Victoria spoils Wranglers’ home opener

At 6 feet 6 inches tall, defenseman Mathieu Brodeur is the tallest player on the Wranglers.

But the 20-year-old former third-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes was cut down to size a bit Friday night after committing a turnover that led to the winning goal by Victoria in the Salmon Kings' 3-1 victory over Las Vegas that spoiled the Wranglers' home opener in front of a crowd of 3,856 at the Orleans Arena.

"I lost the puck, made a mistake," said Brodeur, who was sent to the Wranglers this week from the American Hockey League's San Antonio Rampage to sharpen his skills.

With the tightly contested game tied 1-1 early in the second period, Brodeur lost control of the puck after crossing the blue line into Victoria's zone.

Salmon Kings forward Matt Siddall came up with it and sped the other way before dropping a pass behind him in the left circle for defenseman Peter Vandermeer, who blasted the puck past Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon to give Victoria a 2-1 lead.

That was all the Salmon Kings (2-1) needed, as goalie Riley Gill stopped 25 of 26 shots and Siddall scored an empty-net goal with 1:10 left to seal the victory.

"Those things happen in the game," Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said. "He's a young kid. He won't make that mistake again. It's part of the process to learn."

Victoria took a 1-0 lead with 8:38 left in the first period on a deflection in front of the net by right wing Milan Gajic, who leads the Salmon Kings with three goals in three games.

Less than a minute after Las Vegas killed a tripping penalty on right wing Dan Bertram, Victoria defenseman Taylor Ellington ripped a shot on net from the top of the left circle, and Gajic redirected it past Fallon, who stopped 29 of 31 shots in his first start for the Wranglers (1-1).

"They had two goals. One's kind of a hope play they had, and the other one's a bad turnover," Mougenel said. "But good teams find ways to win those games, and we're finding our way.

"I loved our guys' effort. For the long haul, I really like our team, but tonight we didn't get it done, and it stings a little bit."

Las Vegas cashed in on a two-man advantage with 2:35 left in the first to tie the score 1-1. Eleven seconds after Siddall was whistled for high sticking to give the Wranglers a 5-on-3 edge, left wing Ned Lukacevic scored on a rocket shot from the point.

Lukacevic, who was returned to Las Vegas from San Antonio this week, took a centering pass at the point from defenseman Craig Switzer and rifled a one-timer into the back of the net.

The Wranglers, who will host Victoria again tonight, had plenty of other chances but failed to score again, finishing 1-for-6 on the power play.

"We're trying to get used to each other," Lukacevic said. "We'll definitely be better (tonight)."

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