Amarillo, Tx– The Wranglers used a 33-save performance from goaltender Carter Clafton to secure a 1-to-0 win Friday night over the visiting Odessa Jackalopes.
The weekend matchup between Amarillo and Odessa signals the last two games for the Wranglers’ ten-game homestand before playing seven straight games on the road.
Over 2,500 fans witnessed an exciting goalie duel between Clafton and Odessa goalie Gergely Orosz. The contest started with both goalies making dazzling saves throughout the opening period. Both teams generated power-play chances but would not cash in.
Early in the second period, the Jackalopes executed a cross-crease pass but was denied by the skate of Clafton, who made the sprawling save and sent the fans to their feet. Amarillo would put 16 shots on goal in the second period but were held off the board again. Odessa would get two more power-play opportunities, but the Wranglers’ penalty kill kept Odessa off the board.
Amarillo would finally break the ice 1:32 into the third period when Connor McNaughton slipped the puck past an outstretched Orosz, and the goal became McNaughton’s fifth goal of the season. The Jackalopes would turn up the pressure on Clafton throughout the third, but Clafton would keep the door shut. With the dazzling play of Clafton between the pipes, the Wranglers would secure the 1-to-0 win.
The victory helps the Wranglers improve to 16-12-2-1 and move three points behind the New Mexico Ice Wolves for the fourth spot in the division. The shutout is the first of the season for the Wranglers and Clafton’s fifth win. Amarillo will look to close out the homestand with a sweep of the Jackalopes Saturday night.