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Salmon Kings Double up Wranglers

February 13, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Las Vegas, NV - In a Sunday afternoon contest at the Orleans Arena, the Victoria Salmon Kings went for their third straight win against the Western Conference leading Las Vegas Wranglers in the finale of a two game set. The Salmon Kings went with David Shantz between the pipes, while the Wranglers gave the nod in net to Michael Ouzas.

The Salmon Kings came out strong in the opening minutes of the first period as they looked to net the game's first goal on two early odd-man rushes. Ouzas and the Wranglers' defense were equal to the task to keep the game scoreless. Rob Hennigar kept the pressure on the home side as he forced a turnover in the Las Vegas corner and threaded a pass to Painchaud in the right wing circle. Victoria's leading scorer from a year ago snapped a quick shot that Ouzas pushed aside with his blocker. The Salmon Kings then turned in another 2-on-1 chance, which forced the Wranglers' first penalty of the game. Off the faceoff win, Ryan Turek moved the puck along the blue line into the middle for Ryan MacMurchy, who blasted a shot that found its way through the pads of the Las Vegas netminder at 3:11. Midway through the period, Victoria held an 8-2 shot advantage over the Wranglers as they kept up the pressure and forced Ouzas to make several tough saves to keep the game at a 1-0 score. Las Vegas matched the Salmon Kings' offensive flow in the late stages of the period, as they kept Shantz busy with a flurry of shots. As the game opened up in back-and-forth action late in the frame, Las Vegas realized their third power play opportunity. As the Wranglers tried to utilize the man advantage to knot the game at one, Victoria forced a turnover in the neutral zone and sent MacMurchy in all alone on Ouzas. The Regina, SK native made a forehand-to-backhand move as he outwaited the netminder to bury the puck for his second of the game and 14th of the year. Shantz turned aside all 15 shots he faced in the period to maintain the Salmon Kings' 2-0 advantage into the second period.

Victoria began the period shorthanded as the late penalty carried over into the middle frame. The Wranglers were then awarded a two-man advantage for a minute and a half, but could not beat the Salmon Kings' penalty kill unit to get on the scoreboard. The Salmon Kings looked to take momentum back and nearly banked their third goal on a goalmouth scramble. Ouzas managed to smother the puck in his crease and took exception to defenseman Jeff Caister near the net. A scrum ensued around the Wranglers' crease but cooler heads prevailed with minor penalties assessed to Ouzas and Matt Siddall. Midway through the period, the pace picked up as both teams had quality chances to bank the next goal. As the Wranglers pushed forward, Matt Butcher stole the puck and moved in on the left wing on a 2-on-1 with Hennigar. The former Northern Michigan University Wildcat looked off his teammate and snapped the puck past Ouzas at 15:19 for his fourth of the campaign. As the end-to-end action continued in the later stages of the frame, Colin Long had an opportunity to score the home side's first goal on the rush down the right wing. Long put a hard shot on net but Shantz knocked the puck down and smothered the rebound. The Salmon Kings took their 3-0 lead into the third period.

Both teams continued the good pace early in the third period as Shantz and Ouzas were equally tested. The Wranglers were awarded their second extended 5-on-3 advantage early in the frame, but the Victoria penalty kill team stood tall and didn't allow any quality scoring chances. As the Salmon Kings got back to 5-on-4 action, another infraction was called to the visiting team, which gave the Wranglers an additional 44 seconds of a two-man advantage. Las Vegas used quick puck movement on the power play to find Nick Ross in the high slot. Ross snapped a shot through a maze of bodies in front that eluded Shantz at 7:22. The Wranglers began to gain momentum as they looked to cut the deficit to one. Greg Collins thought he had Las Vegas' second goal on a shot from the right side of the net, but Shantz was quick to move across the crease to get his blocker on the attempt. The Salmon Kings would then extend their lead to 4-1 at the 13:56 mark. Derek Couture moved in on the right wing to start a 3-on-1 for the Salmon Kings, as Butcher and Ryan Dingle crashed the net. The veteran forward dished the puck in front and Butcher got his stick on it to slide home his second of the night. Late in the frame, tempers flared in front of the Salmon Kings' bench. Multiple players engaged in a scrum which resulted in 23 minutes of penalties handed out. The Wranglers ended the scoring for the night as Barry Goers tallied his fourth of the year with 34 seconds left in the game. Salmon Kings 4 Wranglers 2.

Victoria went 1/3 33.3% on the power play, while Las Vegas finished 2/11 18.2%. The Wranglers outshot the Salmon Kings 32-23.

The Salmon Kings continue their six-game road trip with a matchup against the Bakersfield Condors this Tuesday February 15th at the Rabobank Arena. Game time is at 7:05 pm. To watch or listen live to Salmon Kings hockey visit www.salmonkings.com. Victoria returns home to face the Utah Grizzlies for a two-game set on Friday, February 25th at 7:05 p.m. For tickets, call 250-220-7777 or visit www.selectyourtickets.com.

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