Falcons close doors

FRESNO, Ca – The ECHL and the Fresno Falcons announced this afternoon that the team is shutting down operations effective imediately. As first reported by ProHockeyNews.com’s Mike Canady over the weekend  the team, league and the city of Fresno would be meeting today to decide the fate of the team. Multiple media sources had been reporting that the team had been losing as much as $10,000 per game this season. At 12:29 P.M. PST, the Falcons sent out a release announcing the shutdown which

was followed shortly thereafter with an announcement from the ECHL that the Board of Governors had voted unanimously to terminate the franchise’s membership. “It is with sadness and regret that we announce the shutdown of the Fresno Falcons. We have operated the Falcons since February of 2006, accumulating significant losses. These losses have been beyond our expectations,” Falcons Managing General Partner Chris Cummings said in the team release. “The horrific economy and the resulting decrease in revenue from season tickets, corporate sponsorships and overall attendance has created a situation this year which is not sustainable and we simply can not continue to operate.” For the second time in less than a month, the league is having to retool its schedule. Fresno’s games with Ontario on Sunday and Victoria on Monday have been cancelled and Bakersfield is working on scheduling an exhibition game to replace its game on Saturday.  Earlier this month, the Augusta Lynx were the first franchise in ECHL history to close during a season. Stay with ProHockeyNews.com for updates on this breaking news. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com