Confident Klapka's highlight reel goal puts Wranglers in driver's seat
It wasn’t the type of thing you expect a guy who is listed at 6-foot-8 and weighing in at 235 lbs. to be able to do. Early in the second period of Friday night’s game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Adam Klapka picked up the puck inside of the Calgary Wranglers’ own zone. He skated down the centre of the ice and into the Firebirds zone, with the entire sequence looking pretty unthreatening. Then, suddenly, Klapka takes the puck to the outside, pulls it back inside and slips between two Coachella Valley defencemen before lifting the puck off the cross-bar and in. “He’s a big man who somehow fit through a small slot,” said Wranglers goaltender Dustin Wolf. “When you see a guy like that get rewarded for all the work he puts in, it’s pretty exciting.” Klapka’s highlight reel goal – and you really should seek out the replay, words can only do it so much justice – set the Wranglers on their way towards a one-sided 4-1 win over the Firebirds in Game 1 of their Round 2 series in the Calder Cup playoffs. He also picked up an assist on Mitch McLain’s goal later in the second period and was a physical presence throughout the night. And look, the goal will be what everyone who was at the Saddledome on Friday night is talking about this weekend, but there was a lot more to like about what the 23-year-old brought to the ice, too. “Klapper’s had a good year for us, our leading scorer, a young man who is really progressing along and taking big step s this year,” said head coach Trent Cull. “That was a pretty special goal he got there, but I like the other stuff like how he’s playing and how he’s being physical. He’s playing a really good playoff brand of hockey right now.” Klapka was far from the only player whose performance on Friday night deserves praise. You don’t beat a powerhouse team like the Firebirds without every guy on the ice doing their jobs and while it’s true that if you wanted to be nit-picky you could say that the Wranglers would probably like a better first period and that the power-play wasn’t great, they were the better team for most of the game. Dustin Wolf was his usual remarkable self between the pipes and the Wranglers made the Firebirds uncomfortable with their physical brand of hockey. They didn’t give up much and they capitalized on their opportunities – or, in Klapka’s case, they created something out of seemingly nothing. The Wranglers need more of the same in Game 2 on Sunday, and it certainly doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect that Klapka is going to make sure he’s involved. Cull raved about the progress he’s made in his game this season. He nearly doubled his points-total from a year ago, finishing the regular season with 21 goals and 25 assists and earning two call-ups to play with the Calgary Flames. Klapka played in six games in the NHL season and notched his first goal in the team’s final game against the San Jose Sharks. He’s brimming with confidence and after winning their first three playoff games, so are the Wranglers. As for the goal, Klapka hadn’t had a chance to review the replay when he spoke with the media post-game. Even then, though, he couldn’t help but smile when he was asked about his silky moves. “I mean, I didn’t really see it yet but I’m really happy I scored,” Klapka said. “I don’t know if I’d ever scored a goal like this so I’m really happy but I just want to help the team win the games, so it worked and I’m really happy.” daustin@postmedia.com www.twitter.com/DannyAustin_9
