Stephen Sylvanie/Special to the Sun
Wrangler forward Ryan Weston rips a shot past sprawling Ontario defenseman Dylan Yeo during the first period of Friday’s home opener at the Orleans Arena.
Friday, Oct. 21, 2011 | 11:28 p.m.
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The Las Vegas Wranglers scored three goals in an eight minute span of game action to defeat the Ontario Reign, 4-1, in their home-opener at the Orleans Arena Friday.
“I think the win is huge, especially when you have such an amazing crowd,” Wranglers head coach Ryan Mougenel said. “The guys are excited to play here. The support was unbelievable. The fans were loud. It was awesome.
“The fans make the commitment to the players and the players make the commitment to the fans,” Mougenel said. “It goes hand and hand. I was real happy with the crowd. I thought it was awesome.”
Las Vegas forward Eric Lampe started the scoring for the Wranglers with a goal at the 19:01 mark of the first period to take a 1-0 lead. Lampe was assisted by Peter MacArthur and Ryan Weston.
Ontario answered back with a Chris Cloud goal at the 7:34 mark of the second period to tie the game at a goal apiece.
The Wranglers retook the lead with a strong slap shot goal by defenseman Michael Busto from near the Ontario blue line to give Las Vegas a 2-1 lead with 1:17 remaining in the second period.
Las Vegas defenseman Channing Boe, who agreed to terms with the team for the 2011-12 season on Thursday, handed the Wranglers a 3-1 advantage with a goal early in the third period.
Wranglers forward Judd Blackwater capped the scoring for Las Vegas with a goal at the 6:33 mark of the third period to extend the lead to 4-1. He was assisted by Adam Miller and Thomas Kiriakou.
Stars of the game: 1. Eric Lampe (1 goal); 2. Adam Miller (2 assists); 3. Joe Fallon (21 saves).
Penalty Killers: The Wranglers picked up seven penalties during the game. The Reign, however, were unable to capitalize on Las Vegas’ miscues as the Wranglers killed all seven of Ontario’s power play opportunities.
Big Shooters: The Wranglers had a 33-22 shots-on-goal advantage over Ontario, including a 15-4 advantage in the opening period. Judd Blackwater led the way with six shots-on-goal while Eric Lampe and Scott Campbell each had four.
Next up: The Wranglers host the Bakersfield Condors at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Orleans Arena for the second game of a five-game home stand, which concludes on Oct. 28 against the Colorado Eagles.
Final word: “I’m real happy with how the team competed on the penalty kill,” Mougenel said. “The penalty kill for me is real important. I thought the guys did an amazing job at getting in lanes and blocking shots. They didn’t get many quality looks on the power play because guys were in lanes.”
The Orleans Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of the nation’s leading mid-sized arenas, and was recently ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 5 internationally among venues of similar size by Venues Today Magazine.
The Arena hosts more than 200 events each year, including concerts by top names like Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Van Halen, Brooks & Dunn, Black Eyed Peas, Akon and Rihanna; family favorites like The Harlem Globetrotters and Circus Spectacular; and a wide variety of sporting events, including NCAA basketball tournaments, the West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference Basketball Championships, mixed martial arts with Superior Cage Combat, and major motorsports events.
The arena serves as home to the Las Vegas Wranglers professional ECHL hockey team, the Las Vegas Legends professional indoor soccer team, and the Lingerie Football League’s Las Vegas Sin. Stay connected to the Orleans Arena on Facebook (www.facebook.com/orleansarena) and on Twitter (@orleansarena).
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