Calgary Wranglers eliminated from playoffs in overtime heartbreaker

The Saddledome ice can be removed for the summer.

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The Calgary Wranglers, the last hope to hang a championship banner this season, have been eliminated in the third round of the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs. 

The Flames’ farm-clubbers were on the wrong end of a 6-5 overtime thriller Friday in a winner-take all showdown with the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. The Firebirds, the top affiliate for the Seattle Kraken, closed with a 3-2 edge in this best-of-five series.  

Andrew Poturalski ended a see-saw affair with a glove-side goal in sudden-death. As the hosts celebrated, the devastated crew from Calgary gathered around the crease to console MVP netminder Dustin Wolf. 

The Wranglers and Firebirds finished 1-2 in the AHL’s overall standings in 2022-23, and this Pacific Division final was every bit as close as anticipated. 

The two teams traded goals at a furious clip in Game 5, including a flurry of six snipes — three per side — in a wild third period.  

Calgary’s point-patrollers contributed three goals on the evening, with Kristians Rubins, Nick DeSimone and Jeremie Poirier all burying from the blue-line. Clark Bishop and Cole Schwindt also tallied for the out-of-town team.  

Canmore-raised Jeremy McKenna potted a pair for the Firebirds, while Jesper Froden, Ville Petman and Luke Henman chipped in with singles. 

Wolf, the goaltender-of-the-future for the Flames, registered 35 saves in a losing cause. At the opposite end of the rink, Coachella Valley’s Joey Daccord was credited with 28 stops in the clincher. 

While it’s little consolation after a playoff ouster, the Wranglers will eventually raise one banner — they captured the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, awarded to the squad with the best regular-season record.

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson  

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