Wranglers Fall to Eagles on the Road

BRYAN WILSON – 03.03.2023

It was a game that had a bit of everything… except a ‘W’ for the Wranglers.

The Wranglers were on the road in Colorado for what was an exciting and physical game against the Eagles, however, they lost 3-1 on Friday night.

Jeremie Poirier scored the lone goal for the Wranglers, while Adam Klapka and Alex Gallant picked up an assist and a fighting major each.

Despite the loss, Dustin Wolf was marvelous in net, turning aside 21 shots. He made multiple highlight reel saves between the pipes, but in the end, dropped his eighth decision of the season. (31-8-2-4).

CGY Goal Scorers: Jeremie Poirier

The first period was full of physicality.

Just minutes into the game, Klapka dropped the mitts with Keaton Middleton for a lengthy bout between two heavy-weight combatants and it swayed the momentum towards the Wranglers early on.

Midway through the period, off a Wranglers rush, Gallant dropped the puck to Poirier, who blasted home his sixth goal of the season to give Calgary the lead. 1-0.

As the clocked ticked down in the opening frame, Gallant took exception to a hard hit in the corner and stood up for his teammate, dropping the mitts with Brandon Cutler for a spirited scrap.

The Eagles would continue to press late in the period, lighting the lamp twice in the final two minutes of the frame to pull ahead. Callahan Burke tied the game with his 16^th goal of the season and Cedric Pare added his eighth at the 19:36 mark to give Colorado a 2-1 lead heading into the break.

Both teams settled in and played a much more structured game in the second period, while nothing changed on the scoresheet. The Wranglers ran into a bit of penalty trouble, but killed off all three penalties they took in the middle frame.

Calgary started the third period on an abbreviated powerplay but it was Wolf that was tested in the opening minute. He stood tall – in Wolf-like fashion – making a huge save on a breakaway attempt by Justin Scott in the first 30 seconds. Then, moments later, he robbed Oskar Olausson with a massive lateral left-pad save to keep the puck out and keep the score close.

However, Colorado would continue to apply pressure as the period went along and eventually they would make good on their chances, as Alex Galchenyuk fired home his 12^th goal of the season at the 16:07 mark to extend the Eagles’ lead.

In the end, Colorado would hold on for the 3-1 win.

The Wranglers won’t have to wait long for a rematch, as they will face the Eagles again on Saturday night. Puck drop is 7:05pm MST.