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Wranglers Edge Eagles to Win First Preseason Game 4-3

The Las Vegas Wranglers won their first preseason game of the 2011-12 season on Friday night, holding on to a 4-3 lead to beat the Colorado Eagles.

Defenseman Jeff May scored the first goal early in the first period, with 3:49 on the clock and the team in a power play. Forward Scott Campbell and defender Chris Francis assisted May for their first points as well. Tying the game less than two minutes later, Eagles center Patrick Cey tallied Colorado’s first point for a score of 1-1 at 5:21, with assists from forward Troy Ofukany and defenseman Jake Marto.

Wasting no time in the second period, Colorado’s Ofukany notched his second point of the game and put the Eagles ahead 2-1 at 4:50. Marto and Cey each collected a second point with the assists. Left winger Judd Blackwater came through for the Wranglers and put up two goals of his own, the first at even strength and the second on a power play. The game was tied 2-2 at the 6:22 mark, with assists from center Adam Miller and defender Shawn Fensel, and the Wranglers took the lead 3-2 at 12:15 with Francis on his second assist and defenseman Eddie DelGrosso on his first. With just 93 seconds left in the period, Eagles defender Jason Beatty scored right off the face-off at 18:27 and left the score tied 3-3 going into the third.

At 6:51 in the third period, center Thomas Kiriakou recorded the game-winning goal with an assist from forward Kyle Laughlin and took the Wranglers up 4-3. Goalie Mitch O’Keefe, with 32 saves, kept the Eagles from scoring again, leaving Las Vegas with a 1-0 preseason record as they take on Ontario Reign tonight in California.

The full box score can be found here.

2011-12 season seat packages, starting at $30, are on sale now at 702-471-PUCK. The Wranglers play all 36 regular season home games at the Orleans Arena, located next to the Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. www.lasvegaswranglers.com