The Amarillo Wranglers struggles continued against the Wichita Falls Warriors last weekend at the Budweiser Bullpen.
In an attempt to gain ground on the Warriors, the Wranglers fell short in both games, dropping Friday’s contest 4-3, followed by a 5-1 loss in front a great crowd of an announced 3,100.
Friday Night
The Warriors started the scoring first with a power-play goal at the 10:06 mark of the first period. The Wranglers answered back at the 12 minute mark of the first period when Kristaps Skrastins took a beautiful pass from new acquisition and Ukrainian forward Danylo Korzhyetski to tie it up. The Latvian phenom is currently second in goals in the NAHL with 26. Straskins went on to score again, but Wichita Falls took the victory.
Saturday Night
In front of over 3,100 boisterous and enthusiastic fans, the Wranglers came out hungry for a win. Newly acquired and former Minot Minotaurs Goalie Carter Clayfton got his first start for the Wranglers. The Warriors came out swinging, but so did Amarillo with too many skirmishes to count. Emotions on the ice were at a very high level. The Warriors scored first at the 7:13 mark of the first period. The Warriors then tacked on three more goals as Amarillo had difficulty finding the back of the net.
One highlight for the Wranglers came in the third period at the 14:13 mark when the University of New Hampshire commit Kristaps Skrastins hit a “One Timer” so hard they heard it in Dumas. This was Skrastins’ 26th goal of the season and places him second in the league for goals.
The Wrangler Fan Experience
The Wranglers experience at the Budweiser Bullpen this season has been exceptional. This past weekend was no exception. Friday night’s game saw period break entertainment from the “Top of Texas” professional wrestling league, in what can only be described as a macabre and esoteric professional wrestling display. The fans at the Civic Center seemed highly entertained. Saturday night’s festivities started off with Spider-Man repelling from the ceiling of the Budweiser Bullpen and delivering the game puck. After the game, the Wranglers auctioned off their game worn Spider-Man themed jerseys for charity/non-profits in the Corral that saw a lot of money raised for very, very good causes. The inaugural season for the Amarillo Wranglers has been nothing but phenomenal. The Wranglers are fourth in attendance for the entire NAHL this season, and are truly building something special for the future of hockey in Amarillo. With only 21 games left (12 home games), this organization needs the continued support from our community as they position themselves to make the playoffs.
Next up
The Amarillo Wranglers travel to the Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque, N.M., to take on the first place Ice Wolves in a special three-game weekend. The Amarillo Wranglers are 19-18-1-1 currently in seventh place with 40 points, just five points behind the Wichita Falls Warriors for the final playoff spot in the NAHL South division.
