Fresno Falcons

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Fresno Falcons
founding 1946
resolution 2008
history Fresno Falcons
1946-2008
Stadion Save Mart Center
Location Fresno , California
Team colors navy blue, royal blue, gold
league Pacific Coast Hockey League (1946–1950)
Cal-Neva Hockey League
Pacific Southwest Hockey League (until 1995)
West Coast Hockey League (1995–2003)
ECHL (2003–2008)
Kelly Cups no
Taylor Cups 2001/02

The Fresno Falcons are a former ice hockey team and were active in the ECHL until 2008 . They played at the Save Mart Center in Fresno , California , USA until 2008 . You were from 2003 to 2007 the farm team of the NHL club San Jose Sharks and also worked with the Worcester Sharks from the American Hockey League .

history

The Fresno Falcons were formed back in 1946 to play in the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL). Fresno played a total of four seasons in the PCHL, before after a two-year absence at the end of the 1952/53 season, the Gordon Petrie Trophy as champion of an amateur league, which was also called Pacific Coast Hockey League, could be won. After the championship season, it was not until the beginning of the 1970s that ice hockey was played again in Fresno. After a season in the Cal-Neva Hockey League, the then owner James Freeman tried to buy the franchise into the Western Hockey League (WHL), using the newly built Selland Arena as a draft horse. But he did not succeed, and so the team registered for the semi-professional Pacific Southwest Hockey League (PSHL), where the team was able to celebrate a total of ten championships by 1995, mostly against other teams from Southern California. They played each of their home games in the Selland Arena.

At the beginning of the 1995/96 season, the franchise was increasingly professionalized and the newly founded West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) began. In the first year they reached the final of the Taylor Cup , where they lost to the San Diego Gulls . Due to the local proximity of the two teams, one of the biggest rivalries in the lower-class American ice hockey developed. In the middle of the 2001/02 season, the otherwise so successful team found themselves in last place in the league, but the Falcons did not give up and secured the Taylor Cup for the first time with a win in the sixth game of the final series. The team also reached the final in the following season, but lost as in 1996 against the San Diego Gulls in the decisive seventh game. It was also the last game that was played in the WCHL.

In the 2003/04 season, ice hockey in Fresno reached a new level after being accepted into the ECHL , as the WCHL was taken over by it. In addition, they moved to the newly built Save Mart Center and signed a contract with the San Jose Sharks from the National Hockey League (NHL) in order to be able to train young and hopeful talents as a farm team . The first player to make the jump from the Falcons to the NHL was goalkeeper Nolan Schaefer , who played a total of twelve games for the team in the team's first ECHL season. At the beginning of the 2007/08 season, the collaboration with the San Jose Sharks ended because they had not extended the expiring contract.

On December 22nd, 2008, the ECHL team owners' meeting decided to dissolve the franchise after the Falcons owners declared they could no longer fund the team.

Season statistics

season GP W. L. T OTL SOL Pts GF GA PIM space Playoffs
2003/04 72 23 43 6th - - 52 187 275 1815 6th, Pacific not qualified
2004/05 72 39 25th 8th - - 86 204 217 1800 5th, west not qualified
2005/06 72 43 15th 14th - - 100 230 205 1572 1st, Pacific Victory in the Division Semifinal, 4: 0 ( San Diego )
victory in the Division Final, 4: 3 ( Bakersfield )
defeat in the Conference Final, 3: 4 ( Alaska )
2006/07 72 34 29 - 5 4th 77 195 197 1555 4th, Pacific Conference Quarterfinal lost, 2-4 ( Bakersfield )
2007/08 72 42 22nd - 4th 4th 92 242 216 1565 2nd, Pacific Conference Quarterfinal lost, 2-4 ( Utah )
total 360 181 134 28 9 8th 407 1058 1110 8307 3 playoff appearances
5 series: 2 wins, 3 defeats
30 games: 15 wins, 15 defeats

Team records (ECHL)

Career records

Games: 277 Matt O'DetteCanadaCanada
Goals: 65 John WroblewskiUnited StatesUnited States
Assists: 157 Luke CurtinUnited StatesUnited States
Points: 210 Luke CurtinUnited StatesUnited States
Penalty Minutes: 716 Matt O'DetteCanadaCanada

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