Lone Wrangler shows punch

With the Wranglers playing sluggishly midway through the first period Thursday, left wing Kyle Hagel tried to kick-start his team by fighting a man four inches taller and 30 pounds heavier in Bakersfield's 6-foot-4-inch, 234-pound left wing Erick Lizon.

Predictably, in his return from the injured reserve list, Hagel lost the fight, and the Wranglers lost the game 4-1 in their second straight uninspired effort at home.

Las Vegas (4-4-0), which lost 9-2 to Utah on Oct. 29 in its previous game at the Orleans Arena, dropped to 2-4-0 at home, where it has been outscored 29-18.

"I know we're going to have off games, but two in a row at home is unacceptable," coach Ryan Mougenel said. "Kyle Hagel fights a guy 50 pounds heavier than him, and my team doesn't respond after that. I have a tough time with that. I apologized to Kyle because he's a guy who will do anything to win."

Hagel went down after Lizon tagged him with two solid shots, and his left eye was swollen shut after the game.

"He does something like that, and we've got to respond one way or another," said Las Vegas defenseman Mike Madill, who made his 2009 debut after summer knee surgery. "Our response wasn't as good as it should have been after something like that."

The Condors (5-4-0) scored three consecutive goals in a span of 4:06 in the second period to take a 4-1 lead and outshot the Wranglers 40-21, including 17-5 in the first period and 16-8 in the third.

"Giving up 40 shots, that's not acceptable," Mougenel said.

Bakersfield forward Dan Sexton scored on a wrist shot from the point 5:22 into the second period to break a 1-1 tie. Andrew Ianiero scored 87 seconds later, backhanding a rebound past Wranglers goalie Michael Ouzas (4-2-0), who made 36 saves. John de Gray converted on a power play at the 9:28 mark, punching in a loose puck after a scrum out in front.

Matt Watkins scored for Las Vegas with 3:20 to play in the first period, kicking a rebound past Bakersfield goalie Timo Pielmeier.

The teams play again tonight at the Orleans Arena.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354.