Photos courtesy of IIA Photography

“It’s a sudden opportunity that’s impossible to say no to,” said Wranglers General Manager and Head Coach Mike Madill. “The role that I’ve had with this team as captain, and being given the opportunity to help make decisions and see what happens behind the scenes, is something I can use in this new experience.”

“Having the least amount of head coaching experience in this league isn’t something I’m too worried about because of the people I’m surrounded with.”

In five seasons with the Wranglers, Madill recorded 24 goals and 131 points in 336 games, making him the club record holder for all-time games played. While playing under both former Wranglers head coaches Glen Gulutzan and Ryan Mougenel, the 30-year-old helped guide two different teams to the Kelly Cup Finals – with Gulutzan in 2008 and Mougenel in 2012. Las Vegas went to the playoffs every season with Madill in the lineup, which included winning the Pacific Division in 2008 and two Bruce Taylor Trophies as the Western Conference champions in 2008 and 2012. His leadership ability earned him team captain status for his final two seasons (2011-13) in a Wranglers uniform.

“We are thrilled to have a person of Mike’s character to take the reins of the Wranglers,” said Wranglers President Billy Johnson. “Mike has been an important part of our history, and we’re excited that he will be part of our future.”

Madill was named to the ECHL 2007 All-Star Team in his first professional season with the now-defunct Texas Wildcatters. Going overseas with the Asia League’s Nippon Paper Cranes in 2010-11, Madill posted five goals and 19 points on his way to earning Best Defensive Defenseman of the Asia League honors that year.

The Kirkland, Quebec native spent four years (2002-06) at St. Lawrence University. In his senior year, Madill was named both team captain and the NCAA’s Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Best Defensive Defenseman for 2005-06. The blueliner tallied 14 goals and 63 points in 154 games with the Saints.

Photo by IIA Photography

The Las Vegas Wranglers announced today that over $330,000 was given back to the community this season through jersey auctions, non-profit partnerships and continued fan support. Over 135 organizations benefitted from associations with the team.

A proud Wranglers tradition after seven seasons, the team’s St. Baldrick’s event raised $20,096 for the foundation. Players, front office staff, and fans collected donations for six weeks before shaving their heads on the ice in solidarity with children battling cancers.

Specialty jersey auctions brought in over $12,000 that went directly back to Las Vegas organizations. A Movember jersey, featuring a mustachioed Wranglers logo, raised $4,532 for the Nevada Cancer Coalition. The team then celebrated their 10th season with a FANniversary jersey, which, along with ticket proceeds, collected $8,030 for the Children’s Hospital of Nevada at UMC.

For the tenth consecutive season, the Wranglers partnered with NV Energy to donate money to a local non-profit for every home goal scored. Flip the Script, an anti-bullying group, received $10,000 after the Wranglers scored 100 home goals in 36 regular-season games this year. Also back for a second season was a “Guns ‘n’ Hoses” game between Las Vegas police and fire departments. The charity contest netted $5,385 for Opportunity Village.

The Wranglers also supported the community in non-monetary ways. The second annual “Reading Wranglers” program had almost 39,000 elementary school students in 66 schools reading daily to encourage good habits, with over five million minutes read. The team hosted a fourth annual Three Square Food Bank drive and collected 5,290 pounds of food for Vegas valley families and pantries as well.

“Thank You, Las Vegas,” a ticket donation program for local non-profits that launched last season, gifted 2,169 tickets to 23 organizations as a thank you for their efforts in the Southern Nevada community. People who donated items to Goodwill of Southern Nevada locations between September 15 and October 15, 2012, also received complimentary tickets.

Fundraiser tickets, “Chuck a Puck” group fundraisers, and a variety of other activities contributed to the donations made on behalf of the Wranglers this season. In 2011-12, almost $400,000 was given back to the Las Vegas community by the Wranglers. To get involved with the Wranglers community efforts, please contact the front office at (702) 471-7825.

During that tenure, the Wranglers won the 2012 Bruce Taylor Trophy as the ECHL Western Conference champions, before dropping the 2012 Kelly Cup Finals series four games to one to the Florida Everblades.

“We are thankful for Ryan’s leadership in his four seasons here, including an exciting run toward the Kelly Cup in 2012,” said Wranglers owner Gary Jacobs. “The entire organization wishes him all the best.”

Mougenel was named head coach and general manager of the Wranglers in June 2009. Prior to coming to Las Vegas, he was an assistant coach to the Stockton Thunder and now-defunct Fresno Falcons from 2005-09.

The Wranglers have not yet named a replacement.

Stockton took a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the first, with Thunder right wing Ryan Hayes scoring at the 8:25 mark and defenseman Ryan Constant tallying a goal 29 seconds later. Thunder left wing Matt Bergland made it a 3-0 game late in the period, but with five seconds left in the first, Wranglers forward Andrew Sarauer hit the back of the Stockton net to put Las Vegas on the board.

Photo by Josh and Jen Photography

Thirty-eight seconds into the second period, Sarauer scored his second goal of the night to narrow the game to a one-goal lead for Stockton. The 3-2 score held until the last six minutes of the period, when Thunder defenseman Shawn Boutin and Hayes posted two unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead into the third. Hayes secured a hat trick 59 seconds into the final period, but defensemen Channing Boe and Matt Campanale notched back-to-back goals 41 seconds apart to make it 6-4 in the final three minutes.

Las Vegas had a two-man advantage in the final 1:23 of the game as Stockton took a penalty with Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon pulled for the man advantage, but unable to capitalize, the Thunder secured the Game 7 victory to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Wranglers finish the 2012-13 season with a 3-2-2 postseason record and a 37-30-2-3 regular season record. This afternoon’s full box score can be found here.

The Wranglers took a 2-0 lead in the first off power play goals from center Carlo Finucci and defenseman Marc Cantin. Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon and Thunder goaltender Olivier Roy held the second period scoreless, despite Stockton outshooting Las Vegas 16-5, and just 4:25 into the third, Wranglers right wing Sean Wiles recorded the team’s third power play goal of the night for a 3-0 advantage.

Photo by IIA Photography

Thirty seconds after Wiles’ goal, Stockton responded with a goal from left wing Andrew Clark, getting on the board 3-1. With less than eight minutes left in regulation, the Thunder tallied three more goals off the sticks of center Harrison Reed, left wing Garet Hunt, and defenseman Daniel Gibb to take their first lead of the night, putting the Wranglers down 4-3. With Fallon pulled for the man advantage, Stockton secured the 5-3 comeback win on an empty net goal from left wing Shawn Weller.

With the win tonight, the best-of-seven series is tied 3-3, and a decisive Game 7 takes place Sunday, April 14, at 4 p.m. in Stockton. The winner of the series will face either the Alaska Aces or the San Francisco Bulls in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tonight’s full box score can be found here.

Highlights from Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Wranglers and the Stockton Thunder, which the Wranglers won 3-0 to take the 3-2 series lead!

Highlights from Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Wranglers and the Stockton Thunder, which the Wranglers won 3-0 to make the series 2-1 in Stockton’s favor.

Highlights from Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Wranglers and the Stockton Thunder, which the Thunder won 3-2 in overtime for the 2-0 series lead.

Highlights from Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Wranglers and the Stockton Thunder, which the Thunder won 3-2 in overtime for the 1-0 series lead.

Scoring kicked off late in the first as Sarauer posted the game’s first goal with 2:27 left in the period. The 1-0 lead almost became a 2-0 game on a shorthanded breakaway by Wranglers center Eric Lampe midway through the period, and Fallon made a series of crucial saves to keep the Thunder’s scoring attempts off the board.

Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon stops Thunder right wing Matt Reber in the 3-0 shutout – photo by IIA Photography

Five minutes into the third, the Wranglers went up a man on a delayed Stockton penalty. The power play never came to fruition as Sarauer fed Wranglers center Judd Blackwater, putting Las Vegas up 2-0. Securing the 3-0 shutout win, Sarauer hit the empty Stockton net to give the Wranglers a 3-2 series advantage after returning home down 2-0 to the Thunder. The shutout was Fallon’s second in three days and his second of the series.

Game 6 takes place in Stockton on Friday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. A Wranglers win will advance the team to the Western Conference Semifinals to meet either the Alaska Aces or the San Francisco Bulls, and a Stockton win will force a Game 7 on Sunday, April 14, at 4 p.m.

Tonight’s full box score can be found here.