Newcomers boost Wranglers

One week after he and his teammates at Ferris State were eliminated from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs by Notre Dame, forward Adam Miller scored his first professional goal for the Wranglers on Sunday at the Orleans Arena.

Miller fired a one-timer from the right circle with 3:19 left in the second period to pad Las Vegas' two-goal lead on its way to a convincing 4-1 victory over Phoenix.

"Growing up, as a kid, the dream is to play professional hockey, so scoring that first goal was pretty exciting for me and for my family," said Miller, who had several family members -- including his father, sister and grandparents -- living in Las Vegas when he got the call to join the Wranglers on Tuesday.

"I had a lot of people here tonight," he said. "When I knew I was coming here, it was really exciting. I told my sister, and she really didn't believe me."

With seven Wranglers in the American Hockey League and three others on injured reserve, Las Vegas coach Glen Gulutzan said Miller, who scored his first point as a pro Friday on an assist, is a welcome addition.

"He's played real hard for us, he's given us some speed up the middle, and he's going to be a good player," Gulutzan said.

Nathan Barrett is another recent addition paying immediate dividends. The veteran left wing, who scored 169 points in four AHL seasons before playing overseas last year, netted two first-period goals to get the Wranglers going Sunday and has five points in six games with Las Vegas.

"He's a guy we brought in to score," Gulutzan said. "He is a goal scorer, and once he gets his confidence, he can really start to go. That's what we're hoping for, that come playoff time he gets his confidence and puts some pucks in the net."

Barrett started the season in Switzerland, where he was sidelined with a pulled groin, then played for the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings, scoring 13 points in 13 games, before joining the Wranglers.

"Three teams, three countries. It's been a whirlwind," Barrett said. "It's been rough, but so far it's been the best here, as far as the team winning and me being able to produce, and obviously being in Las Vegas is a lot more exciting than most places."

Barrett said his timing still is a bit off and his groin still is hampering him, but "slowly but surely it's getting better."

Aki Seitsonen added an empty-net goal for Las Vegas, which was two men down, to make the score 4-0 with 1:49 left, but 22 seconds later, the RoadRunners' (22-35-9) Ryan Walsh spoiled a shutout bid by Wranglers goalie Kevin Lalande (25 saves) for the final margin.

Las Vegas outshot Phoenix 31-26, and the RoadRunners went 1-for-7 on the power play.

Aaron Power had three assists for Las Vegas, which wrapped up a 7-1-1 homestand and ran its record to 43-12-12 for 98 points.

A Wranglers' win at Utah on Wednesday would give them their third straight 100-point season, a feat no ECHL team has achieved.