Condors claim their cause is winning, not revenge

Nick Christensen

Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004 | 10:10 a.m.

THE GAME: Wranglers (10-9-3, sixth in ECHL West) vs. Bakersfield (13-4-3, first in West).

WHEN: Tonight, 7.

WHERE: Orleans Arena.

RADIO: 1400-AM.

The Las Vegas Wranglers have been looking to get fired up early in games, and the perfect remedy might have arrived from Bakersfield Wednesday night.

Not only are the Condors leading the ECHL West at 13-4-3, they've also scored 76 goals this year, second-best in the ECHL.

Bakersfield might also be a team looking for revenge, after a contest four weeks ago at Bakersfield's Centennial Garden left Condors forward Todd Alexander and goaltender Randy Petruk injured and out of action. Alexander returned Dec. 2, but Petruk is still on the injured list.

"We've been struggling; there's been a lot at stake since that famous day Vegas came into our building," Bakersfield coach Marty Raymond said. "We did lose a couple of players, Todd Alexander in that cross-check, and we lost our goalie when the defense put Billy Tibbetts into our goalie. It's been a rough month, but our frame of mind is to go out there and not worry about the incident but go out and win a couple of games."

Bakersfield went on to win that game 5-4, but there's little doubt it would still be the team looking for revenge.

Tibbetts' cross-check left Alexander, a 25-year second-year forward, with a concussion. The ECHL then handed Tibbetts a 10-game suspension.

"Sure it'll be emotional for him (Alexander), sure the rest of his teammates are thinking about it, but we're professionals, we have to go out and win games," Raymond said. "We can't start retaliation or that nonsense. We'll do what we have to do; we have to get two points on the board."

Opinions on whether payback can be expected in today's and Friday's games against the Condors at the Orleans Arena have ranged from "it's likely" to "it's improbable."

"I'm sure it'll be a very physical contest. I'm sure we'll see four or five fights, but it's just another game," coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Tibbetts had little to say about the possibility of payback tonight.

"I don't care, whatever they want to do is fine with me," he said. "I'm game for anything."

Bakersfield comes to Las Vegas to play a team that seems to be doing some soul-searching nearly two months into the season. The Wranglers are 4-5-0 at home this year, and come into tonight's game on a four-game losing streak and are 2-3-2 in their past seven games.

"We're approaching almost the midway point of the season and if we can't get ourselves into a playoff spot we'll maybe look to make some changes," Gulutzan said. "I don't question this team's work ethic, I think we work pretty hard, but we're missing a guy that's a pure goal-scorer. It's not something you always need. We need to start getting confident."

Tibbetts, who last year was a key part of San Diego's division-winning team, said some minor adjustments could make the Wranglers more successful.

"I don't think it's intensity. I think it's getting traffic in front, making it hard for the goalie to see the puck. It's not hard for any professional goalie to stop the puck when he can see it," Tibbetts said. "Once we start doing the little things, like Bakersfield does, everything comes together. We need to build together as a team, and that doesn't happen overnight. It's not that easy -- if it was easy, everybody would be doing that."

Wranglers left winger Jason Spence said the team's attitude is just as much a part of success as anything.

"We need a sense of urgency every time we step on the ice, especially in the first period of the game," Spence said. "We need to put a fire into our team. Not in the third period or the second period -- we've got to do it right away."