Recap: Wranglers rebound against Eagles on Sunday to split weekend series
1 month ago
The Calgary Wranglers and Colorado Eagles played a rematch to wrap up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. The Wranglers looked as if they were going to walk away with the win in their last game on Friday with a 4-0 lead after the first period. Unfortunately, the Eagles made a full comeback and beat the home team 5-4. In this game, the Wranglers protected their lead much better and earned themselves a 3-1 win.
Lineup notes
The wait is finally over for the return of Jeremie Poirier. Poirier was out on injury since early in the season after suffering a skate laceration injury. He had been practising with the team all week so it appeared his return was soon. He officially got back to game action in this game against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. He skated on his typical pairing from early this year and his season with the team last year alongside Colton Poolman.
Game at a glance
The Wranglers gave Dustin Wolf the day off between the pipes and went back to Oscar Dansk to start this game. For the Eagles, Ivan Prosvetov was back in net after being pulled in their last competition on Friday night. Dansk got challenged a few times in the first few minutes of the game but stood his ground well.
The first penalty of the game was dealt to Adam Klapka at 6:23 for cross-checking. This was a boilover as a result of an Eagles player blindsiding Matt Coronato on his way off the visiting bench. This Eagles power play was cut short with a tripping call of their own just over a minute later.
During Calgary’s portion of this power play, Klapka was in front of the net and on the receiving end of a cross-check that had him down in discomfort in Colorado’s crease. Ben Jones scored on a loose puck but due to the injury in front, it was immediately waved off.
Later in the period, Adam Klapka dialed up his physicality further and took on Dalton Smith in a fight at 15:41. It was one of his better tilts of the season and his point was definitely made. The Wranglers made their point on the scoreboard as well with an opening power play goal coming from Ben Jones at 18:31. He made sure this one counted when Coronato took the shot and Jones tipped it in. Jonathan Aspirot picked up the secondary assist on this marker.
At the end of the opening frame, the Wranglers had a 1-0 lead and outshot their opponents 14-12. The second showed the frustrations of the game further with another fight early in the period. Matt Coronato was on the receiving end of another ugly hit at centre ice and Matthew Wedman immediately came to his defence.
Wedman fought Peter Holland and tacked up the penalty time with a fighting major, a misconduct and an instigating minor served by William Stromgren. Even after these calls, the teams continued to play the physical theme of this game.
Mark Duarte had a huge impact shift halfway through the middle frame when the Eagles had some good scoring chances. It started with a big block that stripped him of his stick and ended with a hit along the boards to keep his opponents at bay.
No scoring was recorded in the second period and the Wranglers held their 1-0 lead through 40 minutes of play. Calgary was out-shot in the middle frame 14-6. In the third, the Wranglers put another one up on the board to get a more comfortable cushion with a goal from Adam Klapka at 4:19. He skated the puck around the net and looked for the wraparound but waited it out to score on a wrist shot off the post. William Stromgren picked up the lone assist.
This looked like enough to hold down the score until the Eagles got one on the board with exactly two minutes to go in regulation. Riley Tufte scored right off the faceoff and got his team within one.
Ivan Prosvetov skated off for the extra attacker at 18:12 and by 19:13, Captain Brett Sutter got the puck in the empty net for an insurance goal. This closed the door on this game and earned the Wranglers a 3-1 win. The shots finished 47-32 for Colorado. Adam Klapka earned the third star of the night, Ben Jones earned the second and Oscar Dansk earned the first with his 46-save night.
Scoring stat summary
Brett Sutter – 1G
Ben Jones – 1G
Matt Coronato – 1A
Adam Klapka – 1G
William Stromgren – 1A
Jonathan Aspirot – 1A
Highlights
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Next up
The Wranglers head to warmer weather to face the Tucson Roadrunners on Tuesday and Wednesday for an early week road series. Both games are set to start at 6:30 p.m. MT.
Get ready for the Daily Faceoff Live Trade Deadline Show, coming to you on March 8th LIVE from 11 AM to 3 PM EST!! Join Tyler Yaremchuk, Frank Seravalli and friends for 4 hours of non-stop action as they dive deep into the heart of the trade deadline. They will be breaking down every trade, discussing the impact on teams, predicting the playoff picture, and giving you the inside scoop on all the wheeling and dealing happening around the league. Tune in live on March 8th from 11 AM to 3 PM EST for the The Daily Faceoff Live Trade Deadline special you won’t want to miss!
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