By: Annie Nadin
About the Game
The Wranglers will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Saint John Flames Calder Cup Championship with special throwback jerseys and a themed night on Mar. 15 when they host the Manitoba Moose at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The commemorative jerseys feature the classic fire-breathing dragon logo worn by the Saint John Flames from 1993 to 2003, honouring the franchise’s championship legacy.
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The Matchup
The Wranglers dominated the Moose 7-2 Friday night at the Saddledome, powered by multi-goal performances from Justin Kirkland and Aydar Suniev, along with a 42-save effort from goaltender Arsenii Sergeev.
Manitoba struck first on a power-play goal from Brayden Yager, but Calgary responded with a six-goal surge in the second period.
Kirkland tied the game early in the frame before Suniev scored twice in under a minute to give the Wranglers control.
Suniev finished the night with three points, recording two goals and an assist.
Have a game Aydar💥 pic.twitter.com/ywxLfkWUeR
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 14, 2026
Goals from Sam Morton, Kirkland again on the power play, and Clark Bishop extended the lead to 6-1 after 40 minutes.
Walker Duehr briefly cut into the deficit in the third for Manitoba, but Artem Grushnikov answered with a top-corner blast to cap the scoring, sealing a 7-2 Wranglers win and setting the stage for the rematch.
“It was a good bounce back effort, we weren’t too happy with our last result in Coachella, it wasn’t up to our standards so we knew we needed a lot better tonight and I thought we did that,” shared Kirkland to the media following the win.
“We were not too happy with our last result in Coachella, was not up to our standard, so we knew we needed a lot better tonight, and I thought we did that.”
Justin Kirkland spoke with the media after he recorded two goals in tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/7aMOM5o6nw
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 14, 2026
Kirkland tallied his third goal in his last two games and has recorded five points in his last five contests.
Kirkland expects the rematch to be a heated matchup, with the Moose looking to respond in Sunday’s matinee.
“I think it’s always hard going back-to-back against the same team. I’m sure they’re going to come in a little ticked off after the result of tonight so I think we can expect to see a little better team.”
The Other Side
The Moose will be looking to bounce back from Friday’s loss with a stronger effort.
Samuel Fagemo recorded two assists in the game for Manitoba. It marked his third assist in the past five games and his fourth point over that span.
The Central Division rivals currently sit third out of seven teams in the division with 60 points.
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