GAME NIGHT NOTES – 2/15/08

Tonight the Wranglers and Salmon Kings meet for the fifth time this season and they're beginning a two-game set at the Orleans Arena. The match-up features the two top teams (and division leaders) in the National Conference. Las Vegas leads Victoria by eight points for the Number 1 seed in the conference. The Wranglers are coming off a 3-0 win in Stockton on Wednesday night. The Salmon Kings are coming off a 6-5 overtime win at home over Fresno on Tuesday night. Las Vegas is 14-3-5 at home and 9-1-0 in the last ten games played. Victoria is 14-10-0 on the road and 6-3-1 in the last ten games played. The two teams have split the previous four games in the season series. Las Vegas is 18-3-4 all-time against Victoria.

Last Time Out ...
Stockton, CA -- The Las Vegas Wranglers defeated the Stockton Thunder 3-0 at the Stockton Arena on Wednesday night. Goalie Kevin Lalande made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season, improving to 12-3-2 on the year. Forwards Adam Cracknell, Brandon Kaleniecki and Shawn Limpright each scored in the team's fourth straight win.

Wranglers Roundup ...
Right wing Peter Ferraro leads the team in scoring with 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 45 games. Center Chris Ferraro (10G-32A) is third in scoring with 42 points in 37 games. Peter leads the team with 166 shots on goal this season. Right wing Adam Cracknell is second in the team scoring race with 45 points. The second-year Wrangler leads the team with 25 goals in 38 games. Cracknell has eight tallies in his last ten games played. Center Tyler Mosienko is fourth on the team with 41 points and he has 11 points in his last ten games played. Jason Jozsa leads all Wrangler defensemen in scoring with 28 assists and 30 points. Jozsa is third in the ECHL for assists by a defenseman and in the top ten for scoring among blueliners. Defenseman Jason Krischuk has a +9 rating in his last ten games played. He is second on the team with a +21 rating. The Wranglers have a power-play goal in nine straight games.

Roster Report ...
Las Vegas will be without the services of defensemen Jason Dest and Sean Owens, both remain on the injured reserve with unspecified injuries. Defenseman Gerry Burke remains in the AHL with Quad City. Rookie center Curtis Fraser remains with the AHL's San Antonio Rampage. Defenseman Tyson Strachan remains in the American Hockey League with the Peoria Rivermen.

On the Road ...
The Wranglers return from a five-game road trip after posting a 4-1-0 record. After a 6-2 loss in Fresno on February 2nd, the team rebounded with four straight road wins. The Wranglers posted two wins in Phoenix, followed up with victories in Bakersfield and Stockton. Left wing Shawn Limpright became the team's all-time points leader in Phoenix on February 5th. Limpright passed Dan Tudin with an assist in the second period for his 120th point as a Wrangler. Limpright is the team's all-time leader for points (126), assists (89), game-winning goals (9) and penalty minutes (469). Right wing Adam Cracknell posted his first career hat trick in Bakersfield on Tuesday night. Cracknell's hat trick was the tenth all-time in team history. Cracknell needs nine goals to tie Matt Dzieduszycki for the team record of 34 set during the 2005-06 season. Goalie Kevin Lalande's shutout on Wednesday night was the team's sixth of the season, tying the 2006-07 team for most in one season. Both Lalande and Daniel Manzato each have three shutouts, tied for second in the ECHL.

Kings of the West Division ...
Victoria is led by the Goldie brothers, Milan Gajic and former NHLer Jordan Krestanovich. Right wing Ash Goldie is tied for third in the ECHL with 27 goals in 47 games played. The third year-winger leads Victoria and is tied for third in the ECHL scoring race with 55 points. Ash was named the ECHL All-Star Game MVP after totaling a record six points in the National Conference's 10-7 win in January. Goldie's older brother, Wes is second on the team with 23 goals in 48 games played. Wes has four goals in four games against Las Vegas this season. Jordan Krestanovich is second on the team in scoring with 48 points in 48 games played. Krestanovich played in 22 NHL games for the Colorado Avalanche from 2001 to 2004. (C) Gajic was recently returned from a 16-game stint in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose. At the time of his recall, Gajic was leading the ECHL with 15 assists in 16 games played. In his first five games back, Gajic has five goals and five assists. For his ECHL career, the former Atlanta Thrashers draft pick has 62 goals and 94 assists for 156 points in 125 games played.

Goalies Julien Ellis and Billy Thompson split time between the pipes for Victoria. Ellis, the National Conference All-Star starter, is 18-7-3 with a 2.97 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. Thompson is 12-6-2 with a 3.24 goals against average and .903 save percentage. The Salmon Kings have allowed 24 goals in the last five games.

Head Coach Mark Morrison leads the Salmon Kings after taking over mid-season in 2006-07. In his time behind the bench with the Salmon Kings, Morrison has a 57-28-8 record. Victoria is 18-5-4 when scoring the first goal of the night.

Tale of the Tape ...

GPG=Goals Per Game GA= Goals Against Per Game PP=Power Play PK=Penalty Kill PIM= Penalty Minutes Per Game

Upcoming Games ...
Vs. Victoria on Saturday, February 16th at 7:05 pm - Orleans Arena
Vs. Bakersfield on Monday, February 18th at 7:05 pm -- Orleans Arena

The Wranglers play all 36 home games at the Orleans Arena, located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Individual game tickets are now on sale. Fans may purchase tickets on the Wranglers team website atwww.lasvegaswranglers.com.or the Orleans Arena website (www.orleansarena.com. Fans may also purchase tickets at any of the following locations in the valley: Galleria Mall, Meadows Mall, Orleans Casino showroom box office, Gold Coast Casino showroom box office and the Sun Coast Casino showroom box office. Tickets may be ordered by phone at (702) 739-3267.

Call (702) 471-PUCK (7825) for more information or visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com.