Wranglers stymie Steelheads

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, April 7, 2004 | 9:44 a.m.

It had been Las Vegas Wranglers goaltender Marc Magliarditi coming in late to tough playoff situations. For one night, he was on the other side looking in.

Idaho goaltender Blair Allison was injured, and netminder Dan Ellis was still at Triple-A Utah, leaving responsibilities between the pipes to rookie Mike Betz, three hours after arriving for his first professional assignment.

Betz' first 19 professional saves weren't enough and the Wranglers defeated the Steelheads 4-2 Tuesday before an announced crowd of 3,301 at the Orleans Arena. Las Vegas has a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five ECHL Pacific Division first-round playoff series.

Not to say Betz didn't hold his own. But he, along with a stiff Idaho defense, was unprepared for Wranglers breakaways, and break away the home team did.

First, it was Chris Kenady from Greg Day on the nearly open ice. Then, Day took it himself with Kenady as a decoy. Late in the game, Cam Bristow and Jeff Attard got in on the action.

The game was physical and both teams had a spring in their steps from the last time they met, a Steelheads win at the Orleans on March 30.

"I thought Idaho played a heck of a hockey game. They had a physical edge on us and carried more of the play than we did," Wranglers head coach Glen Gulutzan said. "We never got a quality shot on goal until the start of the second period."

Magliarditi, who went into the game with an 8-6 postseason record, finished with 38 saves, including 19 in the second period. Seemingly the entire first period was played on Magliarditi's half of the ice.

"Obviously it's important to get the first win. This time of year, winning's all that matters," he said after the game, stretching on the locker room floor. "We want to win and go as far as possible, and hopefully I'll be talking (to reporters) in May."

As for the Idaho shooting gallery through the first half of the game, Magliarditi said it actually helped him ease into the postseason.

"It helped me get into the mindset, instead of standing around waiting for the first shot, you get in and play your game," he said.

And for his young opponent on the lonely end of the ice in the first period?

"I didn't even know what was going on. It sure is a tough situation," he said.

Idaho coach John Oliver was stressed after the game, sitting in a hallway at the Orleans Arena explaining his goaltender situation in a lengthy conversation on his cellular phone.

As it turns out, Ellis was supposed to start Tuesday's game, after being sent down from Utah at the AHL. But Utah's other goalie was called up to the Dallas Stars of the NHL, meaning if Ellis played a game in the ECHL, he'd be ineligible for the rest of the season with Utah and the Grizzlies would have to play their emergency backup goaltender.

So instead, Idaho was left with its emergency backup.

"They had some turnovers, some odd man rushes, and if you give Greg Day and Chris Kenady a two on one, they're going to convert," Oliver said.

Olver said he anticipates Allison could play in the series' second game, Friday at the Orleans Arena. Gulutzan would not say who he expects to start in goal for the Wranglers.

Utah did send down to Idaho forwards Brett Draney and Warren Peters and centers Zenon Konopka and David Bararuk. The Wranglers have yet to receive help from Triple-A Lowell, but Gulutzan said he wasn't concerned.

"I'm not looking to Lowell for help. We've played without those players for most of the season," he said. "It's a good problem to have when you can get healthy bodies back."