Wranglers start season in grand form

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Great, good, bad, good, that is how the Las Vegas Wranglers transition into the regular season has progressed. From the highs of tremendous player acquisitions, to the lows of a 5-1 loss at Alaska to begin the regular season, Wranglers fans have had ample reasons to be both extremely excited and semi-wary of the new ECHL season. The great news for Wranglers fans included amazing player signings during the off-season. This included the return of Wranglers favorites Barry Goers, Joe Fallon, Mike Madill, Geoff Paukovich, Ned Lukacevic, Adam Miller and Jamie Fritsch. In recent player acquisitions, the signings of stars such as Judd Blackwater, Eric Lampe, Ash Goldie and Peter MacArthur gave Wranglers fans plenty of reasons to look forward to the upcoming ECHL season. With that, a more-than-possible run for a return to the Kelly Cup Finals, where the Wranglers had been once before, losing to Cincinnati at the tail end of the 2007-2008 season. Good news continued after the off-season for the Wranglers and the organization in the form of a very respectable showing during pre-season play. Due to interesting schedule choices made by the ECHL, Las Vegas played their three pre-season games in three straight nights in three different states. Starting the pre-season off in a great way, was a 4-3 win in Colorado against the ECHL expansion Eagles, who were reigning CHL championship runners-up. Buoyed by goals from Blackwater (2), Jeff May, and Thomas Kirikaou, the Wranglers started the campaign off in good form. Despite being outshot by Colorado 35 to 27, the Wranglers were able to earn the W on Kirikaous’ goal at 6:51 into the final frame. This first pre-season game also earned goaltender Mitch O’Keefe his first win as a Wrangler. In the second game in two days, in pre-season, the Ontario Reign fell at home by a final score of 4-2. Goals by Lukacevic, Michael Busto, Miller and Blackwater sealed Ontario’s fate. Las Vegas also turned around their shot totals from the previous night’s game in Colorado by outshooting Ontario 32-23 overall. This game also led to each goaltenders first win of the season, a very good sign for the Wranglers to have both goaltenders start the season at 1-0. The next night, the Wranglers returned home to the Orleans Arena for their third game in as many nights. The interesting travel schedule caught up to the home club as Ontario Reign went on to win 3-1 in an exciting affair. The lone Las Vegas goal came at 19:59 of the first period by Las Vegas native, Chris Francis, off a Busto and Kyle Laughlin feed. The final two Ontario goals were notched by C.J. Stretch and Bill Bagron on the power play and shorthanded, respectively. One of the highlights of the game came at 15:16 of the second period, when Wrangler Eric Lampe was awarded a penalty shot by referee JM McNulty. Although Lampe failed to get his shot past Ontario goalie Beau Erickson, most of the 2253 fans at the Orleans arena were on their feet.   Both O’Keefe and Fallon shared time in the net, with O’Keefe making 13 saves on 14 shots and Fallon making 16 saves on 18 shots. Since Fallon spent four seconds more on the ice than O’Keefe, he was credited with the loss. Even after going a very respectable 2-1 during the pre-season, Las Vegas started the regular season off in Alaska against a very skilled and tough Aces team. The two game Alaska series saw highs and lows for the Wranglers and showed the problems that the Wranglers will be facing in the ECHL season, but also some of the things that will make the Wranglers a Western Conference powerhouse to be reckoned with. The first game against the Aces on October 14, was a back and forth game until the shootout that went Alaska’s way 2-1. Alaska got on the board first on Chris Brutons power play goal at 17:58 of the first, firing a shot past Fallon in goal. During the second period, however, Las Vegas tied it up on Scott Campbell’s shot from point, with an assist from Paukovich at 15:13 of the period. These two scores stood as the only tallies of the game throughout the third and overtime periods as the match went into the ever-popular shootout.During the shootout, Aces Dan Kissel and Wes Goldie, brother of Wranglers center Ash, were able to sneak the puck past Fallon, while Campbell proved to be the only Wrangler to get anything past Aces goaltender Gerald Coleman. Looking at the final shot tally, with Alaska dominating with 37-26, it looks like a much more lopsided win for Alaska. The second of the two game away series in Alaska did not turn out so well for Las Vegas, eventually falling 5-1 on a very unfortunate three-minute time span in the second period. The night after the first Alaska game, the Aces found themselves up 2-0 at the end of the first period after goals by D. Shields and Tyler Ruegsegger. It was not until 4:44 of the second period, when Eric Lampe scored the lone Wranglers goal, from Lukacevic and Shawn Fensel. Also, in a good note for Wranglers fans, Jeff May dropped the gloves with Chris Bruton at 4:28 of the first period. Later in the match, in a show of team spirit, Ryan Weston fought Alaska’s Ryan Sinkewich at 9:40 of the second period, with Weston giving Sinkewich a run for his money. These were the only three bright spots in an Alaska dominated game that eventually saw Aces Wes Goldie and Dan Kissel (2), score between the 6:11 and 8:42 marks of the second period to put away the Wranglers. Outshot by Alaska only 28-26, starting goalie Mitch O’Keefe was pulled by coach Ryan Mougenel after 27 minutes, stopping only 10 of 14 shots. O’Keefe was replaced by Joe Fallon in the second. Fallon stopped 13 of 14 shots in his 32 minutes on the ice, with Fallon getting the loss. Back in Las Vegas for the opening home game of the season, a packed house welcomed the Wranglers to the “Last Hockey Game on Earth,” Rapture Night. A promotion by the organization that drew 5,966 fans was based on an Oakland, California preachers prediction that the bible introduced Rapture would occur on October 21, 2011. While the purposed Rapture obviously did not take place that night, it would have been a great way for the Wranglers to go out, eventually winning 4-1 over the visiting Ontario Reign.Goals by Lampe, Michael Busto, Channing Boe and Blackwater sealed the game for Las Vegas. The list of goal scorers only serves to show the depth and talent of this seasons Wranglers squad. Busto, a defenseman, scored his first point in a Wranglers sweater. Boe, a defenseman in his very first game ever as a Wrangler, after the dismissal of Eddie Del Grosso, scored a goal as well. Also, left wing Blackwater adds to his impressive score totals, scored yet another goal. Las Vegas also outshot Ontario 33-22, including 15-4 in the first period alone. Goaltender Joe Fallon also notched his third win of the season, stopping 21 out of 22 total shots. Another highlight in a game that was fantastic for the Wranglers, was the third period fight between Ryan Weston and Chris Cloud. While not being the best or most exciting fight in Wranglers history, with more shadow boxing than actual punching, it showed a willingness to drop the gloves that recent Wranglers squads have been reluctant to show. Also of note, Ontario only gave the Wranglers one power play opportunity the entire game, of which Las Vegas was not able to capitalize on. The following night, October 22, at home against Bakersfield was a much closer affair, but it had the same result that Wranglers fans enjoy. Wrangler’s fans cheered their team on to a thrilling overtime victory. Eric Lampe scored twice for the win, including the game decider in overtime, with Adam Miller adding another one in the second. The game, which started the scoring on Lampe’s late first period goal, saw both clubs trading scores until the overtime frame when Lampe took a pass from the face-off in the Condor zone with only 42 seconds remaining and shot it over Bakersfield goalie Bryan Pitton for the win. Las Vegas outshot Bakersfield 38-34 total and improves to 1-1-0-1 for the season, earning five points, which currently ties them for the Pacific Division lead with Bakersfield. Also of note during the game, was the first Las Vegas power play goal of the season, which was the deciding Lampe goal and the first shorthanded goal of the season also scored by Lampe on a breakaway late in the first period. In a great move by the Wranglers organization for Wranglers fans who are not able to make weekend home games, the Wranglers have announced that all Saturday and Sunday home games will be broadcast on local station, CW, Cox Cable channel six. This marks the first time that Wranglers games will be shown live on local television and only proves that the organization is taking more steps to improving local relations and to get the Wranglers name around town. Entering Saturdays home game against Bakersfield, goaltender Mitch O’Keefe, a former Grizzly and Jackal, had 8.79 goals-against-average and .714 save percentage.   O’Keefe spent last season playing sparsely in the Austrian league with HK Jesenice. However, after the Bakersfield overtime win, O’Keefe’s stats improved to 3.93 goals-against-average and .875 save percentage.   This is a marked improvement from his only previous game and hopefully it will show the improvement of his abilities. In related news, at 5-0, Alaska Aces are currently the only remaining undefeated team in the Western Conference. Alaska shares this distinction with Wheeling Nailers, who are currently 3-0. Alaska has always fielded a super talented organization and at one point in the Wranglers history, the Aces rivalry contended with anything that even the NHL could produce. Contact the writer at Joel.Hoopaugh@prohockeynews.com All photos by Glenn Harvey