Saturday, April 26, 2008 | 10:32 p.m.
After thumping Alaska 8-0 in the opening game of their playoff series, the Las Vegas Wranglers figured to have a tighter, and tougher, game Saturday night.
The Aces finally displayed some defense, but the Wranglers still showed their mettle in a 3-1 victory at the Orleans Arena.
Las Vegas leads the second-round, best-of-seven series 2-0.
Right wing Adam Cracknell and defenseman Jason Jozsa scored to give the Wranglers a 2-0 lead, but Alaska finally got on the scoreboard on a slap shot by defenseman Matt Shasby early in the third period.
Las Vegas rookie goalie Kevin Lalande had not yielded a goal in more than 106 minutes of the series until Shasby broke that string.
Wranglers center Curtis Fraser gave Lalande breathing room when he scored the final goal of the game, and his fourth of the postseason, with 6 1/2 minutes left.
Games 3 and 4 shift to Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Game 5, if needed, will be played in Alaska on Friday.
Las Vegas has never advanced past the second round in three previous playoff appearances. Idaho defeated the Wranglers twice and went on to win the Kelly Cup championship, and the Aces did the same thing two seasons ago.
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