Wranglers put end to three-game skid

After suffering three straight overtime defeats, the Wranglers were in dire need of a convincing victory.

They got it in Friday night's 5-0 rout of the Victoria Salmon Kings at the Orleans Arena.

Las Vegas (23-5-7) dominated the matchup of division leaders from start to finish, outshooting West Division-leading Victoria (21-9-4) 17-4 in the first period and 47-25 overall, in a total team effort.

Peter Ferraro had two goals and an assist, Chris Ferraro had three assists, and goaltender Daniel Manzato made 25 saves while notching his third shutout of the season.

Kelly Czuy, Shawn Limpright and Tyler Mosienko each had a goal and an assist, and Aki Seitsonen added two assists as the Wranglers got back on track in a big way.

"We were very prepared to play. We had a hard week of practice, and it showed," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "It was an important game for us, because we were struggling. We were solid from top to bottom."

The teams will square off again at 7:05 tonight at the Orleans, and Gulutzan said he expects a much different effort from the Salmon Kings.

"We caught Victoria on their heels. Maybe some of the Vegas life got to them a little bit," Gulutzan said. "We'll see a different team (tonight). ... You can expect a first-place game (tonight), I guarantee you."

The Wranglers came out flying but couldn't get the puck past Victoria goalie Julien Ellis (13-3-2) in the first period.

Las Vegas finally broke through 6:20 into the second period when Peter Ferraro beat Ellis with a one-timer from the slot off a pass from brother Chris.

The Ferraro twins also helped set up the Wranglers' second goal on a bang-bang play in front of the net midway through the second period.

Peter Ferraro passed the puck from the slot down to Chris, who put the puck on net from the goal line. The puck landed inches in front of the goal line, and Czuy swooped in and pushed it across the line to put Las Vegas up 2-0.

Peter Ferraro made the score 3-0 with 4:03 left in the period when he ripped a shot from the slot into the back of the net.

"I just think we were hungrier tonight and paid attention to detail," said Peter Ferraro, who leads Las Vegas with 16 goals and 41 points.

The Wranglers killed a 1:43 two-man disadvantage early in the third period to all but seal the win and shutout for Manzato (13-3-3), who prevailed in the duel of National Conference All-Star netminders.

Mosienko capped the scoring with 1:31 left, thereby earning free tacos, for the first time this season, for the 4,510 fans, who chanted "we want tacos" as early as the second period.

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