Shreveport, LA– The Wranglers complete the comeback with a shootout victory 3-to-2 to sweep the defending Robertson Cup champion Mudbugs.
Amarillo would start the game with most of the possession time and would not allow Shreveport to get to the offensive zone. The Wranglers would break the ice around the seven-minute mark when Glebs Prohorenkovs beat Simon Bucheler through the five-hole for his fourth goal of the season.
The Wranglers would dictate play until the Mudbugs went to the powerplay with just over two minutes left in the period. Shreveport would have possession for almost two minutes of the powerplay but could not get shots past the Amarillo defense. Late in the powerplay, Shreveport would get to Gutjahr,but the Amarillo goalie shut the door to give the visitors a one-goal lead going into the second period.
Shreveport controlled play throughout the second period and quickly tied the game with a Lukas Sedlacek goal just 3:32 into the middle frame. Just moments later, the Mudbugs would grab their first lead of the weekend when Niklas Miller buried a rebound for his second goal of the weekend.
Amarillo would take over the game in the third period, peppering the Mudbugs goalie Bucheler and would tie the game in the final three minutes of regulation when Kristaps Skrastins scored his 11th goal of the season off a rebound. Both teams would get chances in the overtime frame but neither team would score and the game would be decided in the shootout.
Neither goalie would give in through the first four rounds of the shootout and the tie wouldn’t be broken until Wrangelrs defenseman Jakob Peterson blew a wrist shot base Bucheler to put the pressure on Jake Mack to keep the game alive. Gutjahr would stop Mack’s shot and give the Wranglers the come from behind victory over Shreveport.
Amarillo improves to 7-and-3 and has 14 points on the season. Max Gutjahr now has a 5-and-3 record and registered 64 saves this weekend. The sweep marks the first time an Amarillo team has swept the Mudbugs in Shreveport. The Wranglers will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Lone Star Brahams at the Nytex Sports Center in North Richland Hills.