The Calgary Wranglers shut out the Tucson Roadrunners in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Dustin Wolf may have had the performance of his career and it will be challenging to replicate that kind of success as the Wranglers look to wrap up the series on Friday in Tucson.
Early MVP Candidate?
Dustin Wolf’s 46 save performance earned him his 5th career shutout. That was a tall task considering how dominant the Roadrunners have been. They have snuck multiple goals past the netminder before. He stood tall and gave the Wranglers a leg up. It’s almost as if someone predicted it happening…
“Probably the best I’ve ever seen Dustin play for us.” Head Coach Trent Cull told the media.
They say the goaltender is your strongest penalty killer and “they” would be right! The Roadrunners had three powerplay opportunities but the Wranglers held them off. Wolf faced 15 of the 46 shots in one period alone.
Simply put: Wolf is a workhorse.
Generating offense
Cole Schwindt finally broke the ice in the second period. The Wranglers kept that lead through the rest of the game. No one enjoys trailing and the Wranglers ensured they didn’t need to worry about that.
Calgary is going to need more than that if they want to pull off another win. Arizona might’ve been slow out of the gate during Game 1 but they’ve got something to prove in Game 2. It’s unlikely they go quietly.
The Wranglers are going to have to find creative ways to score. Will they be able to exploit Tuscon Roadrunner goaltender Matthew Villata’s weaknesses?
All eyes are on top scorers Adam Klapka and Ben Jones ahead of Game 2. Can they show up when it matters most?
Keep It Simple
It’s easy to overthink your decisions. The Wranglers have to play basic hockey and rely on fundamentals. They cannot give the Roadrunners another handful of powerplay opportunities.
The Wranglers have to stick to what they know. They had the recipe for success through the regular season. The group must stick to their guns and crank up the heat. There’s no need to take their foot off the gas.
The Wranglers lead the series 1-0 in the best-of-three series. Game 2 is on Friday, April 26 at 8:00 PM MT.
