Fresno Falcons

The Fresno Falcons is a defunct minor league hockey team. They were once members of the ECHL (formerly East Coast Hockey League). They were located in Fresno, California. After playing for five seasons at Save Mart Center (cap.14,000) on the campus of California State University, Fresno, the Falcons returned downtown to Selland Arena for the 2008-09 season. The first game was against the Bakersfield Condors on October 24, 2008. Matt Thomas and Ryan Mougenel entered their fourth season as the team's respective head coach and assistant coach.

The Fresno Falcons were founded in 1946 as a charter member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League.The Falcons also played in the Cal-Neva Hockey League, Pacific Southwest Hockey League and the West Coast Hockey League before joining the ECHL. During the 1968 & 1969 season the team was officially known as the Fresno Aces, in 1970 the name was changed back to the Fresno Falcons.

The Falcons became a charter member of the West Coast Hockey League in 1995. The team was a member throughout the league's eight-year existence. During the 1997-98 season they were known as Fresno's Fighting Falcons. Fresno won the league's Taylor Cup championship for the 2001-02 season, defeating the Idaho Steelheads in the finals.

Along with other active WCHL teams, the Falcons joined the ECHL after the West Coast Hockey League was absorbed by the larger league in 2003.

On December 22, 2008, Fresno Hockey Club, LLC announced that the Fresno Falcons team would cease operations immediately citing operating cost due to dwindling attendance, lack of corporate sponsorships and the faltering economy.

President Dave Dakers of the Victoria Salmon Kings ECHL team expressed some negative commentary on the Falcons team management abilities, but praised the team itself as being "competitive". The owners did not do all they could to salvage the situation and gave up too easily as there were still other options available to minimize the economic damage. He was rather disappointed and not too pleased, in the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper article.

Other commentators, which included prominent Fresno business people and sports enthusiasts, stated that the recent owners of the Fresno Falcons were uncommitted for the long term and didn't really care about hockey. A restructuring and new arrangement could have the Fresno Falcons hockey team back in operation by 2010-2011.

Championships
2001/2002 Taylor Cup Champions (WCHL)

2005/2006 Pacific Division Champions (ECHL)