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twitterECHL PLAYOFFS:
Aces continue to stymie Wranglers in playoffs
Alaska takes 2-0 lead in the National Conference finals
Monday, May 11, 2009 | 1:15 a.m.
Playoff Schedule for National Conference finals
- Game 1: Las Vegas at Alaska on Saturday, May 9 (L: 2-0)
- Game 2: Las Vegas at Alaska on Sunday, May 10 (L: 4-1)
- Game 3: Alaska at Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.
- Game 4: Alaska at Las Vegas on Thursday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.
- Game 5: Alaska at Las Vegas on Friday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 6: Las Vegas at Alaska on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:15 p.m. (if necessary)
- Game 7: Las Vegas at Alaska on Wednesday, May 20 at 8:15 p.m. (if necessary)
Related stories
- Aces blank Wranglers in series opener (5-10-09)
- Wranglers ready to defend conference title against arch rival Aces (5-8-09)
- Wranglers cruise into conference finals (5-7-09)
- Stockton slams sluggish Wranglers (5-6-09)
- Wranglers maintain dominance at home (5-5-09)
- Wranglers even series in overtime thriller (5-3-09)
- Stockton storms past Wranglers (5-1-09)
- Wranglers blast Thunder to even series (4-28-09)
- Wranglers open division finals in disappointing fashion (4-24-09)
- Wranglers dominate Condors to advance to division finals (4-23-09)
- Wranglers rally to force Game 7 (4-22-09)
- Condors rip Wranglers in overtime (4-19-09)
- Wranglers blank Condors to even series (4-18-09)
- Wranglers squander lead, fall in overtime (4-16-09)
- Condors shock Wranglers with late rally (4-12-09)
- Wranglers grab early lead in playoffs (4-11-09)
Expanded hockey coverage
After traveling nearly 4,500 miles to Anchorage for the first two games of the National Conference finals, the Las Vegas Wranglers are returning home with nothing but bruises, frustration and a two-game deficit.
For the second consecutive night, Las Vegas had no answer for Alaska as the Aces steamrolled the Wranglers 4-1 in front of 4,595 fans at Sullivan Arena Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Alaska is now 6-0 at home in the playoffs. Fortunately for the Wranglers, the Aces now have to play their next three games at the Orleans Arena.
"It's always good to come home," said Las Vegas forward Kelly Czuy. "You always have an advantage at home. We just need to come out hard, play well and play disciplined and I think we can beat these guys."
The Wranglers lacked those qualities Sunday night, however, as the Aces captured an early lead during the first power play of the game.
Less than one minute after Mick Lawrence took a seat in the penalty box due to a roughing penalty, the Aces' Lance Galbraith poked in a rebound off Glenn Fisher for the 1-0 lead just 2:53 into the game. The Aces are now 8-1 when scoring first in the playoffs.
Alaska extended its lead to 2-0 at the 10:44 mark of the first period when Luke Erikson scored a strange goal by batting the puck off a faceoff into the air and seemingly into Fisher's glove. Somehow the puck fell out of Fisher's glove and bounced into the net.
With only six shots on goal in the first period, the Wranglers struggled once again to put any pressure on Alaska goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux in the second period.
"Alaska is a great team defensively and they have great defenseman," Czuy said. "It's not easy to get a lot of shots on goal, so we're just going to have to bear down and get the pucks on net."
The Aces outshot the Wranglers 22-12 in the first two periods while extending their lead to 3-0, thanks to another rebound tip-in, this time by Alexandre Imbeault 12:13 into the second period.
Imbeault's goal spelled the end of the night for Fisher as John DeCaro entered the game in relief as Fisher allowed those three goals on 19 shots.
DeCaro stopped the bleeding momentarily before Vladimir Novak buried a feed from Scott Burt to put the Aces on top 4-0 early in the third period.
As the game slipped out of reach, it also turned ugly.
Shortly after Novak's goal, a massive brawl erupted when Cam Keith and Josh Soares took offense to Tyler Mosienko running into Lamoureux behind the net. Five players ended up with penalties and Las Vegas defenseman Steve Makway received a game misconduct.
Another scrum broke out following the final buzzer as a result of a sucker punch by Matt Stefanishion on J.D. Watt.
By the end of the night, the referees had dished out 32 penalties totaling 95 minutes.
"These guys bring intensity and so do we," Sean Owens said. "I wouldn't expect anything less in this series. We've had that all year and in seasons past. It's a rivalry with these guys. It's good playoff hockey."
Las Vegas defenseman Dan Spang scored the lone Wranglers goal while shorthanded at the 12:55 mark to spoil Lamoureux's shutout bid. Lamoureux is now 10-1 with a 1.66 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.
Stars of the game: 1. Luke Erickson (1 goal, 1 assist); 2. Scott Burt (1 assist); 3. Alexandre Imbeault (1 goal, 1 assist)
Dwindling defensemen: Mike Madill, who suffered an undisclosed lower body injury as the result of a hit by Cam Keith late in Game 1 on Saturday, did not play Sunday and most likely will not return for the rest of the playoffs.
The Wranglers will not know a definitive timetable for Madill's return until the team's medical staff examines him in Las Vegas on Monday.
Madill had four points and 12 penalty minutes in 13 postseason games. He now joins fellow blue liners Chris St. Croix and Bret Tyler on the injured reserve, which leaves the Wranglers with just five healthy defensemen. Brandon Straub, who is not really at 100 percent, did manage to play Sunday.
"Everyone else has a chance to elevate their game," Owens said. "Guys need to step up. We are missing a couple of guys and it gives everyone else a chance to step up and take advantage of maybe being in a position they normally wouldn't be in. Everyone just needs to grab the bull by the horns and go with it."
Powerless play: Despite entering the National Conference finals with the ECHL's best power play unit (25.4 percent), the Wranglers are now 0-for-11 on the power play through the first two games of the series. Las Vegas' power play is still tied with South Carolina for the league lead, though, at 21.6 percent (16-of-74).
"I think we got away from what we've been doing," Owens said. "It's not really anything that they are doing. I think we just need to get back to that and we'll be fine."
White out: The Wranglers want all fans to wear white to the remaining home games, starting on Tuesday night for Game 3 at the Orleans Arena at 7:30 p.m.
Final word: "We need to stay out of the penalty box," Czuy said. "It's a seven-game series, so we just have to do the little things right and battle hard."
Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or steve.silver@lasvegassun.com.
Discussion: 26 comments so far…
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Hmmmm. It's awful quiet here. Most of the discussion about Sunday's game is over at the Anchorage Daily News.
yeah, scratch where did everyone go? Wranglers go down 0-2 and suddenly the fans vanish
I'm over on the Aces comments because no one has been here to discuss anything with after my initial and tasteful comment here after game one. But that's turning as ugly as the games have been so far and that's now turned into a pi$$ing contest over the same stuff that's been discussed over and over and over and over yet again. It gets old. I expect more comments here after what are sure to be even more intense games back home. Plus I cannot say too much about those first two games as I did not actually watch the games in Alaska.
Okay Steve, I`ll chime in here. I believe if the Wranglers want success against the Aces they`ll have to score early and keep pressing the entire game. Not easy though as this particular Aces team is as well-conditioned as any I`ve ever seen. Wondering if Guluztan studied what worked for Stockton against us this season as they had our number. You`ll need better goaltending and I`m sure Fisher will bring his A game Tues. Czuy was your best player in game two, but it`s hard for everyone to play that style the entire game and have something left in the tank third period, as we saw what happened to Victoria twice blowing late game leads. Josh Soares is an excellent road player and I expect him to have at least one big game down there for the Aces.
The Wranglers have not played well the first two games. Alaska out worked and out skated the Wranglers in both games. I don't know if the extra four games have taken there toll or if Alaska is just that much better, hopefully we will find out what the Wranglers are made of Tuesday.
I have been reading on the Alaska Daily News and "Over the Board" threads and frankly the comments by some (not all) Alaska fans are disturbing. You should be enjoying this success with dignity and honor. In past years the playoff games between Alaska and Las Vegas have been outstanding hockey games, hard nosed but without the cheap stuff. Your "boys" are not guilt free in the goonery that has taken place all year between these two teams. And by "boys" I mean Matt Stefenishon. Total classless act in Fresno and Alaska. He is a dirty, cheap shot artist who doesn't have the man apples to stand up when called out. Galbraith and Limpright play hard and are instigators, but when called out they stand up and answer the call. Then its over and play goes on. When the instigator doesn't stand up, the resentment builds and then boils over to goonery on both sides. If I were a betting man from Vegas I would take the action that if Stefenishon were not playing we would have clean, hard hitting, and classical hockey like these two teams have had in the past playoffs.
Hoping to see the word of the day change from stymie to stellar!!! After all, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? One period at a time boys. I know the fans will be raucous and doing our part.
I have complete faith in this team to be able to hold serve and take this series back to Alaska. It will be hard to do, but not beyond reach, so I hope everyone continues to get behind them and give them a true home ice advantage these next 3 games.
I aagree winthorpe, one game at a time. Actually it was the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor, but we get your drift. Win at home and its a new series.
According to the great John 'Bluto' Blutarsky in Animal House, it was the Germans and I quote:
Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
I stand corrected. Nicely played winthorpe.
Hope the Vegas crowd is treated to some good hockey tonight. The effort has been there for the Wranglers in the first two but the results obviously have not and they appeared to be getting frustrated. I for one would have no problem with the Aces sitting Stefanishion down and letting Brett Hemingway or Jordan Foreman play. Not sure who the Aces actually have available on the roster but they have to be smarter than Matt's been the first two games. Dumb penalties have a way of catching up with you in the long run. Good luck tonight and Go ACES!
I had a good excuse I was out of town for a graduation. After seeing the scores I think I'm glad I missed these last two games!!
Welcome back Randolph. I was going to send Beeks out on a search mission for you.
Welcome back boys. Winthorpe is throwing out Animal House references. Wow. Maybe your "white-out" outfit should be a toga tonight.
I don't think I've seen anyone mention his name, but what would happen if the Wranglers could suit up Tim Spencer to counter Stefanishion?
Not sure about getting Spencer into the lineup, although it's possible we'll see Beaudoin by Thursday as his teams game 7 is tomorrow night on the road where they got stomped 7-0 last night.
Toga, Toga, Toga!!!
No Spencer, just another fighter to get frustrated and ruin a good hockey game. Stephanishion wouldn't fight him anyway. There is no answer to Stephanishion except Stephanishion himself. Want to play dirty? Then be a man and accept the consequences, otherwise its goonery again.
Steve and vagman, yeah Stephanishion is no saint but no more a goon than Makway, except Matt actually has hockey talent. If Spencer suits up for Steph, maybe Robin Richards can come down and deal with Makway, who really belongs in the CHL at best. All kidding aside Steve, game two`s scrum didn`t break out because of Matt`s sucker punch on Watt as you called it. Wranglers crashed JP`s crease with 2 seconds left in a game long decided attempting a garbage goal and a few Aces took exception to that. And if you had witnessed what Mosienko did 10 min earlier taking JP out, then you`d understand the heightened sense of protection of their goalie. Yeah, I miss the clean, smooth play of a skilled game too, but don`t think they can out-intimidate the Aces. Wranglers best chance is skillful hockey and puck control. Undisciplined play in the playoffs, be it predictable passing or bad penalties, is a telltale sign of mental fatigue. Good luck and hope the Wranglers bring their best as being in the hole 0-3 would appear insurmountable.
Steve, in your preview article for this series you mentioned that the Wranglers should be able to take advantage of the Aces lack of discipline(they lead the league in penalty minutes per game). Vegas hasn't scored on the power play yet in the series and that is the key so far. So unless Tim Spencer developed into a sniper on the power play (which he certainly wasn't for the Aces last season) than I don't see where suiting him up would help. Again, I think the Aces cause could be helped immensely by sitting Stefanashion for a game or two but who am I to question Coach Mac with his team up two games in the series. I just want to see a good clean hockey game between these teams...and an Aces win of course! Enjoy tonight, I look forward to your postings.
Once Makway gets irritated he goes way over the edge, no excuses. However, during play you don't see Makway take the cheap shots and penalties that Matt takes. Makway has 44 minutes in 16 games, most for fighting or misconducts. Stephanshion has 41 in 7 games, only two fights that I know of. My only point being that Matt instigates and then backs away which detracts from the game. I hope they just play hockey tonight.
I think Gully understands that intimidation doesn't work in the playoff. Remember Game #1 against Cinncinatti last year? Elfudd is right the key is mental toughness, not physical.
Ah yes, it's easy to tell that game time is fast approaching. I know that we are all in agreement that these next 3 games should be awesome, intense and wildly entertaining. Yes, next THREE games before anyone says sweep!!!
I think Section213 hit it the nail on the head. You knew both teams were going to get a lot of power play chances this series, yet Las Vegas' once potent power play is 0-for-11 in the first two games!
I would attribute some if not most of the power play woes to Alaska's top rated penalty kill as it has been, dare I say it - stellar. Beaudoin would certainly help if he's not completely gased by now.
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: ECHL fines Lamoureux
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/wrangle...
Am I the only one wondering about suspensions and how they will effect the next few games? I think that the ECHL rule is that a game misconduct is an automatic 1 game suspension.
Wranglers suck, Makway, the little guy that gets high and drunk and plays in the games and all the other people that are trying to take out lammy, get your golf clubs out vegas because your season is ending TONIGHT! and right now it is 5-1 Aces WOO-HOO VEGAS SUCKS ALASKA RULES WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!