ECHL Bakersfield Condors

Wranglers One Better, 3-2

Published on January 18, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release


Bakersfield, Calif. – Riku Varjamo's power play goal snapped a tie score and carried the Las Vegas Wranglers to a narrow 3-2 victory over the Bakersfield Condors in front of 6,574 fans at Centennial Garden on Saturday night.

The second-largest crowd of the season watched Vegas take a 1-0 lead when Ryan Christie banged in a loose rebound just 3:27 into the game. G Shane Bendera lost sight of the puck after stopping a shot from the right point. The shots were 15-10 in the opening frame and Wrangler's G Marc Magliarditi was off to a strong start.

Bakersfield needed nearly forty minutes before finally getting to Magliarditi, but Kevin Riehl finally tied the game at 1-1 late in the second. The Condors leading point-getter tickled the twine for his 12th of the season, finishing off a brilliant passing play by linemates Jason Ralph and Johan Astrom. With just one second remaining in the middle frame, Christie was called for a boarding major after drilling the Condors Paul Willett head first into the end boards, giving the Condors a pivotal five minute power play to start the third.

Instead of taking the lead, however, it was Vegas that took advantage. Greg Day scored on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Wranglers a 2-1 lead just 35 seconds into the third. Willett would later score on the power play for his fourth of the season to tie the game once again. Back-to-back penalties by the Condors gave the Wranglers a couple power plays of their own later in the third, however, and they regained the lead for good. Varjamo's blast found it's way through traffic in front of the net for the game winner at 8:18.

The Condors head into the All-Star break with an 11-19-6 record, in fifth place in the eight-team Pacific Division. The 2004 Par-A-Dice ECHL All-Star Game can be heard live from Peoria, Ill. on Wednesday night on KGEO AM 1230, with an expanded pregame show starting following the news at 5:00pm. Condors forward Andrew Ianiero will represent Bakersfield and the Western Conference in the contest. Tonight's game will be replayed on Bright House Networks Ch. 21 on Sunday morning at 10:00.

Individual tickets can be purchased at the Centennial Garden box office, which opens at 10:00am Monday through Saturday, by calling Ticketmaster at 322-2525, online at ticketmaster.com or stopping by any Ticketmaster location. Season and group tickets may be purchased by calling 324-PUCK (7825) or by visiting the Condors office next to Centennial Garden.

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ECHL Stories from January 18, 2004


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