There’s a new enforcer in town

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 | 7:16 a.m.

Since Steve Crampton was loaned to Lowell of the American Hockey League last week, 5-foot-11, 185-pound left winger Shawn Limpright has led the Wranglers in an important but notorious category.

Penalty minutes.

"It's part of the game," he said. "Been around for a long time. The way I play, it kind of comes to me at times. It's a job I like and I'm willing to do for the team."

Limpright, 24, first dropped his gloves on the ice to wage battle in a midget league game in Manitoba when he was 14.

"It was an experience," he said. "I was a little scared at first, but it was a good adrenaline rush. I've liked it ever since."

Limpright entered the week with 130 penalty minutes. Crampton has 136. Right winger Thomas Bellemare (6-3 and 226) has 115 minutes in the penalty box this season.

Limpright called Bellemare the team's main enforcer, but Limpright doesn't mind the moniker Enforcer II. He accumulated a Wranglers-record 28 penalty minutes Dec. 27 in a 7-2 victory against San Diego at the Orleans Arena.

"After we got a big lead, a couple of fights broke out, so I jumped in there," Limpright said. "And I think I picked up a 10-minute misconduct at the end of the game. So, 28. I didn't know it was a record until the next day. I'll take it, I guess."

Nick on time

Rookie defenseman Nick Anderson, 26, is on quite a roll. The Minnesota-Duluth graduate scored four times over three games last week to boost his season goals to nine.

"I've been working hard every day, trying to get a spot in the lineup," he said. "I'm just out here skating as fast as I can and just working as hard as I can."

Wranglers coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan has liked what he has seen in Anderson.

"He's hungry to play, that's huge," Gulutzan said. "I've had a talk with some of my older players and (told them) they have to get hungry, too. (Anderson) has been champing at the bit all year, and he'll get an opportunity - he deserves it."

Short-handed goals allowed by the Wranglers, the fewest in the ECHL.

Short-handed points by Las Vegas left wing Dan Tudin, best in the league.

Auto focus

As the Wranglers bear down on the ECHL's best record and the playoffs, which start in two weeks, Gulutzan wants to guard against complacency.

Just trying to maintain, he said.

"We're trying to make sure the guys still push," Gulutzan said. "When the weather gets nicer, the girls get a little better looking and sometimes the guys start laying by the pool ... we want to make sure our focus is still on hockey."

Slap shots