Although the Wranglers lost, it was a good game for the Wranglers, probably the best out of the three games. Passing had improved (but still needs work), and the offense had improved (but still needs work). If the Wranglers could have the 1st period back, I believe they would have had a really good shot at winning the game. The 2nd and 3rd periods were evenly matched between the Wranglers and the Lakers.The Lakers started the game with a lot of intensity, scoring just 0:42 seconds into the game. A quick left side top shelf shot by the Laker's Hoffman that simply caught the Wranglers off guard. This was followed by three more goals that initially took the wind right out of the Wranglers. I mentioned that leadership was needed, well I'm not sure what was said in between periods but for the remainder of the game the team did start to come together; the Wranglers put up a defense and started an offense. Shots were almost evenly matched with the Wranglers posting 31 shots overall to the Lakers 38. The Laker goalie, Amatto was very stiff and stingy to the Wranglers. There were several times that he robbed the Wranglers of what should have been goals.
I and the fans liked what we saw, cycling the puck behind the net, passing in the offensive zone, and shots on goal both near and far. I would have liked it if the Wranglers would have spent more time in front of the net harassing the goalie, but they did do some of that. Grant Long's goal (unassisted) was a result of none of the above, just a well placed shot that Amatto missed. Sure there were still some missed passes and some missed opportunities, but it was probably the best game played out of the three with the Lakers. If I had any "nit-picky" comments they would probably be: One, the forwards should have come back to help get the puck out of the Wrangler zone. Too many times I saw the "D" struggling while a forward just stood 3-4 feet away waiting. And two, spread out. Several times I saw the pass go to where there should have been a Wrangler only to find empty ice.
The Wrangler "D" stepped it up in this game. Many times I saw the "D" pinch in to the offensive zone and make some scoring opportunities. All the Wrangler defensemen went in, during various times of the game, pursued the puck and had good scoring opportunities. Long and Miller play well together. Summa and Webster were not taking any "guff" from any Lakers. And Chase harassed any Laker that tried to stand in front of the net. Way to go boys, that's hockey.
Finally, the Lakers beat the Wranglers because of their spread out offense and quick, crisp, passing. I was surprised at how many times they made some quick shots on goal out of almost nowhere. BUT, the Wranglers were and are starting to get that too. Keep cycling the puck, use the points, pass it around, make 'em chase the puck around, and most importantly shoot when you sense a good opportunity. This is only the second or third game where the Wranglers have exceeded 30 shots on goal (other was Fri., Oct. 3 against the Tri-City Titans). Learn from this and maybe the season will turn around. The Wrangler players need to start quoting the recent presidential saying, "YES WE CAN."
The Wranglers play the Tri-City Titans this coming weekend (Nov. 21 & 22) in the Tri-Cities.
