Wranglers prevail early in OT

With one rocket shot from the top of the right circle, rookie left wing Mick Lawrence resurrected the Wranglers' playoff hopes on Saturday in Stockton, Calif.

Lawrence scored 28 seconds into overtime to lift Las Vegas to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Stockton, tying the best-of-7 Pacific Division series final at two games apiece.

Games 5 and 6 will be played at the Orleans Arena on Monday and Tuesday, with a possible Game 7 scheduled for Wednesday.

"It was a really big goal. It gives us a chance to get back in the series," Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan said. "Going home down 3-1, I didn't like the odds of that and what we had to do. But now it's a best-of-3 (series)."

Gulutzan said the Wranglers had more jump Saturday than they did in their 5-1 loss to the Thunder on Thursday in Game 3.

"We rolled four lines and sustained some energy for a while," Gulutzan said. "We were a little more physical and focused for the entire game. That was the difference."

Lawrence, who has two goals in the playoffs, said he fired the winning shot between a defenseman's legs and through traffic that might have screened Van Buskirk.

Las Vegas center Dan Riedel tied the game 2-2 midway through the third period. He had missed wide on a penalty shot in the second period, but Riedel was on target with a blast from the left circle that sailed past Stockton goalie Parker Van Buskirk (39 saves) to tie the game at 2.

Stockton had taken a 2-1 lead less than three minutes before when Brandon Naurato poked a rebound into an open net. Las Vegas goalie John DeCaro, who stopped 24 of 26 shots, deflected the initial shot by Ryan Huddy, but the puck rolled across the crease to Naurato, who scored the easiest goal of the series.

The Wranglers tied it 1-1 midway through the second period when Tyler Mosienko took a pass in front of the net and beat Van Buskirk high on his blocker side for his first goal of the playoffs. Chris Neiszner set up the score, feeding Mosienko from behind the Thunder net.

Stockton took a 1-0 lead for the second straight game when feisty 5-foot-8-inch forward Garet Hunt lifted a loose puck in the slot past DeCaro a little more than two minutes into the contest.

Las Vegas, which outshot Stockton 29-16 in the last two periods and 41-26 overall in regulation, had several strong scoring bids stopped by Van Buskirk, but it only needed one shot in overtime to prevail.

The home team had won the previous nine games between Stockton and Las Vegas this season.

• NOTE -- Top-ranked Alaska beat Victoria 6-4 on Saturday in Game 5 of the ECHL West Division finals to clinch the series, 4-1. The winner of the Las Vegas-Stockton series will face the Aces in the National Conference finals, with the winner advancing to the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals.

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