Lunden arrives, hat trick in hand

Wranglers left wing Josh Lunden would be hard-pressed to replicate the arduous two-day journey he took to Las Vegas last weekend from Newfoundland, Canada, before recording his first professional hat trick.

He’d also be exhausted.

"He had no sleep," coach Ryan Mougenel said.

Starring in his own version of "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," Lunden’s trek began Feb. 11, when he boarded three flights and traveled 19 hours to get from Newfoundland — where he was with St. John’s of the American Hockey League — to Bakersfield, Calif., where he rejoined Las Vegas for its ECHL game against the Condors.

Leaving at 3:30 a.m. Newfoundland Standard Time — 4½ hours ahead of Las Vegas — Lunden first flew to Toronto, then to San Francisco and finally, after a canceled flight, to Bakersfield.

Upon arriving at the city’s small airport, Lunden had to call a cab to take him to Rabobank Arena, where he barely had time to scarf down a sandwich before the scheduled 7 p.m. start — which, alas, was delayed for two hours because of poor ice conditions.

Not long after the Wranglers’ 4-3 shootout loss ended at 11:33 p.m., Lunden and his teammates boarded a bus to Las Vegas.

After being stranded for an hour on the side of the road in Barstow, Calif. — where their bus driver had to be replaced after finishing his 10-hour shift — the Wranglers arrived at the Orleans Arena around 6 a.m.

"It was definitely a tough road trip," Lunden said. "I didn’t know which time zone I was in."

Lunden’s day was far from over. After catching a few hours of sleep, he was back at the rink by 12:30 p.m. for a 2 p.m. game against Ontario (Calif.).

Las Vegas trailed 2-0 early before Lunden sparked a comeback, scoring goals 2:09 apart — late in the first period and early in the second — to tie it 2-2.

Naturally, the game went into overtime, but Lunden ensured it wouldn’t go to a shootout, scoring his third goal on a wraparound with 1:18 left to give the Wranglers a dramatic 4-3 win.

Lunden, who turns 26 on Friday, celebrated his hat trick by donning a fan’s black cowboy hat for his skate around the ice as the game’s first star. He also took his feat in stride.

"A couple lucky bounces went my way, that was really it," he said. "It was good to get the win, more importantly."

Mougenel wasn’t surprised that Lunden downplayed his performance.

"That’s who he is. No excuses," he said. "He just goes and plays, and plays the right way."

A British Columbia native who earned two business degrees at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Lunden has dealt with long journeys before. He missed most of last season, his rookie year, after tearing his left groin in his third game with San Antonio (AHL) and having two sports hernias surgeries.

He returned late in the season and split 23 games between San Antonio and Las Vegas, but didn’t regain top form.

After missing a month with a concussion this season, Lunden has 37 points — on 19 goals and 18 assists — in 35 games for the Wranglers (32-18-5, 69 points).

He scored in Friday’s 4-3 home loss to Utah (22-24-5, 49) and scored both Las Vegas goals in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Grizzlies before a crowd of 5,307 at the Orleans Arena.

"He’s been one of our most consistent guys," Mougenel said. "He dictates the play, he finishes hits and he plays hard. Offensively, he’s got the touch.

"The biggest thing for Josh is he’s healthy and he’s a hell of a hockey player when he’s healthy."

He’s also pretty good operating on little sleep after a long road trip.

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