Wranglers improve to 3-1 on road trip with win over Thunder

By Ed Hauth

Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011 | 1 a.m.

The Wranglers (10-5-1-2) improved to 3-1 on their current five-game road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Stockton Thunder on Friday night at Stockton Arena.

Las Vegas defenseman Mike Hoffman, who signed with the Wranglers last Friday to help take the place of AHL call-up Jamie Fritsch, scored his first goal as a Wrangler at the 5:33 mark of the first period on an unassisted goal to take a 1-0 lead.

“One of the biggest things is that he is an amazing teammate,” Wranglers head coach Ryan Mougenel said of Hoffman. “He’s had an immediate impact. The guys lean on him for leadership. He goes out and holds guys accountable and plays the right way. He’s done a great job.”

Wranglers forward Robbie Smith gave Las Vegas a 2-0 lead with an assisted goal from Mike Madill and Barry Goers with 5:16 remaining in the first period.

After the Thunder cut the deficit in half with a Garet Hunt goal in the second period, the Wranglers answered with a power-play goal from forward Eric Lampe midway through the third period to extend Las Vegas’ lead to 3-1.

Lampe, who leads the ECHL with 16 goals, was the beneficiary of assists from Adam Miller and Ryan Weston.

Thunder defenseman Nathan Deck scored at the 11:40 mark of the third period to bring Stockton within a goal of the Wranglers, but Las Vegas goaltender Joe Fallon was able to record 14 saves in the final period to help secure the victory.

Previously on the road stretch, the Wranglers won the first two games at Utah before getting shut out by the Grizzlies 4-0 on Monday at the Maverik Center.

Las Vegas recorded its first shutout of the season during the opening game of the five-game road trip with a 5-0 victory over the Grizzlies on Nov. 18.

Las Vegas forward Judd Blackwater, who ranks third in the ECHL in scoring with 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists, recorded a hat trick and Fallon stopped all 21 Grizzlies shots on goal.

In the second game of the series against Utah, Las Vegas rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Grizzlies 5-3 behind two goals from Miller, a goal from Blackwater and 36 saves from Fallon.

“He’s recommitted himself to the game and he’s playing the game the right way,” Mougenel said of Blackwater. “When you do that you get a lot of offensive opportunities. Judd is extremely creative and has a great knack around the net. He’s definitely improved as a player and as a person since I coached him three years ago. He’s grown leaps and bounds.”

Stars of the road trip: 1. Judd Blackwater (4 goals, 1 assist); 2. Joe Fallon (94 saves on 99 shots); 3.Adam Miller (2 goals, 3 assists)

Next up: The Wranglers return to the ice on Saturday as they conclude their five-game road stand with a matchup against the Thunder. Las Vegas returns home to the Orleans Arena next Friday to face the Idaho Steelheads at 7:05 p.m. in the annual Teddy Bear Toss night to benefit Sunrise Acres Elementary School.

Final word: “We relish the fact that we had him for so long,” Mougenel said of Peter MacArthur, who was called up to the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen last week. “Like a lot of these guys, he deserved an opportunity at the next level. We miss his offensive production, but guys have stepped up like Adam Huxley, Robbie Smith and Eric Lampe, and they’ve all contributed. When you lose a guy at this level, it’s real important that guys step up and fill that void.”