Ready to be ‘pumped’ for Game 3

Thursday, April 27, 2006 | 7:14 a.m.

The Wranglers are hoping the Orleans Arena is as raucous tonight for Game 3 against Alaska in the West Division finals as it was for the last two games of their opening-round series against Idaho.

"I think the team would be really pumped" if that happened, said Brent Bilodeau, the Wranglers' assistant general manager and assistant coach.

Las Vegas defeated Alaska on Monday in the first game of the division finals in the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs, and Bilodeau said there was a stirring atmosphere from the moment the players skated onto the ice ... during the pre-game skate.

"There were about 3,000 people in there just for the warm-ups," he said. "There was an electric atmosphere. A lot of fun."

Las Vegas lost the first two games of the West Division semifinals to Idaho, at the Orleans, before awaking and winning four of the last five, including the last three. The Orleans, with a capacity of about 8,000, was a bit more than half full for the last two.

Las Vegas lost the second game to Alaska in overtime Tuesday at the 6,300-capacity Sullivan Arena. The Orleans plays host to Games 3, 4 and 5, tonight and Saturday night at 7, and Sunday at 5 p.m.

Bilodeau was reached at 8 a.m. Wednesday, while the team was stuck during a three-hour layover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after a red-eye flight out of Anchorage.

Half the squad, including coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan, was sacked out near the terminal gate.

Does Gulutzan snore?

Someone, who will remain anonymous, paused for a few seconds before saying, "Doesn't sound like it."

Bilodeau said the team was feeling very good about its split in Alaska, on the league's only large, Olympic-size ice rink.

"The boys just worked hard," he said. "It's a little bit different out there, a lot more room to move. Alaska has a really talented team. They can really move the puck.

"So we just concentrated on playing good zone-defense coverage and capitalizing on our opportunities."

Slapshots

The Victoria Times in Canada recently ran an item about San Diego, of the ECHL, exploring AHL options, and the paper included Las Vegas as another Western-based team that might be looking to the AHL.

Not so. Among many other factors, the source said, the AHL has too many teams in the east, which would make travel too costly.

Among them: "Pick players (who) can walk away from a fight." And "Pick players (who) can agitate opponents skillfully."

Also, "Two good goaltenders are better than one."

Gulutzan has already implemented many of your suggestions, Ken. For example, starting netminder Marc Magliarditi and No. 2 Mike McKenna have been solid all season, perhaps the ECHL's best 1-2 punch between the pipes.

McNeelege's second goal for next season was especially interesting. "Skate faster." Thanks, Ken. And keep writing.

And center Chris Neiszner's name is pronounced KNEES-nur, not KEYS-er.