Rocket score twice in third, beat Wranglers 5–3

CALGARY — The Laval Rocket scored twice early in the third period to break open a tie game and defeat the Calgary Wranglers 5–3 on Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Laval set the tone quickly, opening the scoring just 37 seconds into the game when Filip Mešár netted his fifth of the season off a setup from Lucas Condotta and Adam Engström. Calgary answered at 5:32, as Dryden Hunt buried his 12th of the year, finishing a play created by Martin Frk and Daniil Miromanov.

The Rocket regained the lead midway through the first period. At 9:39, David Reinbacher jumped into the rush and snapped home his fourth of the season, with Condotta recording his second assist of the period and Owen Beck adding the secondary helper to make it 2–1 after 20 minutes.

The second period saw momentum swing back and forth as both teams traded goals. Calgary tied the game at 6:41 when Lucas Ciona scored his fourth of the season, finishing a setup from David Silye with Zayne Parekh picking up the secondary assist. The Wranglers then took their first lead of the night at 8:47, as Aydar Suniev buried his ninth of the season with Parekh collecting his second assist of the period and Rory Kerins adding the secondary helper.

Laval responded late in the frame. With 43 seconds remaining, William Trudeau tied the game at 19:17, scoring his sixth of the season off a feed from Laurent Dauphin to send the teams into the second intermission knotted 3–3.

The Rocket wasted little time pulling ahead in the third period. At 1:54, Engström scored his second goal of the game and seventh of the season, finishing a play set up by Jared Davidson and Mešár to make it 4–3. Laval struck again at 4:12, when Davidson added his 13th of the year, with Beck and Tyler Thorpe recording the assists to extend the lead to two.

Calgary pressed for a response but could not break through the rest of the way. The Wranglers outshot Laval 33–26 on the afternoon, but the Rocket goaltender, Jacob Fowler turned aside 30 of 33 shots for a .909 save percentage. Calgary netminder, Arsenii Sergeev finished with 21 saves on 26 shots for a .808 save percentage in the loss.

Tucson posts 5-2 win over Wranglers as Kerins ties franchise point streak record

CALGARY -- The Calgary Wranglers opened the scoring Friday night but ultimately fell 5-2 to the Tucson Roadrunners at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Rory Kerins gave Calgary an early lift, finishing a play set up by Dryden Hunt and William Stromgren. The goal extended Kerins’ point streak to 11 games, tying a Wranglers franchise record.

Lucas Ciona accounted for Calgary’s other goal, converting on a setup from Etienne Morin and Parker Bell as the Wranglers worked to stay within reach.

Tucson generated consistent offense throughout the game, finishing with a 43-20 edge in shots on goal. Owen Say faced heavy workload in net for Calgary, stopping 38 shots and posting a .884 save percentage.

Special teams played a role in the outcome, with Tucson going 2-for-6 on the power play while Calgary was held scoreless on four opportunities.

The Wranglers will have a chance to respond quickly as the two teams meet again Sunday afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 pm MT at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Gulls Defeat Wranglers 4–3 in Overtime at Scotiabank Saddledome

CALGARY - The San Diego Gulls defeated the Calgary Wranglers 4–3 in overtime Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome, winning on a power-play goal late in the extra period.

The game-winner came at 4:32 of overtime, when Tristan Luneau scored from the point, beating goaltender Owen Say blocker side. Matthew Phillips and Tim Washe recorded the assists on the deciding play.

Calgary opened the scoring at 6:16 of the first period. Andrew Basha set up Lucas Ciona in the high slot, and Ciona’s quick release beat Callie Clang high on the blocker side for his second goal of the season. Filip Cicek added the secondary assist.

San Diego tied the game at 11:03 of the first on the power play. Phillips, a former Wrangler and Calgary native, scored on a rebound just two seconds into the man advantage, with Justin Bailey and Washe picking up the assists.

The second period featured a rapid stretch of scoring, with three goals coming in a span of 1:05. Phillips scored his second of the night at 11:25 to give the Gulls a 2–1 lead. Calgary responded 30 seconds later when Parker Bell scored from close range at 11:55. Just 35 seconds after that, Rory Kerins put the Wranglers back in front at 12:30, finishing at the side of the net after a pass from Daniil Miromanov. Martin Frk also earned an assist on the play.

San Diego tied the game again in the third period. Jan Myšák scored on the power play at 10:04, with assists from Sasha Pastujov and Ryan Carpenter, evening the score at 3–3.

Say finished the night with 46 saves on 50 shots, helping Calgary extend the game to overtime despite San Diego holding a significant advantage in shot attempts.

Both teams had opportunities in the extra session before San Diego capitalized on a late power play to secure the win.

Wranglers Drop 4–1 Decision to Barracuda on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Saddledome

CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers fell 4–1 to the San Jose Barracuda Saturday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome, as San Jose completed the two-game sweep in front of a strong crowd for the team’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer game.

The Barracuda struck first at the 8:00 mark of the opening period, when Egor Afanasyev (#11) cut in over the blue line and snapped a low shot far side past Ivan Prosvetov. The goal was the first of the season for the 6'4" left winger from Tver, Russia, who was drafted 45th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2019 and traded to San Jose earlier this year.

San Jose added to their lead after Calgary forward Rory Kerins was called for interference. On the power play, Pavol Regenda (#84) sent a puck into traffic that eventually found Kasper Halttunen (#14), who buried it to make it 2–0. Just minutes later, Halttunen scored again — this time on a clean shot from the left circle for his second of the game and third of the season. The Helsinki-born forward was a second-round pick (36th overall) in 2023 and is currently in the final year of his three-year entry-level contract.

Calgary’s best chance of the first came in the dying seconds, when a Wranglers forward broke in alone, but goaltender Gabriel Carriere stood tall. San Jose outshot Calgary 11–5 in the first.

Tempers flared late in the period as Alex Gallant and Anthony Vincent dropped the gloves, although the fight didn’t escalate beyond a quick exchange. Jimmy Huntington, who had earlier laid a heavy hit on Hunter Brzustewicz, was involved in a scrap of his own later in the second with Calgary’s Nick Cicek — possibly in response to that earlier collision.

Calgary found some life late in the second. After several chances turned away by Carriere, the Wranglers finally broke through with 2:17 left in the period. Aydar Suniev’s shot from the right dot deflected off Sam Morton and then off Lucas Ciona (#17), who redirected it in for his first goal of the season. That cut the deficit to 3–1 heading into the third.

The Wranglers had two power play opportunities in the game but were unable to convert, falling to 6-for-40 on the season (15.0%). San Jose went 1-for-2, improving their power play efficiency to 13-for-50 (26%).

In the third, Calgary pushed hard. Parker Bell had multiple rushes, Matvei Gridin had several looks, and Brzustewicz nearly scored on a wraparound. Carriere was sharp throughout, including a glove save on Regenda shorthanded and a key stop on Brzustewicz walking in from the point.

With time running down, Calgary pulled Prosvetov for the extra attacker, but Colin White sealed the game with an empty net goal — his second goal of the year — making it 4–1 San Jose.

After the game, Barracuda GM Joe Will praised his forward depth, saying several players could contribute at the NHL level this season. He also noted confidence in both of San Jose’s AHL goalies — Carriere and Škarek — to step in and help the big club if needed.