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Calgary Wranglers drop Game 2 on controversial overtime call

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 6 2024, 1:52 am
Calgary Wranglers drop Game 2 on controversial overtime call

The Calgary Wranglers will head to California tied 1-1 in their best-of-five series versus the Coachella Valley Firebirds after a 4-3 overtime loss.

After a relatively quiet first two periods from an offensive standpoint, things opened up in the third with five goals. By the time the horn sounded to end the third period, the two sides were tied up at three apiece.

Following several high-quality chances from both sides, the Firebirds won it on a controversial goal scored by Devin Shore.

The Wranglers stayed on the bench for several moments after this goal, as it was very close to being offside. After gathering in a huddle to discuss, however, the referees confirmed the call on the ice. much to the chagrin of the 6,097 fans in attendance. Despite some seeing it differently, however, Wranglers head coach Trent Cull had no issue with the decision.

“It was close there, looked like an offside, I think we saw that, but the guys foot was raised, so I think it was fine with the offside,” Cull said. “The player jammed the puck from behind the net, but I think it was a good goal. You can only review certain things in our league, if the puck crosses the line, if it’s kicked in, so there’s not very much for reviews. But, I though it was a goal. I’m ok with it.”

Despite many Wranglers players appearing very upset while leaving the ice, cooler heads prevailed by the time they spoke with media.

“I’m not even sure,” said captain Brett Sutter when asked about the goal. “I haven’t taken a look at it. It doesn’t matter either way. It was a hard fought game. There [were] calls that could have went either way all night.”

While the final result was disappointing, there were several positives the Wranglers can take heading into Game 3, particularly the play of their top line. Jakob Pelletier, Matt Coronato, and Cole Schwindt seemed to create chances nearly every time they hit the ice. Schwindt was able to finish the game with two goals, giving him three so far in the postseason.

“I’m playing with two great players. That’s the future of Calgary hockey right there,” Schwindt said postgame. “Playing with Matty and Pelts, I have a lot of confidence with them, and we’ll look to keep things going.”

While playing on the road can be a daunting thing for many teams, the Wranglers seem to have no issue with it. Their 18-13-4 record away from the Saddledome was better than at it, and they were also just able to complete a two-game sweep in their first-round, best-of-three series in Tucson versus the Roadrunners last weekend. They’ll hope to continue that solid road play in Game 3, which will take place on Wednesday at 8 pm MT.

Colton PankiwColton Pankiw
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