Stoic Wranglers goalie finds a reason to smile

One of the fiercest competitors on the Wranglers, goalie Michael Ouzas can get so intense that coach Ryan Mougenel has encouraged him to loosen up a little.

"I had a heart-to-heart (talk) with him this summer and told him, 'You've got to enjoy the game more or it's going to eat you alive,' " Mougenel said. "But I don't think that's Michael Ouzas' nature. He's a competitive guy and a serious guy, and it shows in his game."

Ouzas showed some serious game Thursday night, stopping all 37 shots he faced to lead the Wranglers to a 4-0 victory over Utah at the Orleans Arena.

After notching his first shutout of the season and helping Las Vegas (6-6-0) to its first win in four games against the Grizzlies (6-4-0), even Ouzas had to smile.

"I'm a pretty focused guy. When I come to the rink, my goal is to win every night," he said. "I always want to give my team a chance to win. I might not always be smiling too much, but after a big win, I sure will."

It was the fourth career shutout for Ouzas, a second-year pro who improved to 6-4-0 this season with a 2.73 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Making the shutout more impressive is the fact Utah entered the contest second in the ECHL in goals per game (4.22) and had outscored Las Vegas 17-7 in the first three meetings this season, including a 9-2 rout in which the Grizzlies scored the most goals ever by a Wranglers opponent.

"It's a great team accomplishment, especially for a team that scored nine goals on us. It's a testament to (Ouzas)," Mougenel said. "Ouzas gives you a real good chance to win almost every night. His consistency is something we've fed off of."

Las Vegas, which also won for the first time in four Thursday night home games, wasted little time taking control of this one, scoring 50 seconds into the contest when Matt Watkins buried a rebound from the right circle for a 1-0 lead.

Defenseman Robbie Bina made it 2-0 at the 7:25 mark when he beat Utah goalie Parker Van Buskirk (21 saves) with a backhander in front of the net a few seconds after the Wranglers killed a four-minute Grizzlies power play.

Bina, who incurred a double minor for high sticking, left the penalty box and immediately entered the fray, taking a pass from Shay Stephenson and carrying the puck to the net.

"We got off to a good start. It helps getting the first goal on the first shift," said Bina, who also had two assists and leads the team in scoring with 12 points. "That definitely builds confidence right away, and we got another one and didn't look back from there."

While the Wranglers were outshot for the fifth straight game, 37-25, they held the dangerous Grizzlies scoreless on eight power plays. Utah entered with the fourth-best power play unit (25.5 percent) in the league.

Las Vegas finished 0-for-4 on the power play, and both teams came up empty on long two-man advantages.

Chris Neiszner made it 3-0 at 7:21 of the third period when he swooped in from the left circle to bury a rebound of a shot by Bina.

Matt Kang added an empty-netter with 1:11 left for the final margin.

The teams meet here again tonight and in Utah on Saturday as they continue their rare seven-game regular-season series.

• NOTES -- Las Vegas left wing Kyle Hagel was transferred from the three-day injured reserve to the seven-day IR, and forward Justin Bernhardt was activated from the IR.

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