Title pursuit starts anew

In their first five seasons in Las Vegas, the Wranglers have accomplished everything short of winning the ECHL championship.

Coming off its third straight 100-point season -- which ended in June with a six-game loss to Cincinnati in the Kelly Cup Finals -- Las Vegas has its sights on nothing less than a league title.

"I think we've got the group of guys who are going to do it," Wranglers left wing Tim Spencer said. "The guys that were here last year will lead the way, and everybody else is going to hop on board."

Spencer, a 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound tough guy, is one of several talented newcomers with Las Vegas, which starts its sixth season at 8:15 tonight against the Alaska Aces in Anchorage.

The game will be a homecoming of sorts for Spencer and Wranglers goaltender John DeCaro.

Spencer played last season for the Aces, and DeCaro attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage for two years and played four games for the Aces.

"I can't wait to get there. You're always fired up to start the season, but it's even better when you go against your old team," Spencer said. "I want to go even harder to show them what they lost."

The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pound DeCaro -- a two-time Central Hockey League goalie of the year who tallied a league-record 11 shutouts last season -- lives in Alaska in the offseason with his wife, Heidi, and their 2-year-old daughter, Addison.

"When I found out the first two games were (in Alaska), it was pretty exciting," DeCaro said.

"We're going to be strong. We've got the Ferraro (brothers) back, (Shawn) Limpright and (Tyler) Mosienko and a good core group of young guys coming in who can really play."

Twin brothers Peter and Chris Ferraro return for their second season with Las Vegas and 15th year in professional hockey. Peter Ferraro led the team with 73 points last season, and Chris Ferraro finished fourth with 51 points despite missing a large chunk of the year with a concussion.

"We feel good," Chris said after practice Wednesday. "We just play as hard as we can and demand a lot out of each other."

Mosienko scored 59 points last season, which tied him for second on the squad.

Limpright, a veteran who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, still hasn't been cleared to play but has practiced with the team.

Las Vegas, which went 3-0 in the preseason, also will be led by Adam Miller, Chris Neiszner, Mike Hamilton and Matt McKnight.

"We've got lots of talent, right from the goaltending up to the forwards," said Hamilton, who scored 50 points last season for the ECHL's Gwinnett Gladiators. "We're going to have a strong team and be a definite contender in the West."

Wranglers coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan said the team should be "just as good up front" as last season's squad but not as physical.

"Our defense is something we've got to work on," he said. "We've got some raw young guys, and it will take some time to develop them."

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