Wranglers ready for home debut

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

Winning his first game as a hockey coach was sullied for Las Vegas Wranglers boss Glen Gulutzan on Sunday, when, he admitted, he watched his first-year franchise let down.

Idaho scored three times in the second period, then added a power-play goal in the third for a 4-1 victory that left Gulutzan scratching his head.

The Wranglers won their debut Friday, lost in a shootout Saturday and then were sent back to Las Vegas with a sour taste Sunday.

"I did," Gulutzan said, when asked if he noticed his players letting up Sunday. "I felt we could have played better. I felt the game was there for the taking after the first period.

"We need to get it going better and kicking on more cylinders, get more guys going. If we do that, we'll be fine."

Gulutzan believes a sellout crowd tonight in the 7,773-capacity Orleans Arena, in the ECHL team's Las Vegas debut and the first of eight consecutive home games, would provide ample fuel.

"I hope so," said Gulutzan, who also serves as the Wranglers' general manager. "It would certainly be a boost for our guys, that's for sure. It could have been a very successful weekend. If we had won Sunday, it would have been perfect."

It wasn't a lost weekend, however, by many measures.

Marc Magliarditi, a 27-year-old goalie, showed promise. Greg Day, a 26-year-old center, leads the ECHL in points. Defender Jason McBain, 29, displayed his leadership qualities by scoring twice and assisting on two other goals.

McBain, though, needs to hone his cross hairs, as 13 of his 15 shots were either stoned or flew wide of the pipes.

Moreover, Garrett Bembridge, a 22-year-old right winger who had 78 points in 72 games for Saskatoon of the defunct Western Hockey League in 2000-01, has connected with the back of the net only once in 12 attempts.

Day, who tallied 47 points in 40 games as a junior at Bowling Green State University, is on top of the league with six points. A 5-foot-10, 175-pound native of St. Clair Beach, OntARIO, he has scored twice (on five shots) and collected four assists.

"He had a very good weekend," Gulutzan said. "He showed why he's put up some numbers."

In the ECHL last season with Peoria, Ill., Day registered 27 points in 31 games.

McBain and Justin Kelly, a 22-year-old right winger, are knotted with three other ECHL players at four points, and only Day has more after the first weekend of the season.

"Our offensive system is geared toward getting in there and making things happen," Gulutzan said. "But I felt that maybe we got a little tired toward the end of the weekend.

"I've tried to build this team defensively out, but there are nights you need help from your offense. If anything, now we need more help from our guys up front. Hopefully, they'll get the job done."

A full house tonight at the 7,773-seat Orleans Arena would give the Wranglers the second-biggest home opener crowd so far this season in the ECHL. The South Carolina Stingrays had 8,053 for their home opener Friday. ... The league is averaging 4,711 fans per game -- up 13 percent overall and 4.2 percent above last season's opening-weekend average.