Shreveport, LA– The Wranglers outlasted the Shreveport Mudbugs Friday night with a 4-to-1 win to start the season with five straight wins.
The Wranglers would open the scoring at just 4:30 of the game when Chase Davis beat Shreveport goalie Tommy Aitken for his first goal of the season. The Mudbugs would initiate the physical play halfway through the opening period but could not translate it to success in the offensive zone. Both teams would get powerplay chances in the opening, but neither would cash in. The Wranglers would hold the Mudbugs to only five shots on goal in the opening period.
Neither team could gain traction in the second period, with most of the middle frame going back and forth with big hits and scrums along the board. Amarillo would double their lead later in the period when Nikolas Campbell took advantage of a blocked shot to quickly shoot the rebound past the mudbugs goalie to give Amarillo the 2-to-0 advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the period. Shreveport responded moments later when Garrett Steele buried a rebound past Carter Calfton on the powerplay to send the teams into the locker room with a 2-to-1 score.
Both teams picked up the action in the final period, with the speed of both teams stealing the spotlight. Amarillo would have their work cut out when Pierce Patterson was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct. The teams skated four-on-four for under two minutes, and the Mudbugs had a powerplay for 3:35 late in the game. The Wranglers would hold off the Shreveport attack and kill off the penalty. A few minutes later, Amarillo would get a pair of empty net goals from Logan Cleary and Kyle Demarco to secure the 4-to-1 win.
Carter Clafton faced 26 shots and stopped 25 for his third win of the season. The Wranglers will go for the weekend sweep Saturday night with a 7:11 puck drop at Hirsch Coliseum.