Recap: Wranglers jump two spots in the division standings after 5-2 win against Condors
3 months ago
The Calgary Wranglers hit the road this weekend for their second last away series. They travelled to Bakersfield to face the Condors with two goals in mind. To pull ahead in their tight season series and to make up some ground in the Pacific Division to overthrow Bakersfield’s spot at sixth. Calgary made strides towards both goals by finishing the night with a 5-2 final score.
Lineup notes
Parker Bell made his AHL season debut in this game with the Wranglers. He didn’t make it on the board for this game but did put up one shot. Bell skated on a line with Brett Sutter and Matthew Wedman. Riley Damiani and Matthew Wedman also returned to the lineup in this game and swapping out of the lineup were Lucas Ciona, Clark Bishop and Yan Kuznetsov. Jonathan Aspirot was playing on the blue line this game.
Connor Murphy also started for this game and proves he has earned his spot as the go-to goaltender in Dustin Wolf’s absence. Oscar Dansk was pulled in his last game against San Jose after giving up three unanswered goals by the midway mark of the second period.
Game at a glance
Murphy took his place between the pipes for Calgary and on the other end, Olivier Rodrigue started for the Condors. The action started almost immediately when the Bakersfield goaltender was called for interference just 36 seconds into the game. Seth Griffith served his minor call and the Wranglers got a couple of early shots on goal.
Shortly after this penalty expired, the Condors pulled the momentum in their direction and scored the first goal of the night off a one-timer through traffic. Sam Gagner was the goal scorer for Bakersfield just 4:16 into this game.
Later in the period, they were on a four on four and Mitch McLain scored the first marker for Calgary. McLain was right on the doorstep to receive a pass from William Stromgren and slide the puck past Rodrigue. This goal came at 14:30.
That wrapped up the scoring in the first and at the end of 20 minutes, the Wranglers and Condors were evened up 1-1. Shots were 12-10 for Bakersfield. In the second, the Wranglers got their first lead of the game off a goal from William Stromgren at 4:05. Stromgren took some notes from McLain and redirected a shot deep in front of the net. Jordan Oesterle and Jakob Pelletier assisted on this marker.
Things got a bit chippy after this goal with Max Wanner and Matthew Wedman both being tagged for penalties at 6:39. Wanner was called for tripping and Wedman was called for roughing. Wanner put up a hit on Brett Sutter and Wedman defended his captain. This play was kept top of mind as just seconds after they exited the box, they fought and earned themselves a seat back in the sin bin for an extended amount of time.
After their five minute majors expired, Rory Kerins helped the Wranglers pull ahead by two with a goal at 15:44. Jordan Oesterle took the shot and Kerins got the rebound in the back of the net on a falling play.
The Condors got a couple of minutes of zone time after this goal then before the end of the period, Jakob Pelletier tacked on the third Calgary goal of the frame off a sweet breakaway finish at 19:35.
At the end of 40 minutes, the Wranglers led 4-1 and outshot the Condors 13-10 in the middle frame. In the third, things were even to start then some special teams came into play. The Condors were able to score another at 10:54 on the power play. Lane Pederson was the goal scorer for Bakersfield off a shot from the faceoff dot.
At 17:15, the Condors pulled Rodrigue but he needed to return to his crease about 30 seconds later. He went back off just shy of the 18-minute mark and Brett Sutter buried the puck in the empty net at 19:44. The final horn sounded and the Wranglers beat the Condors 5-2.
Bakersfield finished with a 36-30 edge in shots and went one for three on the power play. The Wranglers got two of the three stars with William Stromgren earning the second and Jakob Pelletier earning the first.
Scoring stat summary
Mitch McLain – 1G
Jordan Oesterle – 2A
Ben Jones – 1A
Rory Kerins – 1G
William Stromgren – 1G, 2A
Jakob Pelletier – 1G, 1A
Next up
This series continues less than 24 hours later with another 8:00 p.m. matchup in Bakersfield, CA. This game is being streamed on AHL.tv for the free preview game of the week if you’re looking to tune in. After this win, the Wranglers have jumped to fifth in the Pacific Division.
GO WILD with Nation Gear’s end of regular season MERCH MADNESS SALE! Nation Gear is offering our favorite fans 20% off ALL regular season merch AND FREE SHIPPING on orders over $200! Stock up your closet for the playoffs, or grab that merch you’ve been eyeing up all season long. DON’T WAIT – This sale only lasts from April 1st-7th, 2024! SHOP THE SALE: nationgear.ca
Recent articles from Paige Siewert
