Wranglers turn tables on Alaska goalie in win

On Thursday night, Alaska goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu handed the Wranglers their first home shutout loss of the season. On Friday, he handed them a win.

With time running out in regulation and the Aces on a power play, Beckford-Tseu was next to the net, preparing to clear the puck from the goal line.

But before he could, Las Vegas center Aki Seitsonen swooped in, stole the puck and stuffed it in the net with 16 seconds left to lift the Wranglers to a thrilling 4-3 victory in front of a season-high crowd of 7,427 at the Orleans Arena.

The short-handed goal also capped the first professional hat trick for Seitsonen.

"I just saw somebody dump the puck in and went right at the goalie," Seitsonen said. "He tried to make a move, but luckily he hit me in the stick, and I was lucky enough to rap it in there."

Beckford-Tseu appeared to fake a clearing shot before attempting a backhander behind the net.

"I kind of looked up ice and didn't have too many options there, and he just poked it off my stick, and then he got to the net," said Beckford-Tseu (10-3-0). "It was a little bit of miscommunication between me and my defenseman. We're still trying to get used to each other, and we haven't played too many games together. It's just unfortunate it happened when it did."

The West Division-leading Aces (38-23-5), coming off a 3-0 victory Thursday, took a 2-0 lead Friday on a pair of goals less than two minutes apart in the first period by Olivier Filion and Matt Shasby.

The Pacific Division-leading Wranglers (42-12-12, 96 points) made it a 2-1 game with 2:15 left in the second period on Seitsonen's first goal. The score snapped Las Vegas' scoreless stretch of 107:30 against Beckford-Tseu.

Peter Ferraro scored a controversial goal early in the third period to tie it 2-2, firing a shot from the right circle that appeared to cross the goal line as the net was dislodged. Alaska protested to no avail.

"We got a break there," Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan said.

The Wranglers, who outshot the Aces 28-23, took the lead a few minutes later as Seitsonen scored his second goal on a blast from the slot.

Alaska tied it midway through the third, though, on a breakaway by Kimbi Daniels, who took a pass at center ice and broke in alone on Wranglers goalie Daniel Manzato (20 saves).

The teams went a combined 0-for-13 on the power play, with Las Vegas going 0-for-8.

"That was one of the best games of the year," Gulutzan said. "It was big for us. We needed these two points. We're in first in the division, but Fresno (38-17-8, 86 points) is breathing down our neck."