By: Annie Nadin
The Matchup
The Wranglers square off against the Bakersfield Condors for the second-last time this season at Mechanics Bank Arena, with puck drop set for 8 p.m. MT.
With two crucial points up for grabs, Calgary has a prime opportunity to climb into eighth place in the Pacific Division.
The Wranglers enter the contest riding the momentum of a 3-2 shootout victory over the Manitoba Moose on Feb. 16.
After falling behind 2-0, Calgary showed resilience.
Rory Kerins ignited the comeback with a powerplay one-timer in the second period, then struck again late in the third to erase the deficit and force overtime.
Between the pipes, Arsenii Sergeev stood tall, turning aside 25 shots through regulation and overtime before shutting the door in the shootout.
Matvei Gridin sealed the victory in round three.
“They were a group that didn’t want to be denied,” said head coach Brett Sutter. “It was about keeping positive, making sure we continue to grow, and build our game.”
The last meeting between the Wranglers and Condors came on Feb. 3, when Calgary dropped a 3-2 overtime decision.
Bakersfield holds a 2-1-0-1 edge in the season series.
Looking ahead, Sutter reinforced, “we need to make sure we are killing time in the offensive zone, creating chances, creating looks there, and they’ve done a good job with that.”
The Other Side
Bakersfield enters the matchup fresh off a 4-3 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Feb. 18. The extra two points moved the Condors into third place in the Pacific Division with 61 points.
Rookie Damien Carfagna powered the victory, recording a goal and two assists against Coachella Valley.
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