Wranglers Fall to 'Knights for Third-Straight Game
February 26, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Calgary Wranglers News Release
Tough sledding in the desert.
The Wranglers hit the road to Henderson to take on the Silver Knights on Sunday afternoon, dropping their third game in a row after a 2-1 loss.
Mitch McLain scored the lone goal for the Wranglers, his 15th of the season, with Clark Bishop and Yan Kuznetsov picking up assists.
Dustin Wolf made 22 saves between the pipes for Calgary, suffering his second loss of the season against the Silver Knights.
CGY Goal Scorers: Mitch McLain
It didn't take long for the Wranglers to get on the board in this one.
Calgary came out of the gates with confidence, finishing checks and pushing the pace early on. At the 3:17 mark, after sustained pressure in the offensive zone, Kuznetsov sent a shot from the blue line through traffic that was redirected on net. Both Bishop and McLain were parked in front of 'Knights goaltender, Jiri Patera, and both appeared to get a piece of the puck as it changed direction on its way into the back of the net.
McLain got credit for the goal to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Wranglers had three powerplay chances in the second period but were unable to score on their advantages. Kevin Rooney had the best opportunity in the middle frame, when he was sprung on a breakaway, but fired a shot off the post and was then robbed by Patera on the rebound.
Wolf made multiple big saves in the second period to preserve the one-goal lead through 40 minutes.
The Silver Knights would battle back to tie the game in the third period.
Brendan Brisson scored his eighth goal of the season for Henderson, as the initial shot from Connor Ford hit a body and altered course, falling in front of Brisson, who swept the puck on net and passed Wolf to tie the game at 1-1.
The Silver Knights would take the lead on a controversial play, six minutes later.
Lukas Cormier sent a high shot from the point that ended up being redirected by Kyle Marino in front of the Wranglers net. Due to the height at which the puck was tipped - which appeared to be well above the cross bar - the goal was challenged by Calgary, but to no avail.
After review, the goal was allowed, which gave the Silver Knights a lead at the 9:50 mark of the frame, a lead they would not relinquish.
2-1 final.
It is only the second time the Wranglers have lost three-straight contests since they went 0-3 through the first three games of the season.
Next up, Calgary heads to Coachella Valley to face the Firebirds on March 1, 2023.
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