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[[Category:ECHL teams]]
 
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[[Category:ECHL Teams]]
 
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[[Category:West Coast Hockey League teams]]

Revision as of 20:42, 7 November 2011

Fresno Falcons
Fresno Falcons
City: Fresno, California
League: ECHL
Conference: National Conference
Division: Pacific Division
Founded: 1946
Home Arena: Selland Arena
Colors: Navy blue, royal blue, gold, white

                   

Head Coach: Matt Thomas
Affiliates: Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) and Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Championships
Division Championships: 2005–06

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.

Season League Division GP W L T OTL SOL PTS PCT GF GA PIM Coach(es) Result
1995-96 WCHL WCHL 58 30 21 0 7 0 67 0.578 270 232 1454 John Olver Lost in Finals
1996-97 WCHL WCHL 64 38 20 0 6 0 82 0.641 313 254 1851 Guy Gadowsky Lost in Round 1
1997-98 WCHL WCHLS 64 33 29 0 2 0 68 0.531 273 262 2018 Guy Gadowsky Lost in Round 1
1998-99 WCHL WCHLS 70 35 31 0 4 0 74 0.529 257 296 2172 Guy Gadowsky Lost in Round 2
1999-00 WCHL WCHLS 72 27 38 0 7 0 61 0.424 262 307 2181 Blaine Moore Did Not Qualify
2000-01 WCHL WCHLS 72 44 22 6 0 0 94 0.653 259 221 1746 Blaine Moore Lost in Round 1
2001-02 WCHL WCHLS 72 33 31 0 8 0 74 0.514 242 267 2108 Blaine Moore WCHL Taylor Cup Champions
2002-03 WCHL WCHL 72 35 28 0 9 0 79 0.549 243 235 2170 Blaine Moore Lost in Finals
2003-04 ECHL Pacific 72 23 43 6 0 0 52 0.361 187 275 1815 Blaine Moore,Greg Spenrath Did Not Qualify
2004-05 ECHL West 72 39 25 8 0 0 86 0.597 204 217 1800 Greg Spenrath Did Not Qualify
2005-06 ECHL Pacific 72 43 15 14 0 0 100 0.694 230 205 1572 Matt Thomas Lost in National Conference Finals
2006-07 ECHL Pacific 72 34 29 9 0 0 77 0.535 195 197 1555 Matt Thomas Lost in Round 1
2007-08 ECHL Pacific 72 42 22 4 4 0 92 0.639 242 216 1565 Matt Thomas Lost in Round 1
Totals 2 4 904 456 354 47 47 0 1006 0.504 3177 3184 24007 5 9/12 Playoff Seasons (not counting Unknown result, 1 Championship


Championships

2001/2002 Taylor Cup Champions (WCHL)

2005/2006 Pacific Division Champions (ECHL)