GAME NIGHT NOTES 3/4/08

Last Time Out
Victoria, BC — The Las Vegas Wranglers defeated the Victoria Salmon Kings 5-4 at the Save On Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday night. Forwards Tyler Mosienko, Ryan Donally and Aki Seitsonen each scored a goal and dished out an assist as the team stopped a five-game winless skid (0-1-4). Center Chris Ferraro and winger Brandon Kaleiniecki also scored in the victory. Goalie Daniel Manzato stopped 27 shots for the win, improving to 19-6-6. Victoria’s Wes Goldie scored twice in the defeat. The game turned ugly in the second period as the two teams combined for 86 penalties and two game misconducts. Victoria’s Robin Gomez racked up 27 minutes in penalties in the middle period after receiving a match penalty for punching Chris Ferraro. Left wing Marco Peluso was involved in the second-period altercation and was given a two-game suspension today by the ECHL.

Wranglers Roundup
Right wing Peter Ferraro leads the team in scoring with 26 goals and 31 assists for 57 points in 54 games. Peter also leads the team with 188 shots on goal this season. Center Chris Ferraro (12G-39A) is second in scoring with 51 points in 46 games. Center Tyler Mosienko is one point behind Chris Ferraro with 51. Right wing Adam Cracknell is fourth in the team scoring race with 49 points. The second-year Wrangler leads the team with 27 goals in 47 games. Cracknell has not scored since February 18th and needs eight more goals to break the team record of 34 set by Matt Dzieduszycki during the 2005-06 season. Aaron Power is the Wranglers active leading scorer among defensemen with nine goals and 29 points. Las Vegas has 14 games remaining on the season with 11 of them at home. In order for the Wranglers to become the only team in ECHL history with three straight 100-point seasons, they must earn 17 points out of a possible 28 (.607 winning percentage). After starting the season 20-2-4, Las Vegas is 16-9-7 over the last 32 games.

Roster Report
Las Vegas will be without the services of defenseman Sean Owens and left wing Shawn Limpright. Owens (concussion) has been out since late January after a hit by Utah’s Olivier Labelle. Owens has resumed physical activity and could start skating within the next few days. Limpright is out 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury. If all goes well, the Wranglers may get Limpright back by the second or third round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

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. Defenseman Jason Jozsa also remains on recall to Grand Rapids of the AHL. The AHL released the Clear Day list last Friday (players who are eligible for the remainder of the season and playoffs). Both Fraser and Strachan were left off the list and could be headed to Las Vegas soon. Fraser is not expected right away, Strachan could be back by next weekend.

On the Road
The Wranglers return from an 11-day and six-game road trip that saw the team post a 1-1-4 record. In the first meeting of the season between the clubs, the Alaska Aces won all three games in Anchorage. The Wranglers fell in three straight shootouts at Sullivan Arena. Las Vegas had an eight game regular season winning streak over Alaska snapped on the trip. On Sunday, February 24th, the Wranglers clinched a playoff spot for the fourth time in five seasons. After three games in Alaska, the Wranglers finished their lengthy road trip with three games in Victoria. The Wranglers lost in regulation on Wednesday night 5-3 and lost in overtime with a last second goal by Gary Gladue on Friday night. The overtime loss extended the team’s season-long winless skid to five games at 0-1-4. Las Vegas bounced back with a 5-4 win on Saturday night for the team’s 20th road win of the season. Aki Seitsonen scored in all three games at Victoria and also dished out two assists.

Thunder Struck
The Thunder picked up one of their biggest wins of the season by beating Cincinnati in Stockton on Saturday night. The win snapped the Cyclones 17-game winning steak, one shy of tying the Wranglers ECHL record 18-game winning streak during the 2006-07 season. Stockton has been active with roster moves. Recently, the Thunder traded leading scorer Andy Contois for Lance Monych. In 54 games this season, Monych has a team-high 27 goals. In his first six games with Stockton, Monych has three goals and two assists. Former Wranglers, left wing Adam Huxley and goalie Tim Boron play for Stockton. Huxley became a fan favorite in 2004-05 when he set the team record of 294 penalty minutes in one season. Boron played in three games for Las Vegas at the beginning of the season.

Of the 23 wins the Thunder has accumulated this season, 22 have come when the Thunder scores the first goal of the game. Stockton is 5-13-1 since the all-star break.

Tale of the Tape…

	GPG	GAA	PP %	PK %	PIM
Las Vegas Wranglers	3.45 (7)	2.50 (3)	20.9 (5)	84.8 (6)	20.72 (9)
Stockton Thunder	2.75 (22)	3.37 (17)	15.0 (18)	79.7 (22)	20.54 (11)

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

Upcoming Games…
Host Bakersfield on Friday at 7:05 pm — at Orleans Arena — St. Baldrick’s Jersey Auction

Host Phoenix on Saturday at 7:05 pm — at 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.