Thursday, March 16, 2006 | 6:52 a.m.
Las Vegas hockey fans might be treated to an ECHL playoff preview when Alaska visits the Orleans Arena to play three games over the next five days.
The Wranglers (45-10-6, 96 points) have been trying to catch the Aces (47-9-4, 98 points, before Wednesday's action) atop the West Division of the National Conference all season.
That they are the top two teams in the ECHL should add to the Orleans' atmosphere.
"I hope (the crowds) are big and loud and give our boys some energy, so we can try to win some hockey games," Wranglers coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan said Wednesday from Phoenix. "It'll be a heck of a series."
Alaska swept a three-game series against Las Vegas in Anchorage in the fall. Before an Orleans Arena crowd of 4,705 on Feb. 7, the Wranglers exacted some revenge in a 7-1 thrashing of the Aces.
Left wing Dan Tudin collected a hat trick in that game, and he can stretch his current goal-scoring streak to five games if he finds the net tonight in Phoenix.
"I think it's going to be a great series," Gulutzan said of games against Alaska on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday. "I think both teams are looking forward to it a little bit. I think you'll see real good hockey."
Cue Aretha
Gulutzan said he didn't sense a heated rivalry building against Alaska, unlike what has developed in the Wranglers' brief history with Bakersfield.
"I sense mutual respect," he said in regard to the Aces. "They've only lost nine and we've only lost 10, so there's a little bit of respect there."
Under third-year coach Davis Payne, the Aces lost in the conference finals of the playoffs last season and the division finals in 2003-04.
"They've got good character, a lot of skill and a lot of depth," Gulutzan said. "They're a real solid hockey team, from top to bottom."
Boost in the middle
Derek Edwardson returned to the Wranglers and scored the third goal in a 4-2 victory at Phoenix on Tuesday, and Gulutzan believes the 5-10, 180-pound center will provide a boost over the next four weeks and into the playoffs.
Edwardson had been playing with Portland in the American Hockey League.
"He adds another dimension, a center man who will take some of the load off of the (Matt) Dzieduszycki line," Gulutzan said. "He attacks well and he spreads out the workload, makes us a better team."
Slap shots:
Left wing Mike Scott has 73 points. Defenseman Peter Metcalf has the best plus-minus rating, at +39, and his 48 points are the most among ECHL defenders.
Underhill and Las Vegas netminder Marc Magliarditi both have a league-best 31 victories.
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