The Las Vegas Wranglers won 5-4 over the Bakersfield Condors in a shootout Friday night, ending the regular season with a hard-fought victory in front of 6,769 fans (Photo credit: John Bosworth).
A scoreless first period gave way 1:38 into the second as Wranglers center Eric Lampe posted the initial goal of the game. The 1-0 lead held until midway through the period when Bakersfield scored three goals in 1:58 minutes, kicked off by forward Greg Burgdoerfer’s first goal of the season on a shorthanded opportunity. Condors defenseman Chris Haltigin turned around and tallied another shorthanded goal 39 seconds later, and Bakersfield took the 3-1 lead off the stick of left wing Brett Lyon 1:09 minutes after that. Las Vegas rebounded with a power play goal from forward Scott Pitt 28 seconds after the Condors scoring blitz, ending the second with a total of five goals and a 3-2 Bakersfield tilt.
Just 1:17 into the third, Wranglers center Judd Blackwater knotted the game 3-3 with his 19th goal of the season. The tie game was brief as 29 seconds later, Burgdoerfer notched his second goal of the night for the one-goal Bakersfield lead. A power play goal from Wranglers right wing Sean Wiles evened the contest 4-4 midway through the third, and the score held as Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon stopped a penalty shot from Condors forward Brett Perlini in the final two minutes of the game.
Five minutes of overtime couldn’t decide the game, forcing the two teams into a shootout. With the lone shootout goal, Wranglers forward Andrew Sarauer secured the 5-4 victory for the home team as Fallon blanked all four Condors shooters.
The Wranglers end the regular season tonight with a 37-30-2-3 record, and begin the 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs against the Stockton Thunder on Friday, April 5, in California. Las Vegas plays Games 3, 4, and 5 if necessary, at home on April 8 – 10 at 7:05 p.m.
Tonight’s full box score can be found here.
Celebrating 10 seasons of Wranglers hockey this year, group events are available at all home games, including pre-game ice skating parties, private luxury suites, and rink-side catered party boxes. Groups of ten or more can sit together starting at $13 per ticket, and feature perks such as in-game group recognition and “buy one, get one free” Chuck-A-Puck vouchers. Take advantage of the best deals by calling the Wranglers front office at (702) 471-PUCK. The Wranglers play all 36 regular season home games at Orleans Arena, located next to the Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. For more information, visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com.
