Wranglers’ Carter foils pal in shootout

Matt Carter used to fire plenty of practice shots on goalie Mark Guggenberger when the two played together at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Carter, a Wranglers rookie left wing, used that experience to his advantage Monday at Orleans Arena, beating Guggenberger for the lone goal of the shootout to give Las Vegas a 3-2 matinee victory over the Alaska Aces.

"I've shot on him for quite some time. I had a feeling he'd do what he does in the summer," said Carter, who also skates with Guggenberger during the offseason. "It's nice to score on a buddy. I've got some bragging rights."

Carter, acquired from the expansion San Francisco Bulls in a November trade, is 5-for-5 in shootouts, including 2-for-2 for the Wranglers, who have won four straight shootouts.

"It feels good to be called upon and be able to answer," said Carter, who scored in the fourth round.

Las Vegas goaltender Joe Fallon stopped all five shots in the shootout, capping a stellar performance in which he turned away 33 of 35 shots in regulation, including several breakaway bids.

"Fallon was the best player on the ice. He's been the best player on the ice for us the last two months," coach Ryan Mougenel said. "He was awesome tonight. He's so calm back there. For a coach, it's almost soothing. His demeanor calms everybody down."

The Wranglers, 18-17-4 entering the ECHL All-Star break, notched their first win of the season over league-leading Alaska (31-10-2), which swept a three-game series in Las Vegas in November.

At that time, Mougenel noted, the Aces "had their NHL team," having signed four players during the lockout.

"We're two totally different philosophies," Mougenel said. "One thing we believe in here is advancing our players. For them, it's a little bit different, so it's always nice to beat them."

The short-handed Wranglers snapped a two-game losing streak and won at home for only the third time in seven games. They have four players in the American Hockey League (Scott Campbell, Eric Lampe, Josh Lunden, Nolan Julseth-White) and two on the reserve list (Sean Wiles, Judd Blackwater).

"It's a gutsy win," Mougenel said. "They battled really hard when they haven't been battling as hard as we should be."

Mike Madill had a goal and an assist, tying it 1-1 on a power play with 1.1 seconds left in the first period. Andrew Sarauer scored short-handed off a feed by Scott Pitt to put the Wranglers ahead 2-1 at 4:28 of the second period.

Nick Mazzolini tied it for Alaska late in the second, beating Fallon on a wraparound. Fallon stoned Mazzolini on a shorthanded breakaway in the third period and again in his flawless shootout.

"He had five big saves in the shootout, and that's what you need," Madill said. "He was unbelievable."

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