The Lighthouse Rangers returned victorious with the Gamblers Cup, winning their oldtimers' poker division at a tournament in Las Vegas in late April with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Rangers picked up a 5-3 win in their opening game against the Port Alberni Bulldogs. Peter Leverman led the way with three goals and earned game MVP honours.
Up next was the Coquitlam Purple Reign, who showed up somewhat undermanned, as can happen in Vegas. The Rangers romped to a 6-0 win, led by a pair of goals from game MVP Don Green who finished with three points. Goaltender James Hamilton made some key saves to preserve the shutout. Other goal scorers were Brock Duggan, Leverman, Hugh Rae and Brent Lymer.
On Saturday, it was inevitable to meet the Florida Bombers in the final, yet they opted to play them twice: round robin and final. Therefore, Florida sat out two players Saturday morning with the "Las Vegas flu." The Rangers were up 3-0 after two periods, thanks to a pair of goals by Glenn Allen and another from Green. Thanks to the goaltending of Hamilton, the Rangers scraped out a 3-2 win.
Saturday evening, Florida brought out their full squad and it was a spirited contest from the outset. Leverman opened the scoring early with his first shot on net 1:13 into the game.
In the second period, Duggan put the Rangers up 2-0. Then the refs called a huge array of penalties that kept both teams and the Rangers' dedicated fans guessing.
Hamilton made a huge save on a penalty shot, but a minute and a half later the Bombers got one by him.
Then, on the power play, Dave Dalgleish shifted in from the point and slid one past a stunned Bombers' goaltender.
The third period saw both teams go back and forth with lots of chances. After calling eight penalties in the second, the refs put their whistles in their pockets and called no penalties. Each team used their timeout just to catch some thin desert air. Finally, with less than three minutes left, Duggan finished off a goal mouth scramble to get the lead to 4-1.
Unfortunately the Bombers scored 44 seconds later. The Bombers pressed and made the final two minutes intense, but the Rangers were up to the task, holding on for the 4-2 win.
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