Calgary Wranglers sweep Tucson Roadrunners, move on to next round of playoffs

The Calgary Wranglers were the clear underdogs heading into their best-of-three series against the Tucson Roadrunners.

The Wranglers were the seventh seed and the Roadrunners were No. 2 heading in but the Wranglers were able to pull out the broom and sweep the series.

In the first game, Dustin Wolf was the hero, stopping all 46 shots in a 1-0 victory.

Friday night in Game 2, William Stromgren scored the game-winner in the third period.

The Wranglers forward also had an assist in their 4-3 victory.

Stromgren says it was a total team effort.

"I think we just said in the room, coming in here as an underdog and fighting off this second-place team is big for the group," the rookie forward said.

"Everyone knows we've got a tight group and everybody just wants to win here and it just feels so good for the group to go through to the next round."

Finding his game after slow start

The 20-year-old Stromgren found it difficult to start the season.

He was scratched in some games.

But he found his game in January and ended up with seven goals and 20 assists in 68 games.

And that fine play has continued into the playoffs.

"He's one of those kids that you can never count out," said Trent Cull, the Wranglers' head coach.

"He's got really good ability and he can come up big in those big situations."

Coachella Valley up next

In the second round of the playoffs, the Wranglers will face the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a best-of-five series.

Cull says it's going to be another tough test for his club.

"We know they're a really good team but you know what? We'll get to work and find out some things that we need to do as a team," he said.

"We had a good recipe versus (the Roadrunners) and we'll try to find the same versus them."

Starting series at home

The first two games of the series will be played in Calgary on Friday and Sunday and then it switches to Coachella Valley for the remainder of the series.

Being able to play a couple at home is a big thing for the Wranglers says forward Adam Klapka.

"It means a lot to us," the big forward said.

"We have awesome fans in Calgary, so I hope they're going to support us in those two games and we're going to win the games."

Here's a look at the dates for the Wranglers Firebirds series:

• Game 1 -- Friday, May 3, in Calgary at 7 p.m.
• Game 2 -- Sunday, May 5, in Calgary at 4 p.m.
• Game 3 -- Wednesday, May 8, in Coachella Valley at 7 p.m.
• Game 4 (if necessary) -- Friday, May 10, in Coachella Valley at 7 p.m.
• Game 5 (if necessary) -- Sunday, May 12, in Coachella Valley at 3 p.m.