Wranglers sweep two-game set from Idaho

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – On Tuesday night, in front of 2,400 fans, the Las Vegas Wranglers took Game Two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals by a score of 3-2 against the visiting Idaho Steelheads. Game Two saw many of the same officiating problems that were there in Game One of the series but the Wranglers were able to overcome all obstacles, including the brick wall in Idaho goaltender Jerry Kuhn.
 
After the first game the night before, Vegas was looking to avenge the many disputed calls from earlier and Idaho was just looking to even up the series, heading back to Boise for Games Three, Four and Five.
 
It wasn’t until the middle frame when things really started going. Las Vegas struck first, at 4:03 of the period when Josh Lunden, from Barry Goers and Ash Goldie, snuck the puck past Kuhn to opening up the action. Idaho got right back into it when Cody Purves, from Chad Nehring, managed to get the equalizer seven minutes later. The scoring for the period wasn’t over when Wrangler Peter MacArthur, with help from Lunden and Goldie, scored again to send the teams into the second intermission with Las Vegas leading 2-1.
 
Tensions boiled over near the end of the second period when, at 17:00 of the frame, there was a scrum behind the Wranglers net and keeper Mitch O’Keefe. Emerging from the scrum was Wrangler Channing Boe and Steelhead Michael Neal. It wasn’t much of a fight, with Boe getting in some good back-of-the-head shots before the linesmen separated the combatants. Boe received a roughing double minor for his efforts.
 
Only 0:50 later, another scrum developed in the Wranglers end, with Steelhead Ian Lowe and Wrangler Ryan Weston both receiving unsportsmanlike minors for their efforts. Weston also received a Game Misconduct- Returning to Ice/Bench during the fracas.
 
The third period was a tightly contested affair, with Idaho scoring the only goal, an equalizing tally at 18:08 of the period from Joe Pereira, with Jacob Cepis and Aaron Lewicki getting the helpers. That goal would send the game into the overtime periods, being eerily reminiscent of last year’s triple-overtime Idaho-Las Vegas playoff game.
 
The overtime period wouldn’t last long, however, with Wrangler Scott Campbell, from Geoff Paukovich and Chris Francis, needing only 1:31 to slide the puck past Kuhn.
 
The overtime win gave the Wranglers a comfortable 2-0 lead going to Boise, Idaho for the next three games. The Wranglers look to extend their playoff unbeaten streak to six Thursday evening and close out the series on Saturday, also at the Qwest Arena. While Idaho is a talented squad that should never be overlooked, nobody, especially in the gambling city of Las Vegas, would give up those odds of moving on to the Conference Finals.
 
Contact Joel.Hoopaugh@prohockeynews.com