Wednesday, March 16, 2005 | 9:55 a.m.
They haven't had too much to brag about this year, but the Las Vegas Wranglers can be proud of one thing -- they've done relatively well for themselves against Bakersfield this season.
The Wranglers improved to 4-4 this year against the second-place Condors on Tuesday, after defeating Bakersfield 5-1 in front of 4,226 at the Orleans Arena. Marc Magliarditi had 39 saves for Las Vegas, and Shawn Limpright pitched in two goals as the Wranglers roughed up their bona fide rival.
The two teams also lived up to their penalty standard this season, combining for 79 minutes. Much of those came in a late-game stretch with one fight and several scrums between the squads in their second-to-final meeting this season.
"They come in here anticipating a different style of game," Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan said of the Condors. "They're still revved up over the Billy Tibbetts saga. They come in and never play their game."
In the teams' first meeting this year, then-Wranglers forward Billy Tibbetts gave a concussion to then-Condors forward Todd Alexander.
The win was the Wranglers' first home victory since Jan. 29 when they played Victoria, and the third of their past five. Las Vegas improved to 26-27-7, still totally out of playoff contention but starting to look like the team that many expected to see this year.
"We're just starting to believe in each other. Good as that may sound, and maybe the pressure's off, but I told them to never miss a chance to be the team you could have been," Gulutzan said. "I'm more proud of this year's team than last year's for what they're giving me."
All the more surprising is that the Wranglers are playing so well with 13 players dressed but only 10 healthy. Jason Spence, for example, was slated to have knee surgery today but played five shifts and finished with a plus-three.
It's a contrast from the last time the Wranglers played hurt, at the end of a late January slide that wound up costing them a chance at the postseason.
"There was such a dip there near the end of January, a six-game slide cost us 12 points," Gulutzan said. "Every team does that, but at the end of the skid we started to lose players. Dana Lattery went to the AHL, Mike McBain, the list goes on, and we could never regain from that."
Gulutzan said that on the team's recent road trip, he went back through the year's box scores and found that with empty-net goals removed, his team has been involved in 50 one-goal games this season.
The tight losses have been especially frustrating for Magliarditi, who has a 13-15 record this year despite a .920 save percentage. The offensive support has been lacking despite the defensive performance.
"It's huge. It helps me relax and play my game," Magliarditi said. "I feel like I don't want to get embarrassed, I step it up."
Limpright was a key part of that offensive outburst Tuesday, pitching in two goals, including the game-winner off a neat pass from defenseman-turned-center Ryan Gaucher.
In 30 games this year with Las Vegas, Limpright has seven goals and 22 assists, fourth on the team despite having played just more than half as many games as the other top eight points leaders.
"My confidence level wasn't too big coming from Dayton," Limpright said. "I'm starting to get my confidence back, and it's going real well right now."
The Wranglers look to continue their late season surge Friday, when they play host to Fresno at the Orleans Arena.
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