 3-2 edge in the series.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Monday, April 21 vs. Utah 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23 vs. Utah 7:00 p.m. (If Necessary)
The series returns to Save Mart Center tonight for game six. Fresno must win to force a deciding seventh game on Wednesday. If the Falcons win tonight, tickets for game seven will go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at the Save Mart Center Box Office.
FALCONS NOTES
Ø Since Utah scored the game-tying goal in the third period of game two, Jake Moreland has allowed just three goals in the last 182:54 (0.98 goals-against average).
Ø Including the regular season, Fresno is 17 for its last 65 (26.2%) on the power play. Saturday’s game ended a streak of five games with at least one power-play goal.
Ø Oren Eizenman has scored Fresno’s first goal in each game that the Falcons have scored during the series against Utah.
FALCONS LEADERS
Goals Eizenman 4
Assists Curtin/Leisenring 3
Points Eizenman 5
+/- Bernard +2
Penalty Minutes Stefanishion 39
Shots Morlang 21
Power-Play Goals Eizenman/Ramsay 2
Shorthanded Goals N/A
Game-Winning Goals Eizenman/Ramsay 1
FALCONS TICKETS
Tickets for game six of the Falcons series against Utah are available at the Save Mart Center Box Office, or through TicketMaster by calling (559) 485-TIXS or by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at just $12. Discounted group tickets for groups of 20 or more are available by calling the Falcons office at (559) 485-7825.
FALCONS ON THE AIR
All Falcons’ playoff games can be heard LIVE on 790 ESPN Radio, The Deuce, and on-line at www.fresnofalcons.com with the Voice of the Falcons,
