Back in the hunt

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 | 9:58 a.m.

If attitude is everything, then Tuesday's 4-2 win against San Diego has the Las Vegas Wranglers looking a lot like last year's team.

For the first time in weeks, music echoed from the team's clubhouse and into the surrounding corridors at the Orleans Arena. Grunts of acknowledgement for passers-by became cheerful "how-do-you-do's," and on what is just the team's third winning streak this year, the Las Vegas Wranglers are starting to act like the team that finished 26-9-1 at home last year.

"It's a little too early to get into that," said goaltender Marc Magliarditi, a big part of last year's team and the winning goalie Tuesday with 25 saves. "We've got to keep rolling; we've got a long way to climb up."

But the Wranglers, who a week ago were in second-to-last place in the ECHL's West Division, have now beaten two of their top three division rivals and their three-game winning streak is the second-longest this year.

Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan was quick to point out that his team beat a depleted Gulls roster, but that winning feeling in a game not marred by 100-plus penalty minutes is something they haven't experienced since Nov. 6.

"We needed to get this win. That's what's lacking, is confidence here," he said.

Playing without forward Billy Tibbetts, who collided with teammate Christian Chartier in the first period and stumbled off the ice before smashing his stick against the wall at the Orleans Arena, the Wranglers rallied from Scott Borders' goal two minutes into the first period to take a 3-2 lead on San Diego in the second. Darren Lynch's goal in the third sealed the victory for Las Vegas.

Three of the Wranglers' goals came in their six power plays.

"I think the power play was what saved us; that's what's keeping us afloat," Gulutzan said. "We're doing a good job on power plays; we're all working together."

That included the night's first goal, a Ryan Gaucher slap shot with eight seconds left in the first period that tied the game at 1-all.

Gaucher, a 26-year-old defenseman, said the momentum of the three-game winning streak is key to his team's hopes of making a mid-season playoff charge.

"It's really big, especially for us as individuals -- we need to keep doing it," he said. "We've got to keep going for a while."

Using the game as a springboard to continue through the remaining five games of this homestand was a point for Magliarditi, who through Tuesday is now the fourth-rated goaltender in the ECHL.

"It's huge to get some wins, whether we deserve it or not," Magliarditi said. "Right now, in a tight conference, we're battling. We're not going to have anything handed to us."

Gaucher, whose goal ended a streak of 107 minutes of game time in which the Wranglers hadn't scored against San Diego, said pulling this off in division play was particularly important.

"It's really big, especially against teams in the division," Gaucher said. "We need to keep doing it, we've got to get caught up in the playoff race."

A lot might hinge on Tibbetts. Initial reports were that he might have sprained his knee in the collision, but afterward, Gulutzan said it was simply a charley horse. Nonetheless, after having just one point in the games leading up to last weekend's series at Bakersfield, Tibbetts was starting to show signs of his abilities, scoring a goal and three assists in two games.

Las Vegas will attempt to keep its streak alive with games this weekend, hosting the 11-13-4 Peoria Rivermen on Friday and Saturday.